The five painted villages of Cinque Terre, strung along vertical Ligurian cliffs above an impossible blue sea, provide one of the most dramatic backdrops in Mediterranean yachting. Arriving by motor yacht means bypassing the train crowds entirely and approaching Manarola, Vernazza or Riomaggiore from the water, which is the way these places were always meant to be seen. The coastline between Levanto and La Spezia is compact enough that a capable motor yacht covers the full arc of five villages in a single morning.
Motor yachts for charter in Cinque Terre range from agile 30m vessels through to 60m superyachts that anchor off the villages and use a tender for shore access. The fleet is primarily Italian-built, with Benetti, Sanlorenzo and Ferretti all represented. A 40m motor yacht offers the practical balance of range, speed and deck space that the Ligurian itinerary rewards.
Weekly charter rates for a 40m motor yacht in this region run from roughly 80,000 to 150,000 euros at the height of summer, with an advance provisioning allowance of around 30 percent adding fuel, provisions and berthing costs in La Spezia or Portofino. The shoulder months of May, June and September offer better value and calmer seas without surrendering the scenery.
From Cinque Terre, motor yachts typically extend north to Portofino and the Golfo del Tigullio, and south into the Gulf of La Spezia to anchor off Lerici and Portovenere, passing the marble cliffs of the Apuan Alps along the way.
