My family of four, husband,11 yr.old son and 16 year old daughter, really took to this town .
We tried for 4 months to book a reasonable place in the C-5. We didn't want to break the bank and wanted a beach to end our whirlwind, hot, Rome to Florence trip with a little down time. I found Levanto in Rick Steves book and did a little research. We stayed in the Ospitalia Hostel at 102 eu. a night.
We arrived on the train, walked through town to the beach where we had our suits on and swam until the Hostel opened at 4pm.
This is the most delightful place...colorful, easy to get around on foot, beautiful seashore/beach. After a late dinner, everyone walks the promenade until late.
What I found most astonishing is the local flavor/ambience. There were more vacationing Italians there than other foreigners. It was not a high brow place. There were some exotic villas to look at but not over the top. We really felt relaxed and comfortable. One of the two nights we listened to live Jazz in one of the Piazzas.
Location transportation was so easy. Levanto is included in the C-5 pass and you can use the train to get anywhere. We booked our train to Milan at the Station on the day we left. I would go back in a Nano second.
Our accomodation was bigger than a lot of our hotels and had two sinks. We had a family suite that was quiet. The Ospitalia is in a former hospital and the noise echos a bit, but it was very clean.
This was one of my best memories...sea, sun, food, hiking, great for all your senses.

Aquaflyer

We honeymooned in Levanto. To me, it is the perfect place to visit: relatively easy to get to and with enough amenities that you never would have to leave. But you will want to because just over the hill are the Cinque Terre: just a couple hours of hiking and you're there, or a five minute train ride to Monterosso. Levanto is a charming town. It's not the tiny, boxy type of beauty displayed in the Cinque Terre villages, but it's got lovely, tree-lined avenues, hillside agriculture, excellent food, unbelievably great coffee, is famous for its focaccia, produces lemons, olives and a wonderful Limoncino.Liguria is also the heart of pesto, so eat up. The town is jasmine-scented, pleasantly laid-back and the people are very friendly. You won't find a dance club, but there is one bar where the "party people" gather. Levanto also has a better beach than any of the Cinque Terre towns, and when we were there in May, it was deserted. For the active types, the national park status of the Cinque Terre and the well-marked trails that criss-cross throughout the area would take you a lifetime to explore. Sea kayaking and even surfing are big activities in the area. And the Frutti di Mare is a must-order dish. It's different at every spot, but always fresh and really great. If I could live anywhere in the world, I'd probably choose Levanto. I just need to figure out a way to make it happen. For more info we suggest to visit this website:www.stop.at/cinqueterre

Really a fantastic place to be visited also in low season, because there are less people and it's more quite.
Good food, taste spaghetti or trofie al pesto, drink sciacchetra', expensive after dinner wine, but exclusive one!
have a trip along the coast with one of the small boat you can rent and let visit the thousand of natural small harbours!
have a walk along the paths from Levanto to Portovenere,you need more than 3 days but the view is unbelivable!
whant to see some photos and have more info about the area,
ciao Natalin