Photo Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Genova · Liguria
Things to see in Portofino
In Portofino the atlas lists 5 historic places: 3 historic villas and palaces, 1 castle and 1 lighthouse.
For most of these places we don’t have verified opening hours yet: always check the official website before you go.
Don’t miss: Castello Brown (1425), castle in Portofino, Italy.
By date of construction, the most common period is the Modern era (75% of dated places) and the Middle Ages (25% of dated places).
- 5historic places
- 355inhabitants
- 18 maltitude
The town
Portofino is a small fishing village in the Liguria region of Italy on the Ligurian Sea. It is a popular yachting destination.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
5 places
Villas and palaces 3
Castles 1
Lighthouses 1
Getting there
By air: The closest international airport to Portofino is in Genoa (GOA IATA). Two other options if you are unable to get to Genoa are Nice, France (NCE IATA) and Milan, Italy (MXP IATA and LIN IATA). They are a bit farther away but within driving distance and the drive(s) are beautiful.
By car: From Genoa you can rent a car, as it is a relatively short (22 1/4 miles, 35.8 km) ride. Overall the drive takes a little over an hour, due partly to some light traffic leaving Genoa and mostly to the roads once you leave the major highway (the A12). The streets between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino are very narrow and windy, as you might expect in a Riviera town. Proceed with great caution, especially around corners and be alert of oncoming traffic and pedestrians on both sides of the often only one lane wide road. There is parking available in Portofino, however with very limited availability and steep prices.
By public transport: The nearest railway station, Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino, is about 5 km away in Santa Margherita Ligure. A train from Genoa takes around 30-45 minutes and costs around €3, there are frequent regional services by Trenitalia which however can be crowded as they also serve the nearby Cinque Terre.
From infront of the railway station, Bus 782 departs every 15-30 minutes directly to Portofino.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
What to see, according to Wikivoyage
Everything! Truly, the most impressive thing about Portofino is the lifestyle, so running off and "seeing the sights" probably won't be your number one priority when you plan your trip. There are some notable attractions that might be able to lure you from the beaches, but the view from the harbour or any of the surrounding beaches is unforgettable and one could spend the entire day marvelling at it.
Castello Brown. It is a 16th-century castle/fort, once used for the area's defense, but now primarily a museum with a fantastic view of the harbour and the Mediterranean Sea.
Church of St. Martin ((Divo Martino)). It is around the corner from the harbour and is a quaint, stylish little chiesa from the 11th century. It's definitely worth taking a casual stroll around it.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.