Portofino, Liguria

Portofino, Italian Riviera, Italy

Explore the Cities and Towns of Liguria

Our Local Expertise in Portofino

Over 20 years of creating unforgettable experiences

Licensed & Insured

We are a fully licensed Italian tour operator. All our guides hold official regional accreditation, and our drivers are NCC-certified professional chauffeurs.

Local Knowledge

Our team lives and works in Portofino. We don't just know the landmarks — we know the hidden alleys, the best tables, and the stories that make this place unforgettable.

Tailored Experiences

Every itinerary is custom-crafted for you. Whether it's a private guided tour at dawn or a wine tasting in a family vineyard, we design experiences that match your pace and interests.

Overview

Portofino is an exclusive resort on Italy’s Ligurian coast. It has a glitzy reputation as a playground for the rich and famous and a first glance will certainly confirm this view. The brightly coloured buildings eventually yield to a harbour filled with oversized yachts and surrounded by fashionable restaurants and bars. Yet scratch the surface and you will find that underneath it all, there is still a charming little fishing village to be found.
 
Of course it has to be said that a trip to Portofino does not come cheap. The exclusive eateries and boutiques, which so often play host to wealthy movie stars, have prices that will make your eye pop-out in true cartoon style.  Yet if you can cope with the pressure on your wallet, Portofino’s tranquil setting will do its best to make sure you forget all about your bank account.
 
What isn’t in dispute is Portofino’s charm and there is plenty to admire, even for mere mortals without bulging wallets. The clear waters, the rugged cliffs that plunge into the waters below, and the little rocky inlets and beaches frame the town, and make it as easy on the eye as some of its more famous visitors.
 
With such pretty scenery in abundance the opportunity to give your credit card a time out and head off into the countryside should not be missed. There are some great walks around Portofino and a number of paths take you from the town and up into the surrounding hillside. Along the way you will stroll past olive groves and pine trees before reaching the top where, high about the town, you can discover excellent views of the coast.
 
All of this is likely to induce a thirst and a popular activity in Portofino is whiling away an hour or two over a drink in one of the cafes near the harbour. Many a contented afternoon can be passed watching the boats come and go with the sun on your back.
 
Portofino is very much a destination for a day trip due to its size and relatively high costs. It can be fully explored in a few hours and its cozy size breeds familiarity quickly.  Yet it is the town’s undeniable natural beauty that makes it a must see, just bear in mind that you might need to do some serious saving if you fancy a longer stay.

For more information about getting to Portofino and our small group and private tours that can get you there as well as take you around to some of the other beautiful areas on the coast,  get in touch with us today and write or phone our team!

team@italyvacationspecialists.com 

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Portofino

Stories That Stay With You

Here's what our guests share about their unforgettable journeys

“The trip was great; we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details, in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country.”
[Read More] Leon and Michele
“Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we were p”
[Read More] Ron and Deb Crosby
“In September of 2018 I brought a group of 12 from Venice to Sicily and organized all of my services with the Italy Vacation Specialists. Being a travel agent and in the business, I know how complicated organizing travel arrangements can be in Italy and the IVS team took a huge burden off of me! I would like to start of by saying "THANK YOU" both for the amazing job you did on our trip. There was n”
[Read More] Ann Brownell, KHM Travel Group
“I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more time and we could not agree more! You need to spend more ti”
[Read More] Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan
“I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the staff, the guides, the coaches and even the meals we enjoyed we”
[Read More] Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent
“I have traveled to Italy 2x with the IVS for my own pleasure trips and 2x for business with IVS. These guys really pay attention and make your trip go like clockwork. Italy is nuts, just saying! There are so many rules and restrictions now, so we did not want to drive ourselves. Having traveled with them many times and done business on several occasions, most definitely USE this company. They know”
[Read More] JoAnne Beaudoin, Retired Nurse
“Jesse & Giuseppe, Sandy and I have been looking through my slides of our trip to Southern Italy. We had such a good time with you and Giuseppe that we wanted to let you know again. You were the best guides ever.”
[Read More] Bob & Sandy
“I traveled with JoAnn West through your services, guided by Giuseppe, in July of this year. What a wonderful experience; your service is really top notch! If I return to Italy for a tour, I will absolutely use your services again and recommend you to my friends!”
[Read More] Lucretia Brower
“As a travel agent, but also a traveler to Italy, thee is no other company I would recommend than the Italy Vacation Specialists. Not only do they really care about what they are doing, they also really know Italy and try to educate many people about ways they can best see the country and not fall into tourist traps. I have been on 4 trips with the IVS team, firstly when they did my first 2 trips f”
[Read More] Laura Chomiak, Travel Agent
“In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that it is one complicated place to run tours in, just by the sh”
[Read More] Vijaya Sunil CPA, CGA

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