If you’re committed to walking the trails in the Cinque Terre you’ll need a rest day so I’ve got a great suggestion.

It’s easy to catch a train to Santa Margherita then a bus to Portofino from anywhere on the Cinque Terre.

These two towns are also part of the Italian Riviera, but they’re very different from Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre villages have a feeling of subsistence farming whereas Santa Margherita and Portofino are chic towns attracting the wealthy.

Here are some recommendations from our whistle-stop tour.

Santa Margherita

The architecture and hotels in Santa Margherita are classy.

From the Santa Margherita train station it’s a five-minute walk to the water front where you can admire a statue of Christopher Columbus before crossing the road to Taverna del Marinaio where you should have lunch.

Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer from Genoa.

Spagetti Alla Vongole is my favourite Italian dish and the Taverna Del Marinaio’s version was spectacular.

Portofino

After lunch either catch the local bus from across the road or a taxi to Portofino and take in the Super Yachts and wealth that just oozes from this town. We didn’t really see a lot but enough to know we want to return.

Notes

Plan your trip to Santa Margherita and Portofino the night before as the journey will require a train change and you’ll want to get a good connection. The train trip will take approximately an hour.