Portofino

[CynBeth6]

We will hopefully be on a cruise with Royal Caribbean this summer and that is one of our ports.  My Mother feels that the excursions offered by the ship are too strenuous.  Is it possible for us to get off the ship and just walk around to look at shops, have lunch,  and go see the castle and church on our own? 

[PurpleTraveller]

Portofino is a lovely small town and there would be no problem visiting on your own. We enjoyed going for a walk around the headland to the lighthouse, visiting a couple of churches and wandering around the shops. The shops and restaurants are not inexpensive though. It was a very relaxed day in beautiful surrounds. 

 

[edinburgher]

Portofino is teeny tiny so you can cover most of it in a short time, although away from the harbour there are some steep streets to climb to reach ome of the churches, but  especially to reach the castle.   The harbourfront is picturesque.Depending on your date, there may also be some superyachts.

 

Be aware that Portofino attracts the very wealthy, and hotels, shops and restaurant prices reflect this.

 

Should you have a full day there, I can also recommend you take the short and very scenic ferry ride across to Santa Margherita Ligure.  You could reach it by other means from Portofino, but the ferry gives you very different and very pretty  views of both Portofino and Santa Margherita. The crossing was less than 30 mins, guessing maybe only  15 or 20.

 

SML is very attractive and the colourful  historic centre is only a very few minutes flat walk away behind the promenade/garden area,, as are pleasant walks along the waterfront and the ferry docks (or did) in a very central location on the waterfront beside some gardens.  There was also a Tourist Info kiosk there where we picked up a  city map. There should be much info and photos of SML on websites such as tripadvisor. to tempt you.  We explored several sights in the town, including the Villa Durazzo, entering via the gates in town but coming down via the staircase which brings you out at the fishermens chapel on the waterfront.  We would have liked more time in SML and less in Portofino as it is so tiny, but shorex timings didn't allow that.

 

There is a much larger choice of restaurants and cafes in SM and prices are lower than in Portofino.  

Edited January 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

I completely agree with the thought of seeing both Portofino and Santa Margherita Liguria and taking the ferry between -- easy and pretty views.

 

You can find nice restaurants with views in either place. I ended up having lunch at a place in Portofino right next to the harbor. Prices were not cheap but the seafood was very good. 

 

I would warn you, though, that if your mother is concerned about how strenuous the shore excursions might be, the walk up to Brown's Castle in Portofino involves many, many, many steps. Too many for my bad knee!