Portofino, Italy Shore Excursions & Tours - Cinque Terre, Genoa & the Ligurian Coast

Portofino has no large cruise terminal of its own. Cruise ships calling at Portofino typically anchor in the bay and tender passengers ashore to the village pier, or dock at the nearby port of Santa Margherita Ligure - approximately 5 kilometers north of Portofino, about 10 minutes by private vehicle or water taxi. Your private guide and vehicle will meet you at the tender landing or at the Santa Margherita pier as appropriate. The Cinque Terre villages are approximately 60 to 80 kilometers west of Portofino - about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by private vehicle. Genoa is approximately 35 kilometers northwest - about 45 minutes.

If your ship tenders into Portofino directly, the Portofino Walking Tour is the natural starting point - 1.5 hours with a licensed guide covering the harbour, Castello Brown, and the panoramic headland path. For guests who want a full day, the Genoa and Tigullio Coast tour combines Portofino with Genoa's UNESCO old town in 8 to 9 hours. For guests whose primary interest is the wider Ligurian coast, the Cinque Terre tour is the strongest full-day alternative from Portofino - one of the most dramatic coastal landscapes in Italy.

Castello Brown is a 15th-century fortified castle on the promontory above Portofino harbour, originally built by the Genoese Republic to defend the bay. It takes its name from Montague Yeats-Brown, the British consul who purchased and restored it in the 1860s and transformed the grounds into gardens with views across the Gulf of Tigullio. The castle has been featured in several films and remains one of the best viewpoints above the village. It is included as a viewpoint stop on the Portofino Walking Tour, with the option to enter the interior.

The Cinque Terre villages are approximately 60 to 80 kilometers west of Portofino by road - about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by private vehicle depending on which village you start from. The Cinque Terre shore excursion from Portofino travels by private vehicle to the southern end of the Cinque Terre National Park, then uses the local boat ferry to travel between selected villages - seeing the clifftop coastline from the water. The five villages are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, strung along approximately 12 kilometers of coastline. The tour typically covers two to three villages in depth.

Our back-to-ship guarantee means that if an unforeseen delay during your private Portofino shore excursion prevents you from returning to the tender or cruise pier before your ship departs, we will arrange and cover the cost of transportation to your next port of call. This guarantee applies to all Portofino Italy tours and Portofino excursions booked through us. Your tour must be scheduled to return 1.5 hours before the ship departs.