And speaking of Cinque Terra, you can use Portovenere as your launch or endpoint for this incredibly popular destination. A night in Portovenere will give you enough time to see everything in town, but we really suggest at least two nights. That way, you can spend a whole day just relaxing on the beach.

More travel advice for Italy:

• 11 Simple ways to save on your trip to Italy
• Tips for driving and renting a car in Italy
• Avoid these common mistakes on your trip to Italy

Tips for visiting Portovenere on a budget

Like any seaside vacation spot in Italy, it’s easy to spend a lot of money in Portovenere if you don’t plan ahead. Use this guide to help you save on everything from hotels to dining out at the best local restaurants.

When to visit Portovenere

If you can come in the late spring or early fall, you’ll find a warm and sunny destination with half of the crowds. During our visit in late May, the temperatures were in the 80s and people were soaking up the sun everywhere you looked. Of course, if you insist on a summer seaside getaway, you’ll pay for it with much higher hotel rates — if you can even find a room.

Getting to Portovenere

By boat

The nearest train station is in La Spezia (about 15 km away), so the only way to visit Portovenere is by bus, taxi, or boat. The easiest way to reach Portovenere is by ferry. It’s also the most fun! You can hop on a boat right along the waterfront in La Spezia (about a 15-minute walk from the train station). The ride is quite lovely and ends with a spectacular entrance to Portovenere. The ferry lets you off just a short stroll from the city center. Not bad for only €6.

If you are coming from the north via Cinque Terra, there are ferries from Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Just note that the ferries only run from late March to early November. You can check excellent website A Path To Lunch has the latest information for Cinque Terra and Portovenere ferries. or you can check the official tourism website for the Golfo dei Poeti.

By bus

The cheapest way to get from La Spezia to Portovenere is by bus. Fares are around €3 for the journey that takes about half an hour.

Not bad! The view from Room 535 at Affittacamere La Lanterna.

Cheap hotels in Portovenere

Booking ahead is key to securing a room in Portovenere. The summer and holiday weekends fill up fast, so either come during the shoulder season or book way in advance.

Affittacamere La Lanterna
Via Giovanni Cappellini 27

On a recent trip, we rented a room at Affittacamere La Lanterna, accessible right on the main drag of Portovenere, Via Capellini. We rang a buzzer and a kind elderly woman smiled down from a few floors up and came down to let us in. After she showed us to our room, we threw open the window shutters to reveal an amazing view of the water. Room 535 also had a tiny balcony where we sipped a bottle of Ligurian rose and watched people swim and sunbathe. The price for this wonderful experience? Only €81 per night! We stayed on a Sunday night, so we were able to save on a weekend rate and the village was a little less busy than usual for a sunny spring weekend. Read more about our stay at Affittacamere La Lanterna.

A few other options in Portovenere to consider include Affittacamere La Darsena (Via Giovanni Cappellini 27) and the affordable Hotel Belvedere with private rooms and panoramic gulf views.

Search over 100 hotels and vacation rentals in Portovenere

San Pietro Church is dramatically built out over the sea.

Free things to do in Portovenere

Jutting out from the rugged Ligurian coast, Portovenere offers incredible scenery everywhere you look. Many of the attractions are perched high above the sea offering countless opportunities for that perfect vacation photo. We took a stroll around town to find our favorite activities that won’t cost you a single euro.

Visit San Pietro Church

We’ve been to a lot of churches in Europe, but this is near the top of the list for jaw-dropping locations. Nestled on a rock jutting out into the Ligurian Sea, San Pietro Church offers sweeping views of Palmaria Island to the south and the Cinque Terra to the north.

Be like a local and find a sunny spot on one of the free beaches in Portovenere.

Relax in the sun

There are a few free beaches within walking distance of the main drag of Portovenere. If you’re staying in the main part of town, you can also just get some sun just steps from the main shopping street. Our tip: Bring a towel and do what the locals do — layout on the stone pier and take a quick dip when you get too hot. There is a ladder into the water, so you can get in and out without too much trouble. If you want an umbrella or a little more space, you can upgrade to one of the private beaches in Portovenere.

People taking a dip in the spectacular waters of Byron’s Grotto.

Byron’s Grotto

This gorgeous cove is probably what you dream of when you think of the rugged coastline of Liguria. We didn’t dare climb down to test our rock jumping skills, but the view of the turquoise waters from high up was more than enough of a thrill.

Stroll down Via Capellini

The main thoroughfare through Portovenere, Via Capellini is lined with shops selling everything from affordable souvenirs to gourmet food shops offering jars of homemade pesto. Most of the restaurants here offer classic Ligurian cuisine at a decent price. Why is food cheaper on this street? The tables here don’t have the view like the ones right on the waterfront.

Affordable restaurants in Portovenere

Seafood is the main attraction here, but just be careful where you end up dining. Those waterfront patios sure are lovely, but that view will cost you. And high prices don’t always mean delicious food. There is a Conad Supermarket (via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 7) to pick up provisions, but it’s closed on Sundays, so make sure to plan ahead if you desire a Sunday afternoon picnic by the water.

We love a good nautical-themed restaurant and Antica Osteria del Carugio fits the bill!

Antica Osteria del Carugio
Via Capellini, 66

Attracting locals and tourists alike, Antica Osteria del Carugio is a classic spot to taste the local seafood specialties. A liter of house wine will set you back €8, while a heaping plate of pasta with fresh anchovy sauce is €9. The staff is full of characters, and there’s almost no way you’ll leave without a smile on your face or a good story to tell back home. This is old-world dining where the waiters take their time, so don’t come if you’re in any kind of rush. If you’re lucky, they might even pull out a saxophone and keyboards to play a few tunes as the night moves on. Yes, Antica Osteria is exactly that kind of place.

Portivene Un Mare di Sapori
Via Capellini, 94/98

Another local restaurant that we like is Portivene Un Mare di Sapori. It literally translates to “a sea of flavors”, and after a few bites, you’ll see that they chose the name. The prices are a little higher, but the quality more than makes up for it. The seafood is fantastic with the mussels and octopus as standouts. If you are just beginning your trek in Liguria, make sure to try the pasta with pesto. Check out their Facebook page for more info.

Boats line the waterfront in scenic Portovenere.

Have you been to Portovenere? Tell us what you did during your stay in the comments below.

The post Portovenere: An affordable seaside getaway in Italy appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

It has, in truth, been incredibly relaxing and perhaps there’s a lesson or two in here for Cheapos planning summer trips. We’ve not used a single plane on our spring tour of western and central Europe, sticking instead mainly to trains, with just the occasional journey by bus or boat thrown in for good measure.

Wander around Santa Margherita Ligure's harbor. Photo © hidden europe

Seduced by sunshine

But the secret of not merely surviving but actually enjoying such long trips has a lot to do with making the most of each overnight stay. Cast back to Palm Sunday early this month, and we experienced one of those glorious days that are just too good to be spent entirely on the move.

We left Florence shortly after midday, taking slow trains via Lucca through blossoming western Tuscany. We then tracked north up the coast, but by 3 p.m. realized that this sparkling spring Sunday was one made for lingering by the sea, so we alighted at Santa Margherita Ligure.

Santa Margherita Ligure

This is a gem of a small town, tucked into the coast of the Riviera di Levante. The previous stop on the train line up the Ligurian coast is Rapallo, which has been celebrated as the perfect Ligurian resort. Some might argue that Portofino, so very much smaller but often dreadfully overcrowded, has the edge.

A walk through town. Photo © hidden europe

While devotees of this stretch of coastline tussle over the competing merits of Rapallo and Portofino, we think the best option is Santa Margherita Ligure, which lies halfway between the two.

Exploring the area

Within 20 minutes of having alighted from the train, we had checked into the Hotel Laurin and were soaking up the Ligurian sunshine on a splendid private terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. “Life,” we thought, “doesn’t get much better than this.”

That Santa Margherita stopover was utterly memorable. We wandered around the yacht harbor, went over to Portofino by boat and returned on the local bus. We explored cliffs and coves, enjoyed a splendid dinner of local fish at Trattoria dei Pescatori and were quite sad when, just after lunch the following day, it was time to leave Santa Margherita Ligure and head north towards the Alps.

Twenty-two hours in Santa Margherita were enough to make us realize that we had stumbled upon somewhere special. We shall most certainly return.

Connections

Santa Margherita Ligure is served by direct Trenitalia InterCity trains from Genoa (35 mins), Milan (2hrs 15mins) and Pisa (2hrs). There are regular boat services linking Santa Margherita with both Rapallo and Portofino, both hops taking about 15 minutes.

Santa Margherita is also a good base for exploring the Cinque Terre coast. Local trains from Santa Margherita to the Cinque Terre villages take an hour. During the summer season there are also direct boat services from Santa Margherita Ligure to the Cinque Terre villages.

The hotel we chose at Santa Margherita, the Laurin, is a very comfortable family-run hotel on the waterfront an easy 15-minute walk from the railway station. Rooms are from €70. The Ciana family who run the Hotel Laurin are a long-established family of hoteliers. In 1897, Gaudenzio Ciana who ran a hotel in Novara moved to Santa Margherita Ligure and opened a hotel there. 115 years later, the Ciana family are still in this idyllic spot on the Ligurian coast and, as well as the Hotel Laurin, they also have a handful of other properties in and around Santa Margherita Ligure. The Hotel Laurin is marketed under the Best Western brand.

The post Ligurian Diversions: Santa Margherita Ligure appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.