On the northern coast of Tuscany, with a backdrop of the Apuan Alps lies the Versilia. The beach here is very wide and long stretching from Forte dei Marmi in the north to Viareggio in the south. The higher end resorts of Forte dei Marmi and Lido di Camaiore are taken over by deckchairs and umbrellas set up by bathing establishments which provide changing rooms, showers, and bars. The water is clean but the current tends to be strong. This is the place to sunbathe and be seen! In the evening, enjoy a stroll on the promenade that runs behind the beach, with hotels and restaurants looking over the sea. Enjoy a romantic meal at sunset looking over the sea. The Versilia is famous for its summer night life, and therefore the height of the season is during the summer. Many establishments close down at the end of September.

As you head south, the beaches get shorter and narrower and tend to receive strong currents. Many of them start having copses as well as stretches of actual woods right behind the beach. The Marina di Pisa is particularly adapt for families as the beach is protected from the open sea by large rock walls that have been piled to act as barriers making the beach-going experience much more pleasant.

This area includes some of the most popular beaches in all of Tuscany. From Antignano down to Rosignano the waterfront is actually reef. The towns here all offer boardwalks with cafes, gelato shops and restaurants. Castiglioncello, Vada and Cecina are some of the easiest to reach with public transportation as the towns (and train station along the Pisa-Grosseto line) are on the coast or not far.

From Rosignano down to Riotorto the beach turns into small pebbles or coarse sand, the beaches tend to be very short before you reach a barrier of rock into the sea but there are lots of them. The water tends to be calmer in this area in general. You definitely generally need a car to visit these beaches, as public transportation is limited.
Heading south of Livorno, we get to the beautiful Costa degli Etruschi. A scenic road running right over the steep wild cliffs overlooking the sea, leads to Quercianella, a quiet and peaceful place, surrounded by pine forests and Mediterranean scrub. In its inner part, the Etruscan Coast is characterized by thick Mediterranean vegetation while the coastline is very steep and rocky up to Castiglioncello, while after it, it becomes flat and sandy.
In Castiglioncello, you can enjoy a fabulous sea (European Blue Flag), with streets and alleys winding in the green of the pine forests, picturesque coves and pebble creeks on a high rocky coast. Here, you`re going to find one of the most beautiful beaches of all Tuscany! The Baia del Quercetano, a bay with crystal clear waters all surrounded by green and villas hidden amid the vegetation. Further south of Castiglioncello is the scenic Golfo Di Baratti, magnificent and quiet gulf framed by dunes covered with pine forests and a beautiful beach of sand. Here lies one of the most important Etruscan necropolis in Tuscany dating back to the period from the ninth to the third century B.C.