Portofino Travel Forum

Hi there!

I`m planning to go to italy this summer and i would very much like to see portofino.I have been vacationing in Italy for many years now but was usually always around the lake garda, so travelling there was never much of a problem. ( i`m from austria ).But Now, i live in Holland/ Amsterdam and i just don`t know which is the easiest way to get there. I was thinking of going by plane but i wouldn`t mind the train either.Please advice!

I plan on going to Paris and Italy one day. If you go please post on how everything is so I can have a heads up about everything.

Hi there!

There are some low, or "reasonable", cost airlines which go to Genova from Amsterdam, Brussels, Koeln. I think this is an option to really take into account, if you can get a good fare.
(have a look at http://www.aeroportodigenova.com/en/home/index.php)

The problem with the train is that when you go thru Switzerland and Germany it can really get very hot, on the pocket front ;-)

Once you arrive at Genova airport, the cheapest thing to do is to take the volabus (number 100, 3 euros) to the Genova Piazza Principe station, and from there take a train towards La Spezia: get out at Santa Margherita Ligure (make sure the train really stops there), and then take a bus to Portofino (which is something like a couple of kilometres away). As an alternative, you can take a taxi from the airport to Portofino, but I think you'll be asked around 80 euros or so.

This in case you depart from home and head directly to Portofino.

Anyhow, don't hesitate to contact me for any questions you may have.

Cheers!
Raoul

My advice is to book your hotel in Santa Margherita Ligure. It is the town right next door to Portofino. You can walk along a foot path all the way to Portofino, have dinner, and take the bus or a taxi back to your hotel. My husband and I did this and it was one of our most memorable moments. We stayed at the Hotel Continental in summer of 2004 and would highly recommend it. Don't plan to shop in Portofino, the prices are ridiculous. Do plan to take lots and lots of photos of the harbor either in the morning or at sunset. Portofino is very tiny. If you have more travel time, go see the cinque terre nearby.

Look on www.transavia.com for a flight from Amsterdam to Genova...