Italy · Liguria
Yacht Charter Portofino
One bay, one square, four hundred residents — and an anchorage outside that matters more than the berth inside.
Portofino is smaller than its reputation by an order of magnitude: a single bay, a square you can cross in twenty paces, and a harbour that holds a few dozen boats. That scarcity is the whole character of the place, and it is why almost every week that comes here anchors outside and goes in by tender rather than fighting for a berth that was spoken for in March.
The berth, and the better alternative
The harbour takes a few dozen boats and they are booked months ahead in season, at a price that reflects it. Paraggi, the small bay just before the point, is five minutes away by tender and free.
Most crews berth at Santa Margherita — a working town with real provisioning — and visit Portofino by sea, which is also how the village looks best.
The promontory behind it
Portofino sits on a regional park with a marine reserve around its tip. San Fruttuoso, on the seaward side, is a tenth-century abbey on a pebble beach with no road to it, and a bronze Christ standing seventeen metres down off the point.
The walk up to the Castello Brown takes twenty minutes and empties the square out of your photographs, which is the only reliable way to photograph it in August.
Practical notes
- No yacht is based in Liguria: the nearest is at Cala de' Medici, a day south
- The harbour is booked months ahead in season — anchoring off Paraggi takes five minutes and costs nothing
- San Fruttuoso is reachable only by boat or on foot, and the marine reserve around the point is regulated
- Genoa airport is forty minutes by road; the transfer is usually made to Santa Margherita
Reached from: Santa Margherita Ligure and Cala de' Medici
Where to dine
A table by the water
Puny
PortofinoOn the square, doing Ligurian cooking for people who booked a long time ago.
San Fruttuoso
San FruttuosoTwo tables on a pebble beach beside the abbey, reachable only by boat or on foot.
Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa MargheritaThe working town next door, where the prices and the cooking both make sense again.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Paraggi
The small bay before the point, and where almost every week anchors instead of fighting for a berth.
San Fruttuoso abbey
A tenth-century abbey on a pebble beach with no road to it, and a bronze Christ seventeen metres down off the point.
Castello Brown
Twenty minutes up from the square, and the view that empties the crowd out of the photograph.
Punta Chiappa
Under the far side of the promontory, inside the marine reserve, and reached from the water.
The fleet
Yachts available for Portofino
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Portofino
- Can we berth in Portofino?
- Rarely, and never at short notice in season — the harbour takes a few dozen boats and they are spoken for months ahead. Almost every week anchors off Paraggi or berths at Santa Margherita and goes in by tender.
- Is Portofino worth it if we cannot berth?
- More so. The village reads better from the water than from the quay, and the anchorage at Paraggi is quieter, free and five minutes away.
- What does a yacht charter to Portofino cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the positioning, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter at Portofino
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.