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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Portofino
Go for one night or a half-day from Santa Margherita: the harbour is 30 minutes of walking, then you eat at triple price or leave.
Portofino is a village of about 450 people at the end of a dead-end road, with one small harbour, a handful of boutiques and restaurants priced for yacht owners. There is almost nothing to 'see' — the point is the harbour, a swim at Paraggi and a walk up to Castello Brown. Sleep in Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli and come in by bus or boat; a single night in the village is for the view at dawn and dusk, when the day-trippers are gone.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–early Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, heat, peak prices), late Oct–Mar (many places shut)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €70–110 excl. bed · Mid €110–180 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · Coast guard 1530
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the counter | €1.50–3 |
| Focaccia or a bakery lunch | €3–8 |
| Pasta or salad at a harbour restaurant | €20–25 |
| Seafood main at a harbour restaurant | €40–50 |
| Glass of wine | €15–20 |
| Gelato | €3–5 |
| Taxi, minimum charge | €20 |
| Parking in the village, per day | €18–22 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GOA · Genoa Cristoforo Colombo
- Closest airport; about 45 km, then train to Santa Margherita Ligure and bus 782.Closest airport; about 28 mi, then train to Santa Margherita Ligure and bus 782.
- NCE · Nice Côte d'Azur
- Cross-border option by car or train via Ventimiglia; longer and needs a change.
- MXP · Milan Malpensa
- Farther; only worth it if the flight is much cheaper, then train to Genoa.
Typical fares
- Bus 782, Santa Margherita Ligure → Portofino
- €5, 15–30 min; buy on the AMT app or at the machine at the Portofino bus stop
- Train, Genoa → Santa Margherita Ligure
- about €3, 30–45 min
- Ferry, Portofino → San Fruttuoso
- about €10 each way, 30–45 min (check; seasonal)
- Taxi, minimum charge
- about €20
Get around
On foot. The village is small and cobbled, with steps and uneven lanes; most hotels and the two beaches are within a 10-minute walk of the harbour. Bus 782 links Santa Margherita Ligure station to Portofino every 15–30 min in season. Ferries run along the Gulf of Tigullio and to San Fruttuoso in summer. Taxis exist but are expensive; expect a minimum charge around €20.
See and do
Known for
- The harbour and Piazzetta
- Castello Brown
- Paraggi bay
- San Fruttuoso and the Christ of the Abyss
- Ligurian pesto and focaccia
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Margherita Ligure | Bus 782 from the village, or the coastal path via Paraggi | 20–30 min by bus; about 1 h 15 min on foot |
| San Fruttuoso | Ferry or boat from Portofino harbour | About 30–45 min each way |
| Genoa | Bus or ferry to Santa Margherita, then Trenitalia regional train | 1 h 15 min–1 h 45 min |
| Camogli | Train from Santa Margherita Ligure | About 1 h |
| Cinque Terre | Train from Santa Margherita Ligure toward La Spezia | 1 h 30 min–2 h |
| Pisa | Train via Genoa or La Spezia | About 2 h+ |
Sleep
- Portofino village
- Everything is a short walk from the harbour. Few beds, high prices, most hotels open roughly April–September.
- Santa Margherita Ligure
- 5 km away, on the train line and the bus 782 route; far more rooms and lower prices.3.1 mi away, on the train line and the bus 782 route; far more rooms and lower prices.
- Camogli or Rapallo
- Cheaper bases on the same rail line; add 20–40 min each way.
- Paraggi
- Between Portofino and Santa Margherita, on the walking path; beach first, village second.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| Is the cover charge included? | Il coperto è incluso?eel koh-PEHR-toh eh in-KLOO-zoh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Restaurants cluster around the harbour at near-identical high prices; a cover charge of about €7 per person is normal, and menus note when seafood is frozen.
- Parking in the village is scarce and costly; the road from Santa Margherita is narrow and winding — drive only if you must.
- The shore road to Santa Margherita has sections with no walkway; use the inland path via Paraggi instead.
- Many shops and hotels close from late October to around February or March; check before booking outside the season.
- After about 18:30 the sun drops behind the promontory and it cools quickly — carry a layer even in summer.
Very safe for a village of this size; the real risks are the narrow road, the uneven cobbles and steps, and restaurant bills that arrive higher than expected. Agree the total before you sit down.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Portofino yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The harbour and Piazzetta
- Castello Brown
- Paraggi bay
- San Fruttuoso and the Christ of the Abyss
- Ligurian pesto and focaccia
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di Portofino: www.comune.portofino.genova.it
- Liguria regional tourism: www.lamialiguria.it/en/
- Trenitalia: www.trenitalia.com/en.html
- AMT Genova (bus 782): www.amt.genova.it/amt/
- Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport: www.airport.genova.it/en/
- Wikivoyage: Portofino, revision 5239452 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5239452
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Portofino
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Portofino. Consulates-general in Genoa and Milan; embassies in Rome.
Cash helps in small shops; cards are widely taken in hotels and harbour restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/portofino). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.