in mid october we want to splurge and stay in Portofino for our anniversary and then do day trip/hikes in the cinque terre? It appears you can take a ferry to santa margherita ligure and then train to monterosso. Is this a practical day trip from portofino. thx. John
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Very easy to do. From the Santa Margherita Ligure train station, it's an hour to Monterosso. After that, the towns are minutes apart by train. There might be a bus from Portofino into S. Margherita or maybe a taxi.
Posted by
OP
Swansea, Illinois, USA
2 posts
many thx
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32398 posts
John, Travelling from Portofino to the Cinque Terre can be done in a day trip, but it will probably be a LONG day. That's what I found in taking a day trip from Monterosso to Portofino. There are passenger boats from Portofino to S. Margherita Ligure and the trip is about 20-minutes. I'm not sure how late into the evening the boats operate though? When you arrive in S. Margherita, you'll walk to the right around the bay and then cross the street and go up the stairs to the train station. You may want to allow a bit of "flexibility" in your travel times, as the trains in that area don't exactly operate on a "precise schedule". Portofino tends to be a bit "pricey", so be sure you allow for that in your budget. While there you may want to hike up the hill to Castello Brown, which often has art exhibits, etc. The hike is easy and very gradual. When I was there last year, they were charging €5 for admission, but I'm not sure if that's always the case. The view from the Castle is incredible! Happy travels!