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The painted houses of Portofino along the harbour, with boats moored in front
The church of San Pietro and the old fortifications on the rocky point of Portovenere, seen from the sea
The abbey of San Fruttuoso and its Doria tower in a wooded cove, seen from the sea
The arcaded inner courtyard of Palazzo Doria-Tursi on Via Garibaldi in Genoa

Things to do in Liguria: Cinque Terre, Genoa and Portofino

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Photo: Pierre-Selim Huard, CC BY 4.0

Chiesa di San Pietro, Portovenere

Walk out to the striped church of San Pietro at Portovenere

Check dates and prices

Photo: Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0

Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, Camogli

Take the boat to the abbey of San Fruttuoso

Photo: Matteo Girola, FAI, CC BY-SA 4.0

Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova), Genoa

See the palace museums of Genoa's Strada Nuova

Check dates and prices

Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Liguria is the narrow arc of coast between the French border and Tuscany, with Genoa in the middle and steep hills rising straight behind the shore. East of Genoa, the Riviera di Levante runs past the Portofino promontory to the Cinque Terre, which have their own page with the experiences worth planning around.

This page covers four places that fill a day of their own: the palace museums of Genoa's Strada Nuova; the abbey of San Fruttuoso, in a cove of the Portofino promontory that no road reaches; the striped church of San Pietro at the tip of Portovenere; and the island of Palmaria, across the strait from it.

Places in this region

4 things to do in Liguria

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The arcaded inner courtyard of Palazzo Doria-Tursi on Via Garibaldi in Genoa

See the palace museums of Genoa's Strada Nuova

Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova), Genoa

3 hoursGo alone or with a tour

One ticket for three palaces on Genoa's street of palaces, with Van Dyck portraits, a Caravaggio and Paganini's violin.

Check dates and pricesGuided Rolli palaces tour, Palazzo Rosso included
The abbey of San Fruttuoso and its Doria tower in a wooded cove, seen from the sea

Take the boat to the abbey of San Fruttuoso

Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, Camogli

Half a day with the boatNo booking needed

A cove no road reaches, with an abbey, the Doria tombs and a bronze Christ about 17 metres down in the bay.

The church of San Pietro and the old fortifications on the rocky point of Portovenere, seen from the sea

Walk out to the striped church of San Pietro at Portovenere

Chiesa di San Pietro, Portovenere

Half a day from La SpeziaFree

Gothic black and white stripes on the rock at the village tip, and a four-arched loggia over the open sea.

Check dates and pricesBoat from La Spezia to Portovenere and the three islands
The pale cliffs and green slopes of Palmaria island, with an old fort on the ridge

Cross to Palmaria, the island facing Portovenere

Isola Palmaria, Portovenere

Half a dayNo booking needed

Liguria's largest island, pine and holm oak rising to about 190 metres, with footpaths, old quarries and cliffs full of caves.

Plan your trip

  • Which places to pick

    The Cinque Terre are what most visitors come for, and La Spezia is the easiest base for them, with Portovenere and Palmaria a boat ride away. Genoa deserves at least a day for the Strada Nuova and the old town. Portofino and San Fruttuoso make a day out from Genoa or Camogli.

  • Getting around

    Regional trains follow the coast from Genoa to La Spezia, stopping at Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure, Levanto and the five villages of the Cinque Terre. The Golfo dei Poeti boats link La Spezia with Portovenere, for €8 one way or €15 return, and with Palmaria and the Cinque Terre. Boats to San Fruttuoso leave Camogli all year, and Portofino, Santa Margherita and Genoa in season.

  • When to go

    Late April to June and September to October are the best months. The regular boat timetable in the Gulf of La Spezia and the Cinque Terre ends on 1 November. San Fruttuoso opens all winter with shorter hours, closing on non-holiday Mondays from November to February, and Genoa's museums open all year, though on Mondays only Palazzo Rosso.

Questions travellers ask

How do you get to San Fruttuoso?

Only by boat or on foot. Boats sail all year from Camogli, and in season from Recco, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Chiavari, Sestri Levante and Genoa. On foot, the trail signs give about 2 hours from Portofino along the paths of the Portofino park. When rough seas stop the Camogli boats, the abbey closes.

How do you get from La Spezia to Portovenere?

The easiest way is the Golfo dei Poeti boat from La Spezia, €8 one way or €15 return on the consortium's current fare list; the same boats go on to Palmaria and the Cinque Terre. The regular timetable ends on 1 November, and a reduced Portovenere service runs from 2 November to 8 December.

Is Genoa worth a day?

Yes. The Strada Nuova and the Palazzi dei Rolli, the palaces the Republic listed to lodge its state guests, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006, and three of them are museums on one ticket. Genoa is also the main rail hub of the coast, so it fits easily on the way to or from the Cinque Terre.

Other places to go

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