Portofino Riviera Tour

The Riviera.
Without the crowds. Without the stress.

Your driver at the door. The Ligurian coast an hour and a half away. The rest is sea.

Your private Mercedes driver meets you at your hotel, villa or apartment — anywhere in Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, Pisa, Lucca, Montecatini, Florence or the surrounding area. No transfer to a departure point, no shared vehicle, no fixed group schedule. The day is built around you from the first minute.

The road north follows the Ligurian coast, and the landscape changes completely once you cross into Liguria — the mountains come down to the sea, the towns cling to the cliffs, the colours shift from Tuscan terracotta to the turquoise and ochre of the Riviera. The first stop is Rapallo — the elegant seaside town at the head of the Gulf of Tigullio, with its 16th-century waterfront castle rising directly from the sea, its long promenade of palm trees and Belle Époque villas, its covered market and the cable car that climbs to the Santuario di Montallegro above the bay. A coffee on the harbour, a walk along the lungomare, a first look at what the Italian Riviera actually is — before continuing to Portofino.

A short drive along the bay brings you to Santa Margherita Ligure — one of the most elegant towns on the Ligurian Riviera. Art Nouveau villas set back from the waterfront, a small fishing harbour, the baroque Basilica di Santa Margherita d'Antiochia at the centre of town, a palm-lined lungomare where the pace of life slows to something close to perfect. A walk, a coffee, a look at the market — before the final stretch to Portofino.

The road from Santa Margherita to Portofino follows the promontory — one of the most scenic stretches of coast in Italy, with views over the Gulf of Paradiso and the Ligurian Sea opening at every turn. Your driver takes you to the meeting point above Portofino — the village itself is pedestrian-only — from where you descend on foot to the harbour. The piazzetta, the coloured houses reflected in the still water of the port, the boats at their moorings, the scent of the sea and the stone. Portofino is small enough to walk in twenty minutes and beautiful enough to stay in your memory permanently.

Free time in Portofino is yours to use as you wish. The Caruggi — the narrow stepped lanes behind the harbour — lead up through the village past the church of San Giorgio to the castle at the tip of the promontory, with its panoramic view over the open sea. The boutiques along the harbour front — Hermès, Loro Piana, Bottega Veneta, small local jewellers — are among the most beautifully located shops in the world. And if a lunch reservation has been arranged at the Hotel Splendido, the most famous hotel on the Italian Riviera, the terrace above the village with its view over the bay is an experience that requires no further description.

At the agreed time, your driver will be waiting at the meeting point to bring you back. The return journey follows the coast — your driver can suggest a different route through the Ligurian hills if you prefer, or a brief stop in a village along the way. The day ends at your door, exactly where it began.