Portofino itself is tiny, so most visitors sleep somewhere along the gulf. Before you make a Portofino reservation, match your base to where your trip starts and how you plan to move.
Stay in the village and you have the harbour once the day boats have gone. The small-group boat leaves from Molo Umberto I, and private walks meet in the Piazzetta.
The ferry links you to Santa Margherita, Rapallo and San Fruttuoso. The kayak operator warns that cars and parking are limited in peak season.
If you want one base that does everything, choose Santa Margherita. The station is here, so you arrive by train. Bus 82 and the ferry take you on to Portofino.
The pesto walk meets at the ferry pier. Private boats board here or at Molo Maloncello, and private walks can pick you up. The all-day ferry to the Cinque Terre leaves from here and from Rapallo, at €47 return.
Rapallo has the motorway exit on the A12, so it suits you if you arrive by car. Ferry line 1 starts here and calls at Santa Margherita and Portofino.
A small-group boat with an hour ashore in Portofino starts at Rotonda Marconi. Private boats also board at Porto Carlo Riva and the Andrea Doria pier.
Camogli faces Genoa, on the western side. Its boats sail to San Fruttuoso all year, the FAI says, and the train reaches it from Genoa.
The private park hike picks you up at hotels here, as well as in Santa Margherita and Portofino. Most of the boats, though, start on the other side of the headland.
If you want a city base, Genoa gives you the cruise port and the main railway. A private day boat sails from Porto Antico, and a bus and boat day leaves from the cruise terminal.
Walks with a Genoa option collect you there by car. On your own, you take the train to Santa Margherita and go on by ferry or bus.
The FAI lets a converted fisherman's house inside the hamlet, for up to three people. It has a kitchen, a double bedroom, a sitting room with a single sofa bed, a sea-view terrace and a small garden.
There are no shops and no services. Once the last boat leaves, you are alone with the bay. The Camogli boat can be suspended in rough sea, so plan your food and your way out.
| Base | Trips that start here | How you move on |
|---|---|---|
| Portofino | The small-group boat, private boats, private walks | Ferry to Santa Margherita, Rapallo and San Fruttuoso |
| Santa Margherita Ligure | The pesto walk, private boats and walks | The station, the ferry pier, bus 82 |
| Rapallo | A small-group boat with an hour ashore, private boats | The A12 exit, ferry lines 1 and 4 |
| Camogli | Hotel pickup for the park hike | The boat to San Fruttuoso, the train |
| Genoa | A day boat, a bus and boat day, walks by car | The cruise port and the trains |
The FAI also lists partner lodgings in Camogli, Rapallo and Santa Margherita on its San Fruttuoso page. Compare prices yourself: we list no hotels.
Boats from Portofino, Santa Margherita and Rapallo; days from Genoa.
The San Fruttuoso house and the boats from Camogli are the FAI's own page, checked 28 September 2026. The ferry lines are the consortium's. Every meeting point and pickup comes from that trip's own listing.
Four hours from Rapallo with a captain, on a Corvette for up to seven or a wooden gozzo for up to six, the route and any stop agreed with you. Fuel, towels and a shower on board.
From $405 for one traveller; more with each person added
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Three hours from the Santa Margherita ferry pier: the return ferry, a guided walk up to San Giorgio, focaccia at a bakery, then a pesto class and lunch on the harbour, up to 6.
From $261 per person, bookings of two
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Three to four hours on a private boat from Santa Margherita or Rapallo: Portofino harbour, ashore if you ask, round the lighthouse and a swim at San Fruttuoso. Towels and a toilet on board.
From $557 per group (up to 5)
Check AvailabilityNext: read getting there, see the map, or book a trip on Portofino Tours.