Levanto to Framura – A unique Bike Ride around Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre is a widely popular tourist destination in Italy and every year, several thousands of tourists visit it to appreciate the beauty of these pretty villages situated along the Mediterranean coast. Cinque Terre is the best place for hiking and to see some fantastic views of mountains, turquoise blue water, and cute colorful houses. While walking and wandering around these pretty houses, we happen to come across another exciting way to explore Cinque Terre and its surrounding regions. Cycling! That’s right. Around Cinque Terre villages, you can take a bike ride from Levanto to Framura. Just imagine, cycling around the stunning Ligurian coast with the sparkling blue water of the Mediterranean Sea on one side and mighty mountains on the other. Sounds interesting, right?

Levanto is a pretty small town situated right next to Cinque Terre. Levanto to Framura is well known for its dedicated cycling and walking path. There is a two-way path dedicated primarily for pedestrians and cyclists that passes through several tunnels and is perfect for first-time cyclists as well as for kids. If you’re traveling and hiking to Cinque Terre villages and looking for some different experience, this could be the best alternative for you. Levanto is an easy day-trip from either of the Cinque Terre villages (viz. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore) and can be easily reached by a train ride which hardly takes 10-15 min. You can either go with Cinque Terre express or with the regional trains. We took a regional train from Genova towards Levanto which costs ~4 euro per person. 

After reaching to Levanto, we decided first to explore a bit of this charming town. Levanto is very popular amongst locals as well as tourists as it’s a perfect escape from the over-crowded Cinque Terre villages. It is a small, pretty and typical Italian town with cute little alleys, fancy cafes, pizzerias, and many Gelato stores.

After wandering in Levanto, we decided to rent bicycles. There are many rental bicycle stores in the area, you can choose any nearest store available. We rented our bicycles from the nearby Cicli Raso store and started our bike ride Levanto to Framura. First stop is Bonassola, a small town located around 2.6 km from Levanto towards Framura. The path is flat and easy to ride. We stopped at several stunning places along the way to see the beauty of the Ligurian coast and of course, to click pictures.

We reached to Bonassola after 40-45 minutes of cycling. We also explored some parts of this charming town. Bonassola is a lovely and peaceful town. We rested there for some time at a nearby park and then started our bike ride Levanto to Framura.

Framura is around 2.4 km from Bonassola. There are big tunnels all along the path which were quite cold and calm and lightened all the way along. It’s easy to cycle from Levanto to Framura as well as to walk as the paths are well maintained and have useful signs together.

We reached to Framura and stopped there for a while to cherish the beauty of the stunning Ligurian town and the Mediterranean. After clicking several pictures there, we started our cycle journey back towards Levanto. The path is slightly harder on the way back to Levanto but not that tough.

Irrespective to say, the coast of Levanto is stunning with the crystal-clear water with the beautiful backdrop of mountains and colourful houses. Don’t hold back yourself, just go and take that refreshing dip into the Mediterranean water.

Cycling along these pretty little Ligurian towns was one of the best activities and it was a good break from mundane routine. We got to explore a few stunning towns and some outstanding views. If you’re looking for some unique experience and want to explore amazing Italian towns, this is the best alternative for you.

The overall experience of our ocean-front bike ride from Levanto to Framura was exciting, refreshing and unique and is must-do while you’re in Cinque Terre.

You can see all the “behind the scenes” videos, stories, highlights and more about the cycle and walking path from Levanto to Framura here. 

If you’re planning to have this exciting trip, you can save below images for your reference: