Nice to Portofino

How about delete the duplicate West post for simplicity. Monte Carlo is the obvious stop, but my pick would be Menton. It's a three-hour drive until you get to Santa Margherita Ligure, then all bets are off. The throng of walkers might make it another fourty-five minutes to cover the last three miles. The walkers are walking because the closest train station is at SML. You've got two problems if that's a one-way rental: a - There's probably not a rental place in either SML or Portofino, There might be one at Rapallo which is at least six miles from Portofino. b - The cost of a second-country drop-off will eat you alive.

Thank you, Ed. We are returning the car in Nice. We decided against staying in Monte Carlo because of the Formula One race going on made it way to crowded and double the cost of the regular rate. Good to know about the walkers. Thanks for the tip!

Kate, The trip from Nice to Portofino is reasonably easy. The time will vary according to which train you choose. For example, there's a train departing at 06:25, arriving S. Margherita Ligure at 11:55 (time 5H:30M, one change at Ventimiglia). Other departures are slightly longer or shorter, most with more changes. When you arrive at S. Margherita Ligure, buy a boat ticket and walk down the hill to the docks. When you exit the station, look to your left for a small Bar/Cafe. You can buy tickets there. The walk to the docks is not far. You'll probably have a short wait for the boat, but there's a small park with benches and shade. The voyage from there to Portofino is only about 20-minutes. It's a beautiful trip, especially the arrival in Portofino through the moored sailing ships. Happy travels!