Can I Take A Boat Ride From Genoa To Portofino?
Yes, you can boat from Genoa to Portofino: the Golfo Paradiso Two Gulfs tour runs on listed dates from Porto Antico, and guided half-day and full-day boat tours run daily in season. Here is what each option costs and covers.
Yes, you can take a boat ride from Genoa to Portofino. Genoa is a coastal city in Liguria, north-west Italy, and Portofino lies about 25 km to the south-east in a straight line along the same coastline, so the sea is a real route between them. The Golfo Paradiso operator runs its Two Gulfs tour from Genoa Porto Antico on listed dates through the season, and a range of guided half-day and full-day boat tours connects Genoa with Portofino, San Fruttuoso and Camogli, as covered in detail below on Genoa Travel Guide.
Can I Take A Boat Ride From Genoa To Portofino?
Yes, a boat ride from Genoa to Portofino is possible in two forms: a scheduled coastal tour and guided boat excursions. The Golfo Paradiso Two Gulfs tour departs Genoa Porto Antico at 11:00 on listed dates from March 2026, calling at Camogli at 11:45 and continuing to San Fruttuoso and Portofino with crossings of about 30 minutes between each pair of stops. Guided half-day and full-day tours also run, with prices shown on the operator's live listing.
The scheduled option is the Two Gulfs tour operated by Golfo Paradiso, which the operator's own route page lists as running from Genoa Porto Antico (Calata Mandraccio) on set dates through the season, which ran to 24 October in 2026. The itinerary calls at Nervi, Recco, Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino, with the boat departing Porto Antico at 11:00 and Camogli at 11:45, and each leg between Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino taking about 30 minutes. Reported fares are about 29 EUR for the full-day version and 21 to 26 EUR for a half-day with one stop; confirm current dates and prices on the operator's page before planning around them.
The guided options are bookable excursions rather than scheduled ferries, and they are the choice if your travel dates do not line up with the listed sailing days. Two of the strongest are described in the sections below. For the wider picture of the town at the end of the crossing, the Portofino day trip guide covers the village itself, and the getting from Genoa to Portofino guide compares every transport option on one page.
What Does The Two Gulfs Tour From Genoa Include?
The Two Gulfs tour includes a full-day loop by boat from Genoa Porto Antico through Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino, departing at 11:00 and passing Camogli at 11:45, with about 30 minutes of sailing between each of the three main stops. The reported full-day fare is about 29 EUR, or 21 to 26 EUR for a half-day version with a single stop, and the tour runs only on the operator's listed dates.
That structure matters for planning. This is a coastal tour with stops, not a point-to-point ferry: the boat leaves the Porto Antico, the redeveloped old harbour at the heart of Genoa's waterfront, and works its way along the coast with time ashore at the stops. Camogli is about 18 km straight-line from Genoa, San Fruttuoso about 22 km, and Portofino about 25 km, so the sailing itself covers a genuinely useful stretch of the Ligurian coast rather than a token loop off the city front.
| Leg | Straight-line distance from Genoa | Reported sailing time |
|---|---|---|
| Porto Antico to Camogli | about 18 km | first stop, Camogli 11:45 |
| Camogli to San Fruttuoso | about 22 km from Genoa | about 30 minutes |
| San Fruttuoso to Portofino | about 25 km from Genoa | about 30 minutes |
A few practical points sit around the edges. The Camogli to San Fruttuoso shuttle that Golfo Paradiso also operates runs year round, which makes a shorter independent combination possible if you travel to Camogli first. Portofino itself sits in a limited-traffic zone, and non-resident drivers are reported to use a paid car park at about 8 EUR an hour, which is one reason the boat holds its appeal. For whether the town justifies the fare, see is Portofino very expensive?.
Which Guided Boat Tours From Genoa Go To Portofino?
Guided boat tours from Genoa to Portofino come in half-day and full-day shapes. A half-day Portofino boat tour runs as a round trip with free time in Portofino, while the full-day version links Camogli, the San Fruttuoso abbey and Portofino in one itinerary. Prices, ratings and durations render on the operator's live listing, and either can be booked with free cancellation.
The half-day format is the one to pick when Portofino is the single goal. The tour travels down the coast by boat, gives you free time to explore Portofino on foot, and returns to Genoa, all inside a single morning or afternoon. The full-day format spreads the same coastline across three stops: Camogli, the fishing town about 18 km from Genoa; San Fruttuoso, reachable by boat or on foot and home to the FAI abbey; and Portofino itself. The abbey's own visit page sets entry at 10 EUR full, 5 EUR for ages 6 to 18 and students to 25, free under 5, and 26 EUR for a family ticket, with seasonal hours that run to 17:45 from June to mid-September.
If Portofino alone is the goal, book a half-day Portofino tour here.
Neither tour needs a car, and both spare you the limited-traffic zone and the paid parking at the far end. If you would rather compare the guided boat product with the full range of water-based days out from the city, the Portofino boat tour roundup lists the options side by side. One of them, the full-day Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino itinerary, can also be checked directly: Check availability for the half-day version on the operator's live listing.
How Much Does A Boat From Genoa To Portofino Cost?
The reported Two Gulfs fare is about 29 EUR for the full-day tour from Genoa Porto Antico, or 21 to 26 EUR for the half-day with one stop. Guided tours from Genoa price from the figures shown on their listings, and extras on arrival are separate: the San Fruttuoso abbey charges 10 EUR full entry, and a return boat from Santa Margherita to Portofino is reported at about 20 EUR.
The comparison worth making is between the scheduled tour and the guided excursion, because they buy different things. The scheduled Two Gulfs tour sells you the crossing and the stops, with reported fares as above; you confirm the dates and buy from the operator. The guided tours sell you the crossing plus a host, commentary and a booked place, with the price, rating and duration all shown on the live listing rather than typed here. Neither price includes what you do ashore.
| Item | Reported price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two Gulfs full-day tour | about 29 EUR | listed dates, Porto Antico departure 11:00 |
| Two Gulfs half-day tour | 21 to 26 EUR | one stop, listed dates |
| San Fruttuoso abbey entry | 10 EUR full, 5 EUR ages 6 to 18, under 5 free | FAI, seasonal hours |
| Santa Margherita to Portofino boat | about 20 EUR return | Tigullio operator, seasonal |
One budget note that belongs here: if you are already in Santa Margherita Ligure, about 24 km straight-line from Genoa, the AMT line 782 bus to Portofino is included in the 10.00 EUR Met Daily ticket, which covers the whole AMT network for 24 hours. That is a scheduled, daily alternative to the boat for the last leg, though it gives you none of the coastline from the water.
Can You Get From Genoa To Portofino Without A Boat?
Yes, Portofino is reachable from Genoa by train and bus, by car, and by boat. The train runs along the coast to Santa Margherita Ligure, from which AMT line 782 continues to Portofino and is included in the 10.00 EUR Met Daily ticket; by car, Portofino is a limited-traffic zone with non-resident parking reported at about 8 EUR an hour. The boat remains the only option that shows you the coast itself.
The land route is simple enough. A regional train from Genova Piazza Principe or Genova Brignole runs down the coast towards the Tigullio, and from Santa Margherita the 782 bus covers the final stretch into Portofino, all inside the Met Daily ticket, which also covers the metro, buses, lifts and funiculars in Genoa itself. Drivers face the limited-traffic zone and the paid silos parking, with capacity the village's own page describes as limited. The Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio also runs boat lines from Rapallo and Santa Margherita to Portofino and San Fruttuoso, with a reported return fare of about 20 EUR from Santa Margherita.
The choice between land and sea is really a choice about what the day is for. The train and bus are the practical spine, cheap and daily, but the approach to Portofino from the water, the abbey cove at San Fruttuoso, and the headland are the reason the boat tours exist at all. Both halves are covered in the comparison piece is it better to go to Genoa or Portofino?.
What Is The Best Time Of Year For A Genoa To Portofino Boat Trip?
The boat season along this coast runs roughly from March to late October: the Two Gulfs tour listed sailings from March 2026 through 24 October 2026, and the Camogli to San Fruttuoso shuttle runs year round. The official 1971-2000 climate normals for Genoa Sestri show July means of 27.3 C high and 24.2 mm of rain, and October 20.0 C high with 171.3 mm of rain, the year's highest monthly total.
Those normals come from the Aeronautica Militare station at Genoa Sestri, and they shape the sailing calendar more than any other single factor. October carries 171.3 mm of rain on average against July's 24.2 mm, and September 136.4 mm, so the shoulder months trade warmer sea against a real chance of weather that keeps boats in port. The San Fruttuoso abbey, one of the standard stops, keeps longer summer hours, 10:00 to 17:45 from June to mid-September, against 10:00 to 15:45 in March. Sea conditions, not tickets, are the binding constraint: boat access to San Fruttuoso depends on the weather on the day.
For anyone pairing the boat with a swim, note that the 2026 bathing-water classifications reported by ARPAL rate the Boccadasse point in Genoa as poor and the Nervi point as good; the classifications for the Portofino stretch are a separate matter to check locally before you plan a swim stop.
Common Questions About Boat Rides From Genoa To Portofino
Can I take a boat ride from Genoa to Portofino?
Yes. The Golfo Paradiso Two Gulfs tour sails from Genoa Porto Antico at 11:00 on listed dates, calling at Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino, and guided half-day and full-day boat tours run from Genoa with prices shown on the operator's live listing.
How long is the boat ride from Genoa to Portofino?
The Two Gulfs tour departs Porto Antico at 11:00 and passes Camogli at 11:45, with about 30 minutes of sailing between Camogli and San Fruttuoso and between San Fruttuoso and Portofino. It is a tour with stops rather than a direct crossing.
Is there a regular ferry from Genoa to Portofino?
No scheduled point-to-point ferry was found on the operators' own pages. The boat link is the Two Gulfs tour on listed dates, plus guided excursions, and regular scheduled boats run from Tigullio ports such as Santa Margherita and Rapallo rather than from Genoa itself.
How much does the boat from Genoa to Portofino cost?
Reported fares for the Two Gulfs tour are about 29 EUR full day and 21 to 26 EUR half day. Guided tours price from the figures on their listings, and the San Fruttuoso abbey charges 10 EUR full entry as a separate item ashore.
Can I get to Portofino from Genoa without a boat?
Yes. A coastal train runs to Santa Margherita Ligure, where AMT line 782 continues to Portofino and is included in the 10.00 EUR Met Daily ticket. Portofino is a limited-traffic zone, and non-resident parking is reported at about 8 EUR an hour.
