“Portofino is four hundred people in a notch in the cliff: the most photographed small harbour in Italy, and the tightest one we deal with anywhere on the coast.”
In short. Portofino is on the Ligurian coast, two nautical miles from Santa Margherita and 23 from the Cinque Terre. The harbour has roughly 250 berths and only a handful take anything over 30 metres, so most charters anchor off Paraggi and tender in. A crewed week in Italy starts near €80,000.
Pastel houses stacked around a horseshoe bay, a green headland behind, and a piazzetta at the waterfront that has been a yachting stop since the 1950s. It is the centrepiece of an Italian Riviera week and the one place on this coast that guests ask for by name.
It is also the stop that rewards planning more than almost any other in Italy, because the thing everyone wants, a berth inside that harbour, is the thing there is least of.
Must-dos at Portofino
- The piazzetta, which is the whole point of the village
- The walk up to Castello Brown and the lighthouse, best in the last hour of daylight
- San Fruttuoso, a tenth-century abbey in a cove reachable only by boat or on foot
- The Christ of the Abyss, a bronze statue in 17 metres of water off the abbey
- Dinner at Santa Margherita, two miles round the bay and without the Portofino markup
On this page: the village · San Fruttuoso · Santa Margherita and Paraggi · where yachts tie up · what it costs · distances · when to go
The village and the piazzetta
The village takes an hour to walk and most of a day to enjoy properly. The piazzetta at the head of the harbour is the point: three sides of pastel facades, a few cafés, and the boats directly in front of you.
The walk up to Castello Brown and on to the lighthouse at Punta del Capo gives you the view that appears on every postcard, and it is best in the last hour of daylight when the day boats have gone and the harbour lights come on below.
There are four hundred residents. Everything above the waterfront is a short steep path, and the whole place can be covered on foot without a plan.
San Fruttuoso and the Christ of the Abyss
San Fruttuoso is the other essential stop and the better one for a yacht: a tenth-century Benedictine abbey in a cove on the far side of the headland, reachable only by boat or on foot. There is no road to it, which is why it still feels like a discovery.
The bronze Christ of the Abyss stands in 17 metres of water just offshore, placed there in 1954, and it is a good snorkel or dive from the tender. The cove itself is small, so yachts lie off and run in.
The headland between Portofino and San Fruttuoso is a regional park, and the coastal path over it is the walk if anyone aboard wants one.
Paraggi, Santa Margherita and Rapallo
Santa Margherita Ligure, two miles round the bay, is where the practical infrastructure is: a much larger marina, better provisioning, and restaurants that do not carry the Portofino markup. Many charters lie there and tender across, and it is the sensible plan rather than a compromise.
Paraggi, between the two, is the small bay with the one sand beach on this stretch and the anchorage most charters use for Portofino itself. It is a few minutes by tender round the point to the piazzetta.
Rapallo, a little further round, is the third marina option and the least glamorous, with the most availability.
Where yachts actually tie up at Portofino
- Portofino harbour has roughly 250 berths and only a handful take anything over 30 metres. In July and August they are effectively spoken for months ahead and the daily rate is among the highest in the Mediterranean. If a week depends on lying inside Portofino, that is arranged at the time of booking.
- At anchor off Paraggi or in the lee of the headland, tendering in for dinner. The holding is reasonable in sand at moderate depth, the run ashore is a few minutes, and it costs nothing. This is what most charters actually do.
- Santa Margherita or Rapallo for a berth with space, provisioning and a shorter walk to a supermarket.
The Ligurian coast in general is marina-to-marina rather than anchorage-based. It is steep, exposed and short on sheltered bays, which is the main structural difference between chartering here and chartering in Sardinia or Sicily. Guests who want to swim off the back of the boat every afternoon are usually better served elsewhere, as our guide to marina and anchor nights sets out.
What a week on the Riviera costs
A crewed week in Italy starts around €80,000 for a motor yacht, with most weeks between €150,000 and €300,000 and the top of the market at €300,000 to €500,000 and above. On top come an advance provisioning allowance of roughly 25 to 35 per cent, Italian VAT at 22 per cent and a gratuity of usually 5 to 15 per cent. See our Italy charter cost guide, APA and VAT.
On this coast the berth is the variable. A Portofino berth in August is among the most expensive in the Mediterranean; Santa Margherita is a fraction of it and two miles away. The food follows the same pattern, which is why so many weeks eat round the bay and keep Portofino for the evening.
Fitting Portofino into the week
Portofino is the centrepiece of a Riviera week rather than a base.
| From | Distance | At 12 knots |
| Paraggi | 1 nm | 5 min |
| Santa Margherita | 2 nm | 10 min |
| San Fruttuoso | 3 nm | 15 min |
| Cinque Terre | 23 nm | 1 h 55 |
| Portovenere | 31 nm | 2 h 35 |
Genoa is the usual airport for this coast and about 40 minutes by road from Santa Margherita. See where to start an Italy charter and how long the week should be.
When to go
- June and September are the best weeks: warm, settled and without the August berth scramble.
- July and August are full, with the harbour spoken for months ahead and the village busy with day visitors from Santa Margherita and Rapallo.
- May and October are quiet and often lovely, though the Ligurian coast is more exposed than the south and a southwesterly changes the plan quickly.
Our month-by-month view is in the best time for an Italy charter.
People also ask about Portofino
Can a yacht berth in Portofino?
Only just. The harbour has roughly 250 berths and only a handful take anything over 30 metres, and in July and August they are effectively spoken for months ahead at among the highest daily rates in the Mediterranean. If a week depends on it, it is arranged when the yacht is booked.
Where do yachts anchor at Portofino?
Off Paraggi, the small bay between Portofino and Santa Margherita, or in the lee of the headland. Holding is reasonable in sand at moderate depth and the tender run to the piazzetta is a few minutes. This is what most charters do.
Is Santa Margherita a good alternative to Portofino?
Yes, and it is the plan we recommend most often. It is two miles round the bay with a much larger marina, better provisioning and restaurants without the Portofino markup, and the tender across takes ten minutes.
What is the Christ of the Abyss?
A bronze statue standing in 17 metres of water off the cove at San Fruttuoso, placed there in 1954. It is a good snorkel or dive from the tender, and the tenth-century abbey ashore is reachable only by boat or on foot.
How far is Portofino from the Cinque Terre?
About 23 nautical miles, just under two hours at 12 knots. Portovenere, the better overnight at that end, is about 31.
Is the Italian Riviera good for swimming off the yacht?
Less so than Sardinia or Sicily. The coast is steep, exposed and short on sheltered bays, and a Riviera week is marina-to-marina rather than anchorage-based. Guests who want to swim off the back every afternoon are usually better served further south.
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