Activities in Portofino: Boats, Kayaks, Snorkelling and Trails

Portofino is best seen from the sea and from the trails above it. Before you pick one of the Portofino Italy tours, decide whether you want to ride, paddle, swim or walk. This page gives you each way, where it starts and what it costs.

On a boat: shared or the whole boat

A small-group boat sells you a seat among up to 12 people. The one from Portofino harbour runs two and a half hours to Camogli and back, and adds €10 fuel in cash. The one from Rapallo takes four hours and gives you an hour ashore in Portofino.

A private boat is yours alone, priced for the boat, from $557. You agree the stops with the skipper, or pick an option in the listing. Compare them on the private boat page.

The kayak: from Paraggi to the lighthouse

The kayak leaves the Niasca base in the bay of Paraggi. It paddles along the coast to Portofino harbour and out to the lighthouse, where you swim. An instructor leads, and you get a wetsuit, neoprene boots, a spray jacket and a life vest.

The paddleboard: inside Paraggi bay

The paddleboard leaves the same base and stays inside the bay after a safety briefing on the beach. The tour picks this bay because motorboats stay out of it, so you paddle in calmer water. Bring your own towel.

Snorkelling in the marine protected area

The sea round the promontory is a marine protected area, shared by Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita. It is split into zones A, B and C, each with its own rules on access.

Boats may not anchor over the Posidonia seagrass from the Cenobio dei Dogi to Camogli's Tonnarella. That rule came in 2021 and was extended in 2023. Your skipper knows where you can stop and swim.

Many boats carry masks and snorkels. The small-group boat from Portofino harbour sells them on board instead: a mask for €15 and a snorkel for €9. So bring your own if you have them.

Diving: what the rules say

The marine protected area bans diving at the site called the Chiesa di Portofino. Archaeological finds were made there. A Coast Guard order of 2 January 2019 closes a circle of 100 metres round the spot to diving and fishing.

For any other dive, go with a centre that works inside the protected area. Ask it about the zone rules before you book.

Hiking in the park

The Parco di Portofino has kept its trails open since 1935, and today they run to 80 km. The park's own guided hikes give you a sense of the effort.

• Portofino to San Fruttuoso: medium difficulty, 2 hours 30 minutes, through Mediterranean scrub along the south side. You can come back by boat.
• Santa Margherita to Portofino: easy, 2 hours 30 minutes, past the church of Nozarego and the Mulino del Gassetta.
• The Via dei Tubi: a route along an old aqueduct from above San Fruttuoso toward Camogli, which the park reserves for experienced hikers.

Paths close after storms and slides. In April 2026 Camogli extended an order closing the path at Punta Chiappa, Via San Nicolò. Check the park's notices before you set out. The park also set new rules for bicycles in February 2026.

A cooking class with the walk

If you want a table as well as a view, the pesto walk combines both. It leaves the ferry pier in Santa Margherita, crosses to Portofino and climbs to San Giorgio. Then you taste focaccia at a bakery, make pesto and eat lunch on the harbour.

The return ferry is in the fare, and you take it back when you like. It costs $261 per person, bookings of two, for up to 6.

Every activity, side by side

Most of these refund in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead. Rough sea can move or cancel any trip on the water, and the operator then offers another date or a refund.

Questions about activities

Where these facts come from

The zones and the anchoring and diving bans are the marine protected area's own page, checked 28 September 2026. The trails and their times are the park's pages, read from archived copies. The Punta Chiappa order is the park's notice of April 2026. Every trip detail comes from its own listing.

• The marine protected area: zones, anchoring and diving rules
• The Parco di Portofino: trails and restored sites (archived copy)
• The park's guided hike, Portofino to San Fruttuoso (archived copy)
• The park's guided hike, Santa Margherita to Portofino (archived copy)
• The order closing the Punta Chiappa path, April 2026 (the park, archived)

Trips that get you into the water

Paddle Boarding Experience in Portofino

An hour and a half on a paddleboard in the bay of Paraggi, with a guide, a wetsuit and a life jacket. From 14, and you must be able to swim.

From $62 per person

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Andrea Boat Charter Portofino

The whole boat and a skipper for three to seven hours from Portofino, Santa Margherita or Rapallo, docking in Portofino and Camogli and anchoring to snorkel at San Fruttuoso. The abbey ticket is extra.

From $870 per group (up to 5)

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Easy Kayak Tour to Portofino with Optional Snorkeling

An hour and a half in a sea kayak from Paraggi bay, past Portofino harbour to the lighthouse, with a swim below it. Instructor, wetsuit and life vest provided.

From $52 per person

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