Portovenere
Vernazza
Sestri Levante, Baia del Silenzio
Lerici
Genoa, Porto Antico
Hike the Sentiero Azzurro trail through the Cinque Terre
Taste focaccia col formaggio in Recco
Visit the Church of San Pietro in Portovenere
Explore Genoa’s historic aquarium
Swim the coves below Riomaggiore
Vernazza
Manarola
Riomaggiore
Monterosso al Mare
Genoa’s old town, Centro Storico
June and September offer the most reliable combination of warm water and manageable crowds, with the Cinque Terre and Portofino at their busiest through July and August. The Ligurian Sea stays swimmable from late May into October, and shoulder-season sailing also makes it easier to find a berth in Portofino’s small harbour, which fills quickly in peak summer. Spring brings wildflowers to the Cinque Terre’s terraced hillsides, an added reason to consider an earlier charter.
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA) is the most convenient gateway, around 40 kilometres from Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino by road or a scenic coastal transfer. Guests bound for the Cinque Terre or the eastern stretch toward La Spezia sometimes fly into Pisa instead, roughly ninety minutes further south, which can work better when combining a Ligurian charter with a Tuscan Archipelago itinerary.
Portovenere and Vernazza both offer sheltered anchoring close to their respective marine parks, while Sestri Levante’s twin bays, including the aptly named Baia del Silenzio, give a quieter overnight stop away from Portofino’s crowded harbour. Genoa’s Porto Antico works well as a start or end point for a charter, combining easy berthing with direct access to the old port’s aquarium and historic centre for guests arriving or departing by air.
Five to seven days allows a comfortable pace from Genoa or Portofino down to the Cinque Terre and back, with time ashore in Santa Margherita, Portovenere and at least two of the five cliffside villages. Guests short on time often base themselves around Portofino and the Gulf of Tigullio alone, while a longer charter can extend west toward San Remo or combine this coast with Corsica across the Ligurian Sea.
The two most popular sections of the Sentiero Azzurro, between Monterosso and Corniglia, require a paid Cinque Terre Trekking Card, priced around 10 euros a day outside peak season and up to 15 euros in high summer. The fee funds trail maintenance in the national park and also covers local buses and reduced museum entry. From the 2nd of November through mid-March, every section except the Via dell’Amore is free to walk without a card.
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