Portofino is a tiny fishing village on the Italian Riviera with a horseshoe harbour, pastel buildings stacked up the hillside, and some of the clearest water in Liguria. It’s also one of the most photographed places in Italy, so as you can imagine, it gets busy!
We came to this stretch of coast primarily for the diving. After completing our open water in Thailand and then advanced in Sri Lanka this would be our first time diving outside of Asia! The Portofino marine reserve is one of the best dive sites in the Mediterranean and that was the reason for the whole weekend. It left us one full day for the village, so we based ourselves in Santa Margherita Ligure, took the bus in early, and walked the coast back in the afternoon.
Manu (my boyfriend) is from Vallecrosia, a small town also in Liguria – he also went to university in Genoa so it’s safe to say we already have a great idea of the local cuisine and how to get around!
Where To Stay for a Day Trip to Portofino
Portofino is small and very expensive to stay in, so I’d recommend heading to the next village over: Santa Margherita Ligure is 15 minutes away by bus, super pretty and (in my opinion) makes a far better base.
We stayed in this apartment in the centre and it was perfect. Everything was walkable, including the bus stop and train station only a couple minutes away.
How To Get From Santa Margherita to Portofino
You can take the 782 from Santa Margherita station which will arrive in Portofino in 15-20 minutes. It costs €5 and payment is possible on the AMT app or contactless card on the bus, or paper tickets!
There’s also a ferry between Santa Margherita and Portofino which takes around the same amount of time and costs about €10 one way – it’s a beautiful way to arrive but it runs far less often than the bus.
One Day in Portofino Itinerary
Wander the Harbour and Backstreets
Get an early bus so you’re in Portofino by 9:30-10am at the latest. The village is tiny and it fills up quickly especially if you spot a cruise ship out to sea as well!
Start on the Piazzetta, the main square right on the water where you get the classic view across the boats to the pastel buildings. Then head up into the lanes behind it, following the steps up towards Chiesa di San Giorgio for sea views between the buildings.
Visit Castello Brown
Keep climbing and you’ll reach Castello Brown, the 16th-century fort above the harbour. A British diplomat called Montague Yeats-Brown bought it in 1867 and turned it into a home, which is how an Italian castle ended up with an English name – one of the Kardashians also got married here!
Tickets cost €10 and you buy them at the entrance with card or cash payment and it’s open from 10am.
The views from the terrace and windows are the main reason to visit. You look straight down over the harbour with the whole gulf behind it.
There’s also a small cafe inside with reasonable prices (far more reasonable than what you’ll find in town!). We had crema al caffè and it was so good, if you don’t know what it is ask for one and thank me later!
From the castle you can walk through the gardens back down into Portofino to make a more complete loop, so you dont have to go back the way you came.
Walk Back to Santa Margherita Ligure
The walk covers around 5km and takes about an hour without stops, it takes you along the coastline with loads of beautiful bays and beaches to stop for a swim, including some famous places you’ll no doubt have seen photos of!
These were our swim stops:
- Baia Cannone: A pebble cove just east of Portofino, sitting directly below Castello Brown. Look for the iron staircase off the road with a small sign pointing down to the sea. It’s well known so you won’t have it to yourself, but the water is incredible and the views are iconic.
- Paraggi: The only sandy beach on this stretch and the water is a bright emerald green. Most of the bay is taken up by beach clubs charging over €200 for sunbeds, but there’s a free public section and that’s where we swam.
- Almost everyone turns back towards Portofino once they reach Paraggi, so the stretch after that is much quieter and full of locals, we stopped in Punta Pedale which has loads of much cheaper sunbeds to rent, as well as the main beach in Santa Margherita itself.
Eat Dinner at Trattoria da Pezzi
Back in Santa Margherita, walk along the seafront and through the old streets before dinner.
Trattoria da Pezzi on Via Cavour has been open since 1964 and serves traditional Genoese food (I recommend the lasagne al pesto!). We had ours with a Ligurian white and finished with apple cake.
It’s popular but if you arrive near opening you should get a seat straight away, but if you want to sit outside definitely book!
Go Diving in the Portofino Marine Reserve
The Area Marina Protetta di Portofino is one of the most famous dive sites in Italy. There are red gorgonian fan corals, wrecks, and walls dropping straight down off the promontory. The Christ of the Abyss statue sits on the seabed off San Fruttuoso.
We spent our second day diving here and it’s the reason we booked the trip in the first place, so it felt odd not to include a little section here as a recommendation to you! We booked with MasterSub in Recco and had a beautiful morning exploring a shipwreck and a pinnacle with them.
Best Time To Visit Portofino
We visited at the end of August, which is the busiest time of year so to be honest probably not our wisest choice – but we still had a brilliant weekend and didn’t find the crowds too overwhelming!
That being said, June and September would be better if you have the choice as the sea is still warm, the light is beautiful and there are far fewer people around.
Plan Your Perfect Day in Portofino
Plenty of people do Portofino as a quick stop from Milan or off a cruise ship. You can, but you’ll spend most of the day travelling and see the harbour at its most crowded.
Basing yourself in Santa Margherita changes the whole day as you get the village quiet in the morning, the best view in Liguria before the queues start, and a full afternoon of coastline and swimming that most visitors never see.
Then you finish with pesto in a proper trattoria, which is how a day in Liguria should always end!
FAQs
Is one day in Portofino enough?
Yes. The village is tiny and you can see all of it in a morning. What fills the rest of the day is the coastline around it, which is why the walk back to Santa Margherita works so well.
How much does it cost to visit Castello Brown?
Tickets are €10 per person and bought at the entrance. You can’t book online or reserve in advance.
How long does it take to walk from Portofino to Santa Margherita Ligure?
Around an hour at a steady pace, covering roughly 5 km. Allow two or three hours if you want to stop and swim.
Is Portofino expensive?
The village is, yes. A coffee on the Piazzetta and a sunbed at Paraggi are both eye-watering. But the day doesn’t have to be – the bus is €5, the castle is €10, the beaches we swam at were free, and dinner in Santa Margherita costs the same as anywhere else in Italy.
