Cinque Terre and Portofino by boat: a sailing week

Seen from the sea, the Cinque Terre are five pastel villages stacked on cliffs, with Porto Venere and its islands at one end and the Portofino promontory at the other. A sailing week from La Spezia covers roughly 100 nautical miles: nights in Porto Venere, Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino, daytime stops on marine-park buoys off the villages, and a last afternoon in the Gulf of Poets. Two marine protected areas set the rules, so plan your stops around them.

Where to charter a yacht for the Cinque Terre and Portofino?

The natural base is La Spezia, at the head of the Gulf of Poets and a short sail from Porto Venere: see yacht charter in La Spezia and all bases on the Italian Riviera page. Charter weeks usually run Saturday to Saturday. To sail bareboat, the skipper needs a licence the charter company accepts (see boat licence in Italy and the ICC); otherwise hire a skipper or book a crewed yacht. Charter yachts from La Spezia can be booked on Ship O'Hoi, bareboat or with a skipper.

A 7-day sailing itinerary from La Spezia

The park buoys off the Cinque Terre are for temporary stops in calm weather, so you sleep in the harbours at each end and visit the villages by day. Distances are approximate; plan with up-to-date charts and a pilot book.

Day 1–2: La Spezia to Porto Venere via Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto (approx. 8 nm)

Take over the yacht on Saturday and sleep aboard in the base marina. On Sunday, sail down the gulf and round the three islands of the Porto Venere Regional Nature Park. Palmaria is the largest, with cliffs of up to 188 metres on its western side. Tino, with its lighthouse, belongs to the Italian Navy and is closed to free visits, except on 13 September, the feast of San Venerio, and on guided park excursions. Tinetto, the smallest, carries the ruins of an early monastery. Then turn into the channel between Palmaria and the mainland.

Overnight in the harbour of Porto Venere, which has about 30 berths for yachts of 10 to 50 metres; booking is required.

Tip: the Posidonia meadow in the channel between Porto Venere and Palmaria lies inside the park's marine protection area. Motor slowly and never drop anchor on the seagrass; inside the harbour, anchoring is forbidden by the port regulation.

Day 3: Porto Venere to Santa Margherita Ligure along the Cinque Terre (approx. 30 nm)

The longest leg of the week. Head north-west past Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, round Punta Mesco, then past Levanto and Sestri Levante into the Tigullio Gulf. Leave early, and inside the Cinque Terre marine park keep to 5 knots or less within 600 metres of the coast.

Overnight in the port of Santa Margherita Ligure, where the town runs the transit berths on the outer breakwater. Request a berth by phone or e-mail; from 1 June to 31 August stays are limited to 5 days.

Tip: Sestri Levante's Baia del Silenzio is a sight from the sea only. Anchoring there is strictly forbidden, and no boat may enter without prior authorisation from the pier operator.

Day 4: San Fruttuoso and Portofino (approx. 7 nm)

Round the Portofino promontory to San Fruttuoso. The abbey bay, reached on land only by footpaths through the Portofino Regional Park, has about 20 marine-park buoys for boats up to 24 metres on its western side. They are paid and seasonal, and anchoring in the bay is not allowed. Keep clear of the buoys marking the underwater statue of Christ of the Abyss near the eastern mooring field.

Overnight in Portofino, which has about 300 berths, 18 of them for boats in transit, and takes yachts up to 40 metres. Enter through the central channel marked by the park at no more than 3 knots. Boats over 16 metres must call the maritime authority before entering; smaller ones call the mooring service. Book well ahead.

Tip: Paraggi bay, between Santa Margherita and Portofino, is a no-anchoring zone of the marine park.

Day 5: Portofino to Porto Venere (approx. 30 nm)

Sail back east past Sestri Levante and Levanto, where the Cinque Terre park begins. In settled weather, break the day on a park buoy off Monterosso (daily permit needed), then continue to Porto Venere.

Tip: the Cinque Terre coast is mostly cliffs. A La Spezia coast guard ordinance bans transit, stopping and anchoring within 30 metres of any cliff face along the whole district, closes wider strips under known rockfall areas and forbids entering sea caves.

Day 6: The Cinque Terre villages up close (approx. 15–20 nm round trip)

Now stop at the villages. In season the Cinque Terre marine park lays white mooring buoys in front of them: 35 at Vernazza, 8 each at Monterosso, Manarola and Riomaggiore, 5 at Corniglia, and 20 in the Seno del Canneto. A buoy, or anchoring in zone C, needs a daily permit from the park's online system, and buoys may only be used in wind and sea up to force 2. Swimming inside the buoy fields is not allowed. If the sea is up, just motor slowly past for the views, then return to Porto Venere.

Tip: the park excludes rental and occasional charter from the daily permit, so ask your charter company whether your yacht may use park buoys or anchor in the reserve.

Day 7: Porto Venere to La Spezia via Lerici (approx. 8 nm)

A gentle last day: cross the Gulf of Poets to Lerici on the eastern shore, then return to the base marina in La Spezia by the charter company's deadline, usually Friday afternoon, for check-out on Saturday morning.

Tip: keep a lookout for passenger ferries all week; the park authorises scheduled ferry routes through zone C of the Cinque Terre reserve.

Rules and safety on the Cinque Terre and Portofino coast

Cinque Terre marine protected area. The Area Marina Protetta Cinque Terre, created in 1997, covers the sea off Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Monterosso and a small part of Levanto. Zone A (including off Punta Mesco) is closed to transit and access. Zone B, at Punta Mesco and Capo Montenero, may be entered only under sail, oars or electric power at up to 5 knots. In zone C, keep to 5 knots or less, in displacement mode, within 600 metres of the coast. Anchoring is banned over sensitive seabed off Punta Corone (Monterosso), south of Vernazza, off Corniglia and the Spiaggione, and at Punta Pineda, and between 22:00 and 08:00 an anchored or moored boat must have someone qualified to handle it on board. A fee applies for permits and buoys; check the park's mooring page and the online permit system.

Portofino marine protected area. The Area Marina Protetta Portofino covers the sea off Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. Free navigation is forbidden in zone A, pleasure vessels over 24 metres may not navigate in the reserve, and anchoring is not allowed in zones A and B. In zones B and C, yachts may motor only with a holding tank, a compliant engine or zero-release antifouling (otherwise only straight to the moorings), always at 5 knots or less. In zone C you may anchor except in Paraggi bay, in bathing areas, in and near the mooring fields, and in the marked Posidonia area between Punta Cannette and La Tonnarella. See the Portofino park's rules.

Cliffs. The coast guard's 30-metre cliff rule (see Day 5) is published on the Cinque Terre park's decrees and rules page. Marked swimming lanes are closed to yachts in the bathing season.

Weather and swell. The Cinque Terre buoys may only be used up to force 2 and waves of about half a metre. The Portofino park lists libeccio and scirocco as the winds that hit Santa Margherita, whose harbour gets surge in south-south-westerlies.

Licence. According to boat licence in Italy, you may drive without a licence only with engines up to 30 kW (40.8 hp) and within 6 nautical miles of the coast; beyond 6 nm or with a bigger engine you need a licence. Charter yachts are normally skippered by someone with a licence the company accepts, or you hire a skipper.

Best time to sail the Cinque Terre and Portofino

The season runs roughly from May to October. The park buoy fields are seasonal: those around Portofino are generally in place from April (around Easter) to October, and the Cinque Terre fields are laid each season. From June to August Santa Margherita limits transit stays to 5 days because demand outstrips its berths; book Porto Venere and Portofino well in advance.

FAQ

Can you anchor off the Cinque Terre villages?

Only in zone C, outside the marked no-anchoring areas, with a daily permit and a qualified person aboard at night.

Can you stay overnight in the Cinque Terre on a yacht?

It is rarely practical. The buoys are for temporary stops, may only be used in calm conditions and must be left when wind or sea rise above force 2. Plan to sleep in Porto Venere or on the Portofino side.

Do I need to book Portofino or Porto Venere in advance?

Yes. Porto Venere requires a booking, and Portofino has only 18 transit berths, so call ahead, especially in June to August.

Is a week enough for the Cinque Terre and Portofino?

Yes: the loop is about 100 nm with two long days. With less time, stay east: Porto Venere, the islands and the Cinque Terre fit into three or four days.

More sailing guides

For a sailing week further south, read sailing Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago or La Maddalena and the Costa Smeralda. Before you book, fill in a yacht charter preference sheet.