Portofino - what to do?

[urlaub]

Our cruise ship ill tender in Porofino. Because we will not be on a ship's excursion we will need some time to get out. What do you recommend to do on a short day there?

[Tommy3putts]

Just enjoy the town. Loved it in 2011. Or.... Take a bus or cab to Santa Margerhita and catch a train to Cinque Terre.

[euro cruiser]

There's no need to go anywhere - when you're in Portofino you're already there!

 

Seriously, this is one of the ports to savor and take it easy. There is a castle and a couple of churches to visit if you wish.

 

The local tourism web site doesn't seem to have an English language version, but you can use google translator: http://www.terrediportofino.eu/detail.php?cat=comune&ID=44

[suzski]

Not sure how long your ship is there but here is what we did during our port visit in 2012:

 

-wandered the town a bit and then walked up the hill past Castel Brown to the lighthouse - a nice long, steep climb with pretty, panoramic views.

-we then caught the boat that ran to San Fruottoso Monastery (10.50€ pp RT) and explored the monastery (7.50€ pp).

-afterwards we caught another boat to Camoglia (17€ pp RT) which is a charming coastal village and reminded me a bit of Vernazza (one of the Cinque Terre villages).

 

We then had to catch the boat back to San Fruottoso and then back to Portofino which was much more "awake" by that time (we had left on the 8:00 am tender).

[Morgan98]

Portofino is the type of place you just want to walk around and take it all in. We also ate a spectacular seafood lunch with several fish courses and of couse lots of wine!

[urlaub]

Thank you very much for your information. All sounds pretty nice. So I think we can enjoy the village at this day.:):)

[mbeginner]

Our cruise ship ill tender in Porofino. Because we will not be on a ship's excursion we will need some time to get out. What do you recommend to do on a short day there?

 

In Portofino your cruise ship anchors in bay and you come ashore by tender boat in the small harbor. From the tender boat station it's only dozens of meters to the compact city center. If you are in a good shape, try the hiking trail from the port to the top of the hill. . Walk to Castello Brown is a palace on top of the hill. It´s dating from the 15th century and located in the natural park with magnificent views of the bay . Divo Martino is a small stylish church dedicated to Saint Martin. Sint George is a church of St. Georgius. It has a very nice interior in the Romanesque style

 

I hope that will help

Edited March 4, 2014 by mbeginner

[cynbar]

Portofino is a good port to relax and take it easy, especially if you're on a port intensive cruise. Take a stroll around the harbor and the village, check out the shops, stop for lunch in one of the pretty harbor side cafes. It's really a lovely area, the best part is just enjoying the scenery and the atmosphere.

[brunello22]

We hiked from Santa Margherita to Portofino, and before heading back to Santa Margherita, we stopped at the famous Hotel Splendido in Portofino for i aperitivi e le merende (drinks and snacks) at sunset. Two Moet champagne cocktails were $130 USD!! Guess we should have asked the price before we ordered! Nonetheless, the view was spectacular and it was one of the most memorable experiences during our time there ... just gotta laugh. :D

[e-cruiser]

We hiked from Santa Margherita to Portofino, and before heading back to Santa Margherita, we stopped at the famous Hotel Splendido in Portofino for i aperitivi e le merende (drinks and snacks) at sunset. Two Moet champagne cocktails were $130 USD!! Guess we should have asked the price before we ordered! Nonetheless, the view was spectacular and it was one of the most memorable experiences during our time there ... just gotta laugh. :D

 

 

How long is the walk From Portofino to Santa Marherita?

Is it worth walking it round trip?

Worth going to Rapallo?

Thanks

[Keith1010]

A walk from Portofino to Santa Margherita takes about 75 minutes depending on the pace you walk. The actual distance is around 3 miles.

 

I am one of those who really enjoyed Portofino for a few reasons. First is a Mediterranean cruise is very port intensive and often involves a full day of touring. Once in a while it is just nice to take a break from all of that touring and just enjoy a stroll in an area without rushing. It's nice to take in the beauty of this charming town, have some lunch, and smell the flowers. Even talk with some of the locals. I learned along time ago to take as much in as you can rather then running all the way around.

 

My recommendation is to either spend the entire time at Portofino or also add in Santa Margherita. One time we just found someone who had a boat and just negotiate a R/T rate for him to take us between the two towns and he waited for us.

 

These are some photos from our last visit to Portofino in late May of 2016.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ckcch1DpcEo/VWP79h-mtZI/AAAAAAAAwJ4/uYlek75e8s4/s1600/DSC_3745.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hxTpynN_g4/VWP7-tS4AjI/AAAAAAAAwKI/83OoDi3Olj0/s1600/DSC_3746.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FzvSIr-XC9M/VWP-XRGxl5I/AAAAAAAAwKY/w2XGcOxWDv8/s1600/DSC_3747.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WvMBZgdz35A/VWQ4JeOPGHI/AAAAAAAAwMA/pSEh2KgEGAA/s1600/IMG_4867.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CZMZDHhV4NI/VWQ4Ja_29kI/AAAAAAAAwL8/4D9WE_Mg9T0/s1600/IMG_4872.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iRV22gSMoyg/VWQ7QiHAMII/AAAAAAAAwMo/bIeMo65C-tI/s1600/IMG_4882.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XB2wZVc33q0/VWQ8bcmeLYI/AAAAAAAAwM8/tWzIPnwh-uo/s1600/IMG_4890.jpg

 

We walked along a nice pretty path and eventually came to this church.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V2X6790Nvnc/VWQ9Y0D_vrI/AAAAAAAAwNU/HNkIWkRzSHg/s1600/IMG_4901.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tzcjybCfqOk/VWQ9rhylhxI/AAAAAAAAwNc/onqopsLzCeE/s1600/IMG_4903.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5yKySQwUPMg/VWQ9_ssLMeI/AAAAAAAAwNk/JLPyhdwSg2o/s1600/IMG_4904.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T33EAiVoPvM/VWQ-K91ce0I/AAAAAAAAwNs/VSWIzgqqbFk/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg

 

It happened to be a little rainy that day so I didn't take photos of the town itself but there are lots of places to sit and enjoy the views over a drink and/or over lunch.

 

Keith

[e-cruiser]

Good Stuff Keith. Thanks so much!

[Keith1010]

e-cruiser you are very welcome.

 

Keith