Getting around Imperia without a car (or almost), summer 2026

Let me get this out of the way first: in summer, a car in Imperia is more of a problem than a solution. Parking in the centre in July and August is a small war of nerves, and the truth is that almost everything you'll want to see is reachable without getting behind the wheel. From Stella sul Mare, in Oneglia, you're better off parking and forgetting the car for a few days.

Let's start with your feet, which here are the main means of transport. From the house to Calata Cuneo and the port of Oneglia it's a few flat minutes: walk down and you're among the fish stalls, the arcades and the aperitivo bars. The centre of Oneglia, the square, the market, is all right there, a short and easy walk. From Oneglia to Porto Maurizio, on the other hand, the real distance is about three and a half kilometres, and it's an easy walk along the seafront: cross the bridge over the Impero, the stream that splits the two halves of the city, and on the other side you're in Porto. Reckon on about forty minutes at an easy pace. From there, if you want to climb up to the Parasio, the medieval old town, be ready for a real climb: the lanes spiral up to the cathedral, and it's beautiful, but it's all uphill. The same goes for the Passeggiata degli Innamorati, the cliff path that runs from Borgo Marina all the way to Borgo Foce: short, about ten minutes, but with a few steps. Here's the honest thing about Imperia: it's a hilly town, and several of the lovely bits are up high. The beaches, on the other hand, are easy, flat, a few minutes from the calata.

When your legs aren't enough, there's the bus. The operator here is Riviera Trasporti, which everyone calls RT, and it covers both the urban links between Oneglia, Porto Maurizio and the outlying districts, and the lines to the nearby towns.

Tickets, where to buy them

A single urban ticket costs 1.50 euro and is valid for 100 minutes: one is often enough for a short round trip. Buying it in advance pays off, because on board from the driver it costs more (around 2.50 euro). You'll find it in tobacconists and newsstands — there are plenty in Oneglia and at the Porto, usually near the stops — or, and this is the handiest option if you're arriving from out of town, straight from your phone with the public transport apps: MooneyGo or myCicero. Download the app, select Riviera Trasporti, buy and validate from your phone, no hunting for an open tobacconist (handy especially in the evening and on Sundays, when many are shut). For longer trips toward Sanremo, Diano Marina or Andora — those on lines like the 12 — the ticket works the same way, and the fare changes by zones: the app works it out for you.

An urban line bus running along the sea on the Riviera road: the handiest way to move along the coast with no parking worries.

The stops along the coast

The urban lines run along the sea and stitch the two centres together. If you keep them in mind as stops, from east to west, you'll get your bearings at once:

• Oneglia — where you start: the port, Calata Cuneo, the market under the arcades, the aperitivo bars.
• Borgo Marina — the stop for the beaches: La Rabina and Spiaggia d'Oro, with the Rabina playground for the kids. Above is the Parasio, and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati starts right here.
• Borgo Foce — the beach with its lido and the kiosk for an aperitivo by the sea; it's also where the Lovers' Walk arrives, coming from the Marina.
• Borgo Prino — the finer-sand beaches and the cycle path that runs by the sea toward the west.

The bus timetable, summer 2026

In summer the summer schedule comes into force (in force from 15 June 2026) and Line 30 runs along the coast, with three daily loops. Here are the departure times from the Borgo Marina terminus, so you can plan; the full stop-by-stop timetable is in the official PDF.

• Line 30 / A2 — Oneglia and the beaches: this is the one that calls at Oneglia (Parco Urbano, Calata Cuneo, the Borgo Peri esplanade) and reaches the Rabina car park. From Borgo Marina it leaves at 8.30, 9.30, 11.20, 12.40, 13.30, 15.00, 16.00, 17.50, 19.10 (it passes Calata Cuneo, in Oneglia, a few minutes later). It's the right run for Oneglia–Porto and for getting to the sea.
• Line 30 / A1 — toward the Prino: from Borgo Marina it climbs to Igiene, Rotonda Piani and Via Ballestra and drops down to the Prino, at 9.00, 10.50, 12.10, 13.10, 14.00, 15.30, 17.20, 18.20, 19.40.
• Line 30 / A3 — up to the Parasio: from Borgo Marina to the Parasio and back, at 8.15, 10.30, 11.50, 14.30, 17.00, 18.45.

A note that's worth the evening. The Line 30 seafront loop and the beach shuttle finish early, around 19.00: with those, after dinner, you won't get back. But no panic if you go to eat in Porto Maurizio, because getting you back to Oneglia is the job of Line 12, the Sanremo–Imperia–Andora, which really does run late into the night — and the Porto→Oneglia hop is nothing, five minutes. On the summer timetable (in force from 15 June to 13 September), on weekdays the late departures from Porto Maurizio are at 22.20, 22.50, 23.50, 00.50 and the last at 01.40; on Sundays and holidays at 22.00, 22.40, 23.20, 00.30 and again a last one at 01.40. In short: take your time over dinner on the other side of the stream and ride the bus home. Just check Line 12's exact stop in Porto and the day's times on the MooneyGo app or the Riviera Trasporti website, since the late runs are the ones most subject to change. For the rest of the urban network and the lines to the nearby towns, refer to the Riviera Trasporti website.

On the main routes between Oneglia and Porto, during the day, the buses run often; toward the hillside districts and in the evening, much less.

The train is a case apart, and here's something that throws everyone the first time. There's only one station in Imperia, a modern one, but it's neither in Oneglia nor in Porto: it was built further inland a few years ago, when they moved the railway into a tunnel, and it replaced the two old town stations. So you can't comfortably walk to it from the centre: there's a shuttle linking it to the Oneglia terminus roughly every half hour, but check the times, because it's not a continuous service. That said, the train is your best weapon for day trips. Imperia is on the Genoa-Ventimiglia line, with regional trains and the odd Intercity, and in just over twenty minutes you're in Ventimiglia, while Sanremo is no time at all. Eastward, Genoa is a little over an hour and a half. For a day in Sanremo or a hop to the French border, the train takes away every parking worry.

A regional train pulling into Imperia station: the platform, the tunnel the line emerges from and the hillside behind. This is where day trips to Sanremo, Ventimiglia and Genoa set off.

For the towns on the coast to the east, like Diano Marina, San Bartolomeo al Mare and Cervo, in summer Riviera Trasporti beefs up the service around the Dianese gulf, with runs linking the centres and the station. It's the right way to get to Cervo without the nightmare of parking below the old town, which is packed in summer. Here too, no schedules from memory: take a look at the RT website for the runs in your period.

And then there's my favourite way to head west: the bike. The cycle path of the coastal park starts at Imperia and runs along the sea, on the route of the old railway, all the way to Sanremo and beyond. It's all flat, away from the cars, and you can rent ordinary or electric bikes at points along the way. To move towards San Lorenzo al Mare, Santo Stefano, Arma di Taggia or Sanremo it's a ride right by the sea, and in my view it's the loveliest way to get around in these parts.

The rule I give my guests is simple: for Oneglia, the beaches and Porto, go on foot or by bike; for Sanremo, Ventimiglia and Genoa, take the train; for the eastern towns there's the summer bus. Keep the car for the inland valleys, where public transport really does get sparse. For everything else, leave it where it is.