Portofino and your thoughts on Santa Margherita

[MCazer]

This will be a more "down" day, with no agenda.

 

Been reading up on Portofino, and although it is pretty, I have read that it is also pretty expensive.

 

That being said, we will probably go to Santa Margherita.

 

Anyone done this? We will be there on Sunday, October 28, so I am guessing swimming would probably be out, but we will play it by ear, with the weather that day.

 

How easy/hard is it to get to Santa Margherita? Bus, ferry, and is walking really doable? Or would I regret it halfway through? ;p BTW, ship is in port 7am-6pm, so I do have some time to play with.

 

Thanks!

[marazul]

This will be a more "down" day, with no agenda.

 

Been reading up on Portofino, and although it is pretty, I have read that it is also pretty expensive.

 

That being said, we will probably go to Santa Margherita.

 

 

Portofino is very pretty and it is very easy to spend a couple of hours there and take the little ferry back to Santa Margherita. Portofino is only expensive if you stay there or have a fancy meal. Otherwise, you can walk around, enjoy the walk up to the chapel, the main square, etc. An espresso at one of the sidewalk cafes by the port is not more expensive than anywhere else.

No idea which port you are at, so can't tell you how to get there.

[thedoorchick]

When our ship was in port in Genoa, we took the train (5 min walk from port) to SM and then walked to Portofino. It's about a 5km walk, very pretty and you can go at an easy pace. There is also a ferry if you prefer. We walked there and took the ferry back after stopping for lunch. It was a good amount of walking but nice to not have to be on a schedule.

[MCazer]

Portofino is very pretty and it is very easy to spend a couple of hours there and take the little ferry back to Santa Margherita. Portofino is only expensive if you stay there or have a fancy meal. Otherwise, you can walk around, enjoy the walk up to the chapel, the main square, etc. An espresso at one of the sidewalk cafes by the port is not more expensive than anywhere else.

No idea which port you are at, so can't tell you how to get there.

 

Our port is Portofino that day, so we will walk around there and then go to Santa Margherita, or visa versa. We usually have a nice sit down meal and some wine, and I think Portofino will be too expensive for the meal, if we can be a little less formal and get more bang for the buck a few miles (km) away!

[frantic36]

I just did a cruise that stopped in Santa Margherita. We had stopped there two years earlier and took the ferry to Portifino which we enjoyed but decided this time to just stay in SM. We enjoyed our day and loved the gorgeous Villa sited at the top of the town with views over the bay.

 

It is definitely cheaper to eat and shop in SM then Portofino.

 

Julie

[marazul]

We have also stopped twice at SM. Once we went to Portofino first and then ferry back to SM. Had lunch at a very nice restaurant near the church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia (can't remember the name) in Via Cavour. The typical dish of Liguria is "trofie al pesto." Make sure you try it either as a first or as a main course.

 

The other time we took a boat excursion to San Fruttuoso and Camogli.

[LondonTowner]

We had a land holiday a few years ago in nearby Rappallo. We took the ferry to Portofino a couple of times and were pleasantly surprised that food and drink was not a lot more expensive than where we were staying.

 

 

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[salabc]

indeed end october would be too late for a swim

if time allows a good alternative to santa margherita would be visiting San fruttuoso is a very small village which can be reached only by sea

ferries run from santa margherita and from portofino

timetable can found here http://traghettiportofino.it/en/

there are plenty restaurant in both villages

a further alternative for a good view of the coast is to go to rapallo and take the cablecar to the church of "Montallegro"

[vadell]

We have stayed in Portofino, Santa Margherita and Rapallo and can recommend all three. We did push the boat out and eat in the Splendido Mare (our anniversary) which was a little more expensive but the other places we have eaten in Portofino were not much different to anywhere else in the region in price. You can walk up to the view point in Portofino for lovely views, Santa Margherita is also a nice town to walk around as is Rapallo, you can walk between all three or catch the boat. A long walk if you were to go from Rapallo to Portofino though. One of the hi-lights in Rapallo was taking the cable car and eating at the restaurant at the top with stunning views. We have visited in October and on one occasion the sea was really rough we managed to get back to Rapallo but it was very choppy and they did suspend the boat services shortly afterwards, so there is a possibility the boats may not always run to schedule in October if the sea is rough.

[Redtravel]

Portofino and Santa Marquerita are both charming small villages. Tendered into Portofino in May. Then took the ferry to SM. Visited the Villa Dorazzo. SM has many nice shops and cafes. Then took ferry back to Portofino. Portofino is small, has nice shops, and expensive cafes. I like SM more than Portofino. Be careful to note that the ferry does not run in bad weather or off season. I will be back on a cruise that stops in Portofino again in November. No ferry service. Distance between Portofino and SM is 5Km. Many people walk it. Havinf seen both towns, I may just stay put.

[Ski Mom 2]

We just returned from our cruise aboard Wind Surf where we tendered into Portofino. We took the ferry to Cinque Terra which took over 2 hours due to rough seas. We opted to take the train back to Santa Margherita and walked around a bit and then hopped a cab back to Portofino for beer and pizza. The cab fare for 4 was 35 euros and was quick and easy.

[computerworks]

There is a bus that goes between SM and Portofino.. very easy and 3 €.. maybe 20 min ride