Portofino Without a Tour: Ferries, Trains and the Two Paid Sights

You can see Portofino without a guide or a boat of your own. The village has no gate, the ferries and trains are public, and the two paid sights sell Portofino tickets at their own doors. Here is how to do it, and the days when a tour does something you cannot.

Do you need a tour to visit Portofino?

No. The harbour, the Piazzetta and the lanes are free at any hour. So is the church of San Giorgio, open in daylight. The only tickets you might buy are for the abbey at San Fruttuoso and for Castello Brown, each €10 for an adult.

What a tour gives you is the sea: a swim stop, the statue's bay, Camogli, or a boat to yourselves. Everything on land you can do alone.

How do you get there by train and bus?

Take the train to Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino. The kayak operator's own directions put it about 45 minutes from Genoa, two hours from Pisa and two and a half from Milan.

From the station, bus 82 runs along the coast road to Portofino. You buy tickets at newsstands and tobacconists before you board. Or walk down to the pier and take the ferry. The getting there page has the details.

How does the public ferry work?

The Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio runs the boats between the harbours. You buy tickets at the pier offices, and only groups of 25 or more can book ahead. Each boat needs 20 passengers at a pier to sail, and a rough sea stops them.

These are the 2026 return fares, for the trip there and back.

The ferries run in season. A San Fruttuoso ticket from Rapallo or Santa Margherita lets you stop in Portofino on the way.

Can you reach San Fruttuoso on your own?

Yes, by ferry or on foot. There is no road. Boats run from Camogli all year, and from Portofino, Santa Margherita and Rapallo in season.

On foot, the park's own guided hike from Portofino was timed at two and a half hours, at medium difficulty. Check the park's notices before you set out, because paths close after storms and slides. Our San Fruttuoso page covers both ways in.

What does the abbey cost, and when is it open?

The Abbey of San Fruttuoso is run by the FAI. A ticket is €10 for an adult, €5 for ages 6 to 18, free under 6, and €26 for a family. You buy it at the door. Its 2026 hours change through the year.

Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. The abbey closes whenever the Camogli boats cannot run, so a rough day shuts it too.

What about the castle?

Castello Brown stands on the path above the harbour, past San Giorgio. The ticket covers the garden and the castle: €10, free under 12, sold only at the gate. In October it opens 10:00 to 18:00, and from 1 November 10:00 to 16:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Our things to do page covers the castle, the church and the walk out towards the lighthouse.

Can you drive to Portofino?

You can, from the A12 motorway exit at Rapallo. The kayak operator's own directions warn that access is hard in peak season and parking is limited. They recommend the train and the bus instead.

The ferry from Santa Margherita or Rapallo is the other way in, and it arrives in the harbour itself. The map of the harbours shows the coast road and the piers.

What is free in the village?

Most of it. The harbour, the Piazzetta and San Giorgio cost nothing. San Giorgio was first built in 1154, destroyed four times and rebuilt four times, and relics of St George lie under its altar.

Walking the lanes is free, and so is watching the boats come in. You pay only to go inside the castle or the abbey, and for any boat.

The Piazzetta, Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta, is the square at the head of the harbour, and you can sit there for as long as you like. Pliny the Elder knew the place as Portus Delphini.

Can you walk the park's trails alone?

Yes. The Parco di Portofino has kept its trails since 1935, and they run to 80 km. The park's guided hike from Santa Margherita to Portofino, past the church of Nozarego and the Mulino del Gassetta, was timed at two and a half hours and rated easy.

Paths close after storms and slides. In April 2026 Camogli extended an order closing the path at Punta Chiappa. The activities page lists the routes with their rules.

Can you take the ferry to the Cinque Terre on your own?

Yes, in season. The ferry's Cinque Terre line leaves Santa Margherita and Rapallo for a full day. It passes all five villages from the sea, then gives you about three hours in Monterosso and one in Riomaggiore before it heads back in the late afternoon.

The return fare is €47 from Santa Margherita or Rapallo, and €42 from Chiavari, Lavagna or Sestri Levante. Like every line, it needs 20 passengers at a pier to sail. Our post on the Cinque Terre by boat sets it beside a private boat.

How do you plan a day on your own, step by step?

1. Take the train to Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino.
2. Walk down to the pier and take the ferry to Portofino, or ride bus 82.
3. Climb to San Giorgio, then on to the castle if it is open.
4. Take the ferry on to San Fruttuoso, and check the abbey's last entry.
5. Come back through Portofino to Santa Margherita on the same ticket.

Buy the San Fruttuoso ticket in Santa Margherita, at €24 return, and you can stop in Portofino both ways.

When does a tour beat doing it yourself?

When you want what the ferry cannot give you. The ferry does not stop to swim, and it does not wait over the statue's bay.

• A swim and the statue: the Rapallo boat gives you an hour to snorkel over it, gear included, and an hour ashore in Portofino.
• A guide on the trail: the park hike crosses to San Fruttuoso with an environmental guide, then an hour in Portofino.
• Your own boat: the traditional wooden boat takes your party round the promontory for three hours.
• Out of season: when the ferries stop, a boat tour or a guided walk may still run.

What does a day on your own cost?

On your own is cheaper, and you set the hours. A tour is worth it for the swim, the statue's bay and a boat that waits for you. Our guide to boat fares breaks every price down, and the off-season guide covers the months when the ferries stop.

Frequently asked questions

When a tour does what the ferry cannot

Boat Tour to Portofino and San Fruttuoso for Small Groups

Four hours from Rapallo on a shared boat of up to 12: an hour ashore in Portofino, an hour snorkelling in San Fruttuoso bay and a stop at Paraggi. Fuel and snorkel gear are in the fare.

From $98 per person

Check Availability

I found my love in Portofino, private tour

A private hike across the park with an environmental guide: about an hour in San Fruttuoso bay for the abbey and a swim, then an hour in Portofino. The abbey ticket is extra.

From $649 per group (up to 6)

Check Availability

Private Boat Tour in Portofino on board GreenBoat

Three hours on a traditional Ligurian boat of your own, round the promontory past San Fruttuoso and Camogli, with stops agreed with the skipper. Snorkel gear on board.

From $1,378 per group (up to 6)

Check Availability