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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Santa Margherita Ligure
Use as a base for Portofino and the Tigullio Gulf: 2 nights let you walk the coast path, take a boat and eat well without the Portofino price tag.
Santa Margherita Ligure is the practical, less expensive gateway to the Portofino peninsula. It has a sandy beach, a 16th-century castle, a basilica and a promenade. Most travellers stay here and day-trip to Portofino (20 min on foot or by boat) rather than sleeping in Portofino itself. The town is also a stop on the Genoa–La Spezia railway, 45 min from Genoa.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowded, hot), Nov–Feb (many restaurants close)
- Stay
- 2 nights
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 €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ 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
- Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · European emergency 112
- 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 a bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Pizza (margherita) | €8–12 |
| Pasta dish (seafood) | €14–20 |
| Beer (0.4 L draught) | €4–6 |
| Gelato (two scoops) | €3–5 |
| Bus ticket (urban) | €1.50 |
| Train to Genoa (one way) | €3–4 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GOA · Genoa Cristoforo Colombo
- 42 km (26 mi); Volabus shuttle to Genoa Principe station, then train to Santa Margherita Ligure (about 1.5 h total)26 mi (42 km); Volabus shuttle to Genoa Principe station, then train to Santa Margherita Ligure (about 1.5 h total)
Typical fares
- Genoa airport → Santa Margherita Ligure
- about €15 (Volabus + train), about 1.5 h (check)
- Taxi Santa Margherita → Portofino
- €20–30
- Train Santa Margherita → Cinque Terre (Monterosso)
- about €5–7, about 1 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walkable centre. Bus line 82 runs along the coast to Portofino and Rapallo (€1.50–2). Boat services (summer only) connect Santa Margherita, Portofino, Rapallo and Cinque Terre. Train station on the Genoa–La Spezia line.
See and do
Known for
- Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure
- Basilica of St. Margaret of Antiochia
- Villa Durazzo
- Cervara Abbey
- Promenade and beach
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Portofino | Walk the coastal path (about 20 min) or take bus 82 (10 min) or a boat (15 min, summer only) | 30 min |
| Cinque Terre | Train from Santa Margherita Ligure to Monterosso (about 1 h, change at Levanto) | 1.5 h |
| Genoa | Train from Santa Margherita Ligure to Genoa Principe (about 45 min) | 1 h |
| Rapallo | Bus 82 or train (5 min) or walk the promenade (about 30 min) | 15 min |
Sleep
- Town centre near the station
- Walk to everything; train noise is minimal after 22:00.Walk to everything; train noise is minimal after 10:00 PM.
- Seafront (Lungomare)
- Quieter, with sea views; 10–15 min walk to the station.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAHT-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAHN-toh KOH-stah |
| Where is the station? | Dov'è la stazione?doh-VEH lah stah-tsee-OH-neh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POH-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh pehr fah-VOH-reh |
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
- Last trains to Genoa around 22:30; check the timetable.
- Portofino trail is unlit after dusk: start the walk by 16:00 in winter.
- Boat schedules shrink drastically outside May–September.
- ZTL (limited traffic zone) in the old centre; fines for driving without a permit.
Very safe. Watch for pickpockets on the beach and in summer crowds. The coastal path is narrow in places; keep to the right.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Santa Margherita Ligure yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure
- Basilica of St. Margaret of Antiochia
- Villa Durazzo
- Cervara Abbey
- Promenade and beach
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 Santa Margherita Ligure: www.comune.santa-margherita-ligure.ge.it
- Wikivoyage: Santa Margherita Ligure, revision 5212690 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5212690
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/santa-margherita-ligure). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.