Italy · Gulf of Tigullio
Yacht Charter Rapallo
A sixteenth-century castle standing in the water, and the sheltered end of the Tigullio.
Rapallo sits at the head of the Tigullio with a small castle built out into the sea in 1551 to keep the corsairs off, and it is still there with the water round three sides of it. The gulf here is the sheltered end: broad, deep and calm when the coast outside is not, which is why the town has been a winter station since the nineteenth century.
The gulf and the town
The seafront runs in a long curve of Belle Époque hotels and palms, and behind it the old town keeps its arcaded lanes and a Saturday market. The cable car climbs to the Montallegro sanctuary at six hundred metres, and the view from there takes in the whole gulf to Portofino.
The harbour is well equipped and easy, and Portofino is fifteen minutes west by sea — which makes Rapallo the practical end of the gulf for a boat that wants both.
Round the promontory
West of the town the Portofino promontory begins: Santa Margherita first, then Paraggi and Portofino itself, then San Fruttuoso on the seaward side with its abbey and the bronze Christ below it.
East, the coast runs to Sestri Levante and its two bays — the Baia del Silenzio is one of the prettiest small harbours in Liguria — and on towards the Cinque Terre.
Practical notes
- The nearest base is Cala de' Medici; everything else is positioned for your dates
- The most sheltered corner of the Tigullio, and comfortable when the coast outside is not
- Portofino is fifteen minutes west by sea, Santa Margherita ten
- Genoa airport is thirty-five minutes by road
Reached from: Cala de' Medici
Where to dine
A table by the water
U Giancu
RapalloInland behind the town, where the walls are covered in comic-strip drawings and the cooking is Ligurian and serious.
Le Cupole
RapalloOn the hill above the gulf, with the whole Tigullio laid out under the terrace.
Bansin
RapalloA trattoria on the front since 1907, doing the trofie and the fritto the town actually eats.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The castle
Built out into the sea in 1551 against corsair raids, with water on three sides and the town behind it.
Montallegro
A cable car to a sanctuary at six hundred metres, with the whole gulf and Portofino laid out from the terrace.
Sestri Levante
East along the coast: two bays either side of an isthmus, one of them called the Bay of Silence.
The Portofino promontory
Fifteen minutes west, with Paraggi, Portofino and San Fruttuoso on the far side.
The fleet
Yachts available for Rapallo
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 Rapallo
- Why Rapallo rather than Portofino?
- Shelter and space. The head of the Tigullio is broad and calm, the harbour is easy, and Portofino is fifteen minutes west when you want it.
- What is the castle?
- Built out into the water in 1551 against corsair raids, and still standing with the sea on three sides. It is the image the town is known by.
- What does a yacht charter at Rapallo 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 Rapallo
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.