Day trip from Genoa to Portofino by train and bus

Outbound 1 h 8 minAbout 7 h for your visit in Portofino
Costs for the dayabout €54.20 to €64.20 per person2 adults, recommended sights, with AI Tour Guide and foodWork out your costs ↓
Start the Portofino tourSee the day plan
Portofino

Portofino is an easy day trip from Genoa: a regional train to Santa Margherita Ligure and a short bus ride bring you into the village by mid morning. You get close to seven hours in Portofino, enough for the walk up to Castello Brown and out to the lighthouse, an unhurried lunch and a free afternoon before you head back.

Is a day trip from Genoa to Portofino worth it?

Yes, if you come for the setting rather than a long list of sights. Portofino is a small harbour village with a short promenade and a few lanes, and you see the centre itself quickly. What makes the day is the walk above it: up past Chiesa di San Giorgio to Castello Brown, a former Genoese fort over the harbour, and on to the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. Genoa gives you a big port city; Portofino gives you the Riviera village by the water.

The trip is simple to do without a car. There is no station in Portofino, so you combine a regional train to Santa Margherita Ligure with AMT bus 782, buying a separate ticket for each. That change costs some time in the morning, but you still arrive before the day gets busy.

Two things shape the day. The village lives from visitors and fills up quickly, especially in July and August, so an early arrival pays off. And eating on the Piazzetta is expensive; a lane further up, a focaccia picnic or dinner back in Santa Margherita Ligure keeps the day affordable.

Who this day trip suits

  • Travellers based in Genoa who want one Riviera village day without moving hotels
  • Walkers who enjoy a short climb to a castle and a path out to a lighthouse
  • Photographers who want the harbour in the quieter morning hours
  • Budget travellers happy to travel by train and bus and to picnic instead of eating on the harbour front

Go if you want a relaxed coastal day with a short scenic walk and do not mind sharing the harbour with other visitors; if you are after museums and a full day of things to see, Turin suits you better.

Other day trips from Genoa

How to get from Genoa to Portofino by train and bus

The recommended way is a Trenitalia regional train from Genoa to Santa Margherita Ligure, then AMT bus 782 from the station into Portofino. It avoids the traffic and the restricted parking around the village, and both legs run every day.

Combined journey: Trenitalia + AMT Genova

Regional trains leave from Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole for the station S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino; the ride takes about three quarters of an hour. Outside the station, AMT bus 782 leaves from the S. Margherita FS stop and reaches the terminus in Portofino in under twenty minutes. Train and bus need separate tickets: buy the rail ticket from Trenitalia or at the station, and the bus ticket for line 782 before you board. Allow at least fifteen minutes for the change from the platform to the bus stop, and check the current train and bus times in the timetable, because the two are not coordinated.

Operator
Trenitalia + AMT Genova
Route
Genova Piazza Principe → Portofino
Journey time
1 h 8 min
Travel fare
Outward €9.60; return €9.60 (€19.20 return total)

Tickets at Trenitalia ↗

The bus terminates in Portofino itself. From there you walk through the pedestrian village lanes to the Piazzetta on the harbour, where the tour begins; allow up to twenty minutes so you can find your way calmly.

Example connections by weekday

Full journeys with each leg shown. Times and fares can vary by day and service.

DayOutboundReturn
Daily07:47–08:55 · 1 h 8 min
  1. Genova Piazza Principe → Santa Margherita Ligure stazione (S.Margherita Ligure Portofino): 07:47–08:22
  2. Santa Margherita Ligure stazione (S. Margherita FS) → Portofino: 08:37–08:55
17:00–18:15 · 1 h 15 min
  1. Portofino → Santa Margherita Ligure stazione (S. Margherita FS): 17:00–17:17
  2. Santa Margherita Ligure stazione (S.Margherita Ligure Portofino) → Genova Piazza Principe: 17:46–18:15

Timetable

Train: Trenitalia

Monday to Friday

DepartureArrivalDuration
06:2307:1148 min
07:1107:5847 min
07:4708:2235 min
08:1408:5844 min
08:3709:411 h 4 min
09:4710:1427 min
10:0410:5248 min
10:1111:0150 min
10:3911:411 h 2 min
11:1512:0449 min
11:3712:371 h
12:1113:0150 min
12:3913:411 h 2 min
13:1314:0249 min

Saturday

DepartureArrivalDuration
06:2307:1148 min
07:1107:5847 min
07:4708:2235 min
08:1408:5945 min
08:3709:411 h 4 min
09:4710:1427 min
10:0410:5248 min
10:1111:0352 min
11:1512:0954 min
12:1113:0150 min
13:1314:0552 min

Sunday

DepartureArrivalDuration
06:2307:1148 min
07:1107:5847 min
07:4708:2235 min
08:3709:411 h 4 min
09:4710:1427 min
10:0410:5248 min
10:1111:0352 min
11:1512:0954 min
12:1113:0150 min
13:1314:0552 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Check current times at Trenitalia ↗

Bus: AMT Genova

Monday to Sunday

DepartureArrivalDuration
05:5806:1517 min
06:3006:4818 min
07:1707:3518 min
08:0708:2518 min
08:3708:5518 min
09:0709:2518 min
09:3709:5518 min
10:0710:2518 min
10:3710:5518 min
11:0711:2518 min
11:3711:5518 min
12:0712:2518 min
12:3712:5518 min
13:0713:2518 min

Timetable: AMT Genova, as of 22 October 2026

Check current times at AMT Genova ↗

Train: Trenitalia

Monday to Friday

DepartureArrivalDuration
17:4618:1529 min
Show all departures (22)

Other suitable trains may have different fares.

DepartureArrivalDuration
12:1413:1157 min
12:5513:4651 min
13:1414:1157 min
13:4614:1630 min
13:5514:4651 min
14:1415:1157 min
14:5515:4651 min
15:1416:1157 min
15:4616:1428 min
15:5516:4651 min
16:1717:1457 min
16:5517:4651 min
17:1418:1157 min
17:4618:1529 min
17:5518:4651 min
18:1019:111 h 1 min
18:5519:4651 min
19:1420:1157 min
19:4620:1630 min
19:5520:4651 min
20:1421:1157 min
21:5622:4448 min

Saturday to Sunday

DepartureArrivalDuration
12:5513:4651 min
13:4614:1630 min
13:5614:4650 min
14:5515:4651 min
15:4616:1428 min
15:5616:4650 min
16:5817:4648 min
17:4618:1529 min
17:5318:4653 min
18:5519:4651 min
19:2920:2758 min
19:4620:1630 min
19:5520:5156 min
21:5622:4448 min

Check current times at Trenitalia ↗

Bus: AMT Genova

Monday to Sunday

DepartureArrivalDuration
17:0017:1717 min
Show all departures (19)

Other suitable bus services may have different fares.

DepartureArrivalDuration
12:0012:1717 min
12:3012:4717 min
13:0013:1717 min
13:3013:4717 min
14:0014:1717 min
14:3014:4717 min
15:0015:1717 min
15:3015:4717 min
16:0016:1717 min
16:3016:4717 min
17:0017:1717 min
17:3017:4717 min
18:0018:1717 min
18:3018:4717 min
19:0019:1717 min
19:3019:4717 min
20:0020:1717 min
21:0021:1717 min
22:0022:1717 min

Check current times at AMT Genova ↗

Genoa to Portofino day trip itinerary

Day plan for: Mon–Tue, Thu–Sun

Leave Genoa on the morning train, start the walk before the village fills, eat after the lighthouse and keep the afternoon free until the late bus back.

  1. Morning07:47 – 08:55

    Take a regional train shortly before eight from Genova Piazza Principe to S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino. The bus 782 from the station stop reaches Portofino shortly before nine. Walk through the village to the Piazzetta.

    The wait in Santa Margherita Ligure leaves time for a coffee and the bus ticket, and you reach Portofino before the busiest part of the day.

  2. Tour09:15 – 12:30

    Open the tour in the browser on the Piazzetta around a quarter past nine. The AI Tour Guide greets you, tells the stories of the harbour and leads you past Museo del Parco and Chiesa di San Giorgio, both seen from outside, up to Castello Brown in the late morning for a visit inside, and then out along the path to Portofino Lighthouse around midday.

    Castello Brown is the one paid visit of the day and is calmer in the late morning than after lunch, and the lighthouse comes last because it is the far end of the walk.

    1. Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta) in Portofino, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour1Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta)
    2. Museo del Parco in Portofino, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour2Museo del Parco
    3. Chiesa di San Giorgio in Portofino, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour3Chiesa di San Giorgio
    4. Castello Brown in Portofino, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour4Castello Brown
    5. Portofino Lighthouse, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour5Portofino Lighthouse

    Start the Portofino tour

  3. Lunch12:30 – 13:30

    Lunch after Portofino Lighthouse, the last stop of the tour: either a focaccia from Panificio Maccarini bought in the morning, or a meal back in the village one lane up from the Piazzetta, for example at Da U'Batti.

    The walk is done by then, and the restaurants directly on the Piazzetta are priced for yachts, while a picnic or a table a street further in costs far less.

  4. Afternoon13:30 – 16:15

    The tour ends at the lighthouse, so the afternoon is yours, close to three hours. Wander back down to the harbour, sit by the water, or climb again to the rise around Chiesa di San Giorgio for the view over the harbour. If you prefer Santa Margherita Ligure for the late afternoon, take an earlier 782 bus there and catch the same train home; check the bus times in the timetable.

    Portofino is small, and a slow afternoon after the walk is the point of coming; the time also absorbs any delay in the morning.

  5. Return16:15 – 18:15

    Leave the lighthouse path by a quarter past four at the latest and walk back through the village to the bus terminus. Take bus 782 around five to S. Margherita FS, then the regional train, which reaches Genova Piazza Principe around a quarter past six.

    Twenty minutes for the walk through the village plus a fifteen minute buffer at the stop covers the queue for the bus, and the change in Santa Margherita Ligure still leaves room for the train.

Arrival to return departure: 8 h 5 min. Time for your visit: about 7 h.

You get close to seven hours in Portofino, about two and a half of them for the walk; if you arrive late, keep the whole walk in its order and shorten the free afternoon instead.

Best day to visit Portofino from Genoa

  1. Monday: recommended
  2. Tuesday: recommended
  3. Wednesday: better not
  4. Thursday: recommended
  5. Friday: recommended
  6. Saturday: recommended
  7. Sunday: recommended
  • Wednesday: The planned interior visits (Portofino Lighthouse) do not fit the opening hours on this day.

Portofino walking tour in one day: from the Piazzetta to the lighthouse

The walk runs one way from the Piazzetta on the harbour up to Castello Brown and out to Portofino Lighthouse: about two kilometres and half an hour of pure walking, around two and a half hours with the stops. The AI Tour Guide leads it as a conversation, so you climb above the village with someone telling you what you are looking at, instead of drifting along the shop fronts.

The Portofino tour: your guide leads you from stop to stop.
  1. Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta)
  2. Museo del Parco
  3. Chiesa di San Giorgio
  4. Castello Brown
  5. Portofino Lighthouse

Start the Portofino tour

Opening hours as of 30 August 2026.

  1. Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta) in Portofino, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Stop 1

    Piazzetta (Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta)

    The small square at the head of the harbour, where the village meets the water and the walk begins.

    Price
    Free
  2. Museo del Parco in Portofino, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2Stop 2

    Museo del Parco

    The museum of the park lies just a few steps from the harbour, and you pass it from outside on the way up.

    Hours (optional interior visit)
    Tue: closed
    Price
    Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.
  3. Chiesa di San Giorgio in Portofino, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3Stop 3

    Chiesa di San Giorgio

    The Catholic church on Salita San Giorgio stands on the rise between the harbour and the castle.

    Price
    Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.
  4. Castello Brown in Portofino, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Stop 4

    Castello Brown

    A house museum above the harbour on a site used for defence since Roman times, once the Genoese fort called Castello di San Giorgio.

    Hours
    Daily: 10:00–16:00 (last admission 15:30)
    Price
    €10
  5. Portofino Lighthouse, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Stop 5

    Portofino Lighthouse

    An active lighthouse on the western tip of the peninsula, at the edge of the Gulf of Tigullio, where the walk ends.

    Hours
    Mon, Tue: 10:30–16:30
    Wed: closed
    Thu–Sun: 10:30–16:30
    Price
    Free
AI Tour Guide in Portofino

Your guide for the Portofino tour

You start the AI Tour Guide in the browser on the Piazzetta, and from there it leads you up past Chiesa di San Giorgio to Castello Brown and out to the lighthouse. Along the way it tells you how a Roman lookout became a Genoese fort and then a private house, asks what catches your eye and remembers it for the next stop. You can interrupt at any point and take the conversation where you want.

stops
5
route
2.1 km
walking only
29 min
with visits
2 h 28 min
  • 100 free credits to start
  • €19.99 once for the whole group
  • Travel and admission tickets are not included
Start the Portofino tourSee the whole tour →

Genoa to Portofino day trip cost

The day costs a train ticket and a separate bus ticket each way, the entrance to Castello Brown as the only paid visit, and food, which in Portofino can cost more than the travel. The cost tool includes Castello Brown and a modest lunch budget, because a picnic or a meal off the Piazzetta is how most of the day stays affordable.

Adults
Children

One device is enough for the whole group: two people listen on two connected headphones, larger groups use the phone speaker.

Cost breakdown

Costs for 2 adults · planned visits

Travel there and backTrenitalia + AMT Genova2 adults × €19.20€38.40
SightsCastello Brown2 adults × €10€20
AI Tour Guide touronce for the whole group€19.99
Food (estimate)€15 to €25 per person€30 to €50
Total€108.39 to €128.39
Split between peopleabout €54.20 to €64.20 per person
Sights
  • €10
Buffer and private guide

Bring cash for small bakeries and bars in Portofino, and if you want a proper dinner, eat in Santa Margherita Ligure before the train, where seafood pasta costs about half.

Prices as of October 2026.

Getting back from Portofino to Genoa

The way back is the morning route reversed: bus 782 from the terminus in Portofino to the S. Margherita FS stop, then a regional train to Genoa. Buy the bus ticket before you go to the stop, since train and bus are ticketed separately.

Plan twenty minutes to walk from the lighthouse path to the bus terminus and fifteen more at the stop, and keep at least fifteen minutes for the change from the bus to the train in Santa Margherita Ligure.

If you run late, drop the free afternoon first, never the walk. If you miss the planned bus, later buses run to Santa Margherita Ligure and later regional trains continue to Genoa, some of them ending at Genova Brignole instead of Piazza Principe.

Recommended returnAMT Genova + Trenitalia: departs 17:00, arrives 18:15Leave the last stop of the tour by 16:15

Latest return that fits the day: 21:00

  • AMT Genova + Trenitalia from Portofino, Monday to Sunday: departs 21:00, arrives 22:44

Questions about the day trip from Genoa to Portofino

Can I drive from Genoa to Portofino instead?

It is possible but not recommended for a day trip. The village is pedestrian, vehicle access is restricted to authorised users, and the only option is a covered paid car park at Piazza Martiri della Libertà. Leaving the car in Santa Margherita Ligure and taking the bus is easier.

Do I need cash in Portofino?

Yes, bring some. Several small places do not take cards, and the cash machine near the harbour can run empty.

Is the trip suitable for children?

Older children usually enjoy the castle and the lighthouse path. Children up to 12 enter Castello Brown free, and a picnic keeps the food budget for a family under control.

When should I avoid Portofino?

July and August bring the heaviest crowds and the highest prices. In spring and autumn, and in the morning at any time of year, the lanes and the harbour are calmer.

Can I combine Portofino with Santa Margherita Ligure?

Yes, and it fits naturally because you change there anyway. Spend the late afternoon in Santa Margherita Ligure and take the train home from there; food is noticeably cheaper than in Portofino.

More day trips from Genoa

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Sources

Timetables, fares and opening hours come from these operators:

Image credits
AI Tour Guide
Researched and curated by the AI Tour Guide team
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