Cinque Terre is best known for its colourful seaside villages, steep cliffside trails and beautiful views over the Ligurian Sea, so we were mainly focused on hiking Cinque Terre with our kids during this part of our family trip to Italy. But when we learned that cycling Cinque Terre with kids was also possible from nearby Levanto, we were excited to try a different way of experiencing the area.
The Levanto to Framura bike path is a paved, family-friendly cycling route just outside the five official Cinque Terre villages. It follows an old railway line through long tunnels, past sea views and through the small beach town of Bonassola. Compared to the Cinque Terre hiking trails, this bike ride is much easier with kids and is a nice change of pace.
This isn’t a guided Cinque Terre bike tour, and it doesn’t take you through the famous five villages themselves. It’s a self-guided bike ride near Cinque Terre that starts in Levanto, which is easy to reach by train from the Cinque Terre towns. For families looking for a fun, non-hiking activity for kids, the Levanto bike path is well worth considering.
In this post, we’ll share what it’s like cycling from Levanto to Framura with kids, where to rent bikes in Levanto, how long the bike path takes, and what to expect along the way.
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Why This Cinque Terre Bike Tour Works So Well with Kids
The hiking around Cinque Terre is world-class, but too much hiking can seem a bit repetitive. Going on an oceanfront family bike ride along a former railway line is a genuinely fun alternative to hiking.
This self-guided cycling trip starts in Levanto, which is very easy to get to from the Cinque Terre villages. Just take a short train ride to Levanto for a fun and easy Cinque Terre cycling adventure.
In 1874, trains started running from the Levanto train station along an incredible oceanfront railway, with tunnels running through the edge of the mountains. The trains fell silent in 1971, but in 2011 the oceanfront Levanto railway track was converted into a dedicated pedestrian & cycling path.
The Levanto bike path, officially known as Ciclopedonale Maremonti, is a wide, two-way paved cycling trail with dedicated lanes for both walking and cycling. This very unique Cinque Terre cycling trail is perfect for cyclists and walkers of all ability levels.
Where the Levanto to Framura Bike Path Starts
This kid-friendly cycling route near Cinque Terre runs from Levanto to Framura. The trailhead for the Levanto Bike Path is located along the Ligurian Sea, just northwest of central Levanto.
This self-guided Cinque Terre bike tour runs through the small Italian beach town of Bonassola, before concluding in Framura.
Levanto to Framura Bike Path Distance and Difficulty
The Cinque Terre cycling route from Levanto to Bonassola is approximately 2.6 km (1.6 miles) long.
The bike ride from Bonassola to Framura is an additional 2.4 km / 1.5 miles for a total one-way distance of 5 km / 3.1 miles.
This Cinque Terre bike path is easy, relatively flat and doesn’t take long to cycle from end to end. The path is slightly downhill on the way to Framura, so the ride will seem almost effortless. You’ll notice the bike ride is slightly harder on the way back, especially if you have child seats on your bike.
Be sure to stop and enjoy the various sea views and explore the coastal Italian towns along the way.
What to Expect Cycling the Levanto Bike Path with Kids
When traveling with our kids (aged 4 and almost 2), we try to give them a variety of activities each day to keep them mentally and physically stimulated. On the day of our Levanto bike ride, we took the morning to explore Levanto, stopped for a pastry and let the kids play at a playground.
Once the kids had their fill of the playground, we set off on our family-friendly Cinque Terre cycling trip.
Kid-friendly Cinque Terre Bike Rentals
We rented our bikes (complete with child seats) from Sensafreni Bike Shop on Piazza del Popolo in Levanto, conveniently located right across the street from the playground.
We brought helmets from home for our kids because we planned to go cycling in Italy a few times.
Converted Railway Tunnels
The bike path through the train tunnels is well lit and every so often there is a break where a tunnel ends and a stunning oceanside view appears. There are even holes carved out of the side of the tunnel every now and then leading to a platform where you can enjoy the beautiful oceanside scenery.
It took us approximately 10 minutes to cycle to Bonassola and another 15 minutes to Framura, or about 1 hour round trip with stops. We didn’t go into either town, but if you have the time it would be fun to explore them. At Framura, you’d need to lock up your bike at the old train station and walk into town.
Cycling from Levanto to Framura is a perfect thing to do with kids in Cinque Terre on a really hot day, as the train tunnels help keep the route cool. The tunnels also make it a great rainy-day activity since the tunnels will protect you from the rain!
Can You Walk the Levanto Bike Path Instead?
If you’re not interested in cycling, you can also walk part or all of the 5 km route. You don’t need to walk the full length of the Levanto bike path to enjoy the experience.
Where to Stay in Cinque Terre with Kids
Levanto is a larger town just northwest of Cinque Terre, but it is not officially part of the five Cinque Terre villages. For the full Cinque Terre experience, we recommend you stay in one of the five Cinque Terre villages, instead of Levanto.
With five Cinque Terre villages to choose from, finding the right place to stay is a bit more work than usual.
We chose to stay in Monterosso al Mare with our kids. We chose to stay in Monterosso al Mare with our kids because it worked well for us logistically, with good train connections, grocery stores, a playground and a long stretch of beach.
We rented a two-bedroom vacation home rental at the northern end of Monterosso al Mare. We chose to stay at a vacation home rental as we enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities.
If hotels are more your style, we personally use and recommend using Booking as their Top Picks for Families search filter makes it easy to find good family-friendly accommodation.
Follow Along on our Family Trip to Italy
Our visit to Cinque Terre with kids ranks up there with the most beautiful hiking experiences we’ve ever had as a family. Many of the hiking trails are not overly kid-friendly, but we made it fun for everyone with our backpack carriers.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our experiences biking and hiking in Cinque Terre. If you’d like to follow along on our Italy itinerary with kids, we arrived in Cinque Terre after a week in Elba with kids. After Cinque Terre, we stopped for a quick visit to Pisa with kids, before continuing on to visit Lucca with kids.
We are so grateful we could go hiking in Cinque Terre with our kids. We hope your family trip is as rewarding!
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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