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Portofino has 14 commercial berths in the harbour and no day-charter embarkation base of its own. The Portofino day-charter fleet is moored 3km west at Santa Margherita Ligure and 8km west at Rapallo, with roughly 60 licensed yachts above 14m operating across the two marinas in 2026. Peak July day rates run €3,800 for a 14m motor cruiser to €18,500 for a 28m motor yacht with chef. The Ligurian rate-per-meter is 15% to 25% below Cannes and Saint-Tropez, the fleet skews smaller, the routes are shorter, and the day is materially different from the French Riviera equivalents. This piece covers the two bases, the operators we shortlist, the Paraggi and San Fruttuoso route, the Cinque Terre transit reality, and the operators we pass on.
The companion piece is the Cinque Terre day charter, which covers the La Spezia and Portovenere operators for the actual Cinque Terre day. For the broader Italian Riviera context, see our Mediterranean dockage fees piece for Genoa, Portofino, and Cinque Terre marina rates.
The two bases
Santa Margherita Ligure. The reference Portofino-area embarkation. Roughly 40 licensed day-charter yachts above 14m, fleet skewing 16m to 24m motor yachts plus a small sailing inventory. Exit toward Portofino takes 8 to 12 minutes. Toward San Fruttuoso, 15 to 20 minutes. The marina is busy in July and August and embarkation slots are time-stamped. Plan for a 20 to 30 minute morning buffer.
Rapallo. The larger marina to the west, 8km from Portofino. Around 20 licensed day-charter yachts, fleet skewing 18m to 26m. Lower headline rates by 8% to 12% versus Santa Margherita. Longer transit to the Portofino promontory (20 to 25 minutes) but more options on the larger-yacht end. Useful for clients staying in the Rapallo or Zoagli hotels.
Genoa Marina (occasional repositioning base). Yachts above 28m generally cannot find day-charter slots at Santa Margherita or Rapallo and run instead out of Genoa Marina Molo Vecchio or Marina Genova on a reposition basis. Add 45 to 75 minutes of transit each way and a €600 to €1,500 repositioning surcharge.
Rate bands for 2026
Peak July and August, per day, in euros, private charter with captain, crew, fuel at standard cruising, basic provisions. Chef +€350 to +€650.
- 14m to 16m motor cruiser. Santa Margherita €3,800 to €5,500. Rapallo €3,500 to €5,000.
- 16m to 18m motor cruiser. Santa Margherita €5,500 to €7,800. Rapallo €5,000 to €7,000.
- 18m to 20m motor yacht. Santa Margherita €6,500 to €9,500. Rapallo €5,800 to €8,500.
- 20m to 22m motor yacht. Santa Margherita €8,500 to €11,500. Rapallo €7,800 to €10,500.
- 22m to 24m motor yacht. Santa Margherita €11,000 to €15,500. Rapallo €9,800 to €13,500.
- 24m to 28m motor yacht. Santa Margherita €13,500 to €18,500. Rapallo limited.
Sailing yachts of equivalent LOA run 20% to 30% below. The Ligurian sailing inventory is thin, mostly classic Bermudan sloops and a small number of modern Beneteau and Jeanneau day-charter sailing yachts.
Shoulder months (May, late September) run 25% to 35% below peak. The Settimana del Cinema window (early August around the Venice Film Festival logistics) inflates Portofino-area rates by 20% to 40% because of overflow from the Venice charter market. The Italian August (Ferragosto, mid-August) holds rates at peak but the marina logistics get worse.
Operators worth booking
Three operators we shortlist for the Portofino area.
Liguria Charter Santa Margherita. Mixed fleet 18m to 26m motor yachts, multi-year captains, professional booking team. The 22m motor yacht in their fleet (captain since 2018) is the right Santa Margherita call for a Paraggi-and-San-Fruttuoso day at €11,500 to €13,500 peak. Quotes break out fuel band, chef, and the Portofino tender drop if booked as part of the day. The right default operator if the Portofino lunch is the priority.
Portofino Coast. Smaller, more personal, the right operator for a discreet party. Fleet of 16m to 22m motor yachts, owner-operator on most. Lower headline rates than the larger operators. Useful for two-couple or family parties wanting a quieter day-charter experience. The captains know the smaller anchorages between Camogli and San Fruttuoso that the larger fleet does not work.
Yacht Tigullio Rapallo. Rapallo specialist. Fleet of 18m to 26m motor yachts. Service consistent, marina logistics simpler than Santa Margherita, faster contracting. The right call for clients in Rapallo and Zoagli or wanting larger LOA than Santa Margherita can hold. The 26m motor yacht is the Rapallo call at €15,500 to €18,500 peak.
Operators we pass on
We do not list:
- One Portofino-fronted concierge platform that markets day charters as departing from Portofino harbour. They do not have Portofino berthing rights. The yacht overnights in Santa Margherita and the client is shuttled there. The platform applies a 35% to 50% markup on the direct rate.
- A high-profile resort-affiliated operator that quotes a single "lifestyle" rate without breaking out fuel, chef, lunch booking, or the Portofino tender drop, and then adds 18% to 25% on confirmation with vague itemisation. We have benchmarked their quotes against three direct operators over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
- Two Instagram-marketed pop-up operators running unlicensed party-day formats with 14 to 18 guests on yachts certified for 12. The Guardia Costiera enforced against both in summer 2024. The client liability includes joint-and-several exposure for overcapacity, not just the operator.
We have also passed on listing the tender-and-RIB hire operators in Santa Margherita. That is a different product.
Routes worth running
The four Portofino-area day routes.
- Paraggi cove and San Fruttuoso lunch. The reference Portofino day. Santa Margherita to Paraggi (anchor for a swim), then west around the Portofino promontory to San Fruttuoso bay (anchor or moor at the buoy field, tender ashore for lunch at the Da Giorgio or the abbey-side trattoria). Return via the Portofino tender drop and a Senequier-equivalent at the Portofino piazzetta. Six to seven hours.
- Camogli and San Fruttuoso loop. West past Camogli, anchor at Punta Chiappa for a swim, lunch ashore at one of the Camogli waterfront trattorias, San Fruttuoso swim on the return. Six hours. Less crowded than the Paraggi day, more local Ligurian character.
- Portofino piazzetta tender-drop day. Lunch ashore at Ristorante Puny or Da U Batti in the Portofino piazzetta. The day is structured around the Portofino lunch booking rather than the swimming. Operators handle the tender drop at the small Portofino dock or at the Calata Marconi. Five to six hours. Works for clients who want the Portofino set-piece and are willing to compress the swimming.
- Cinque Terre transit day. West past Camogli, around Punta Manara, run 90 minutes to Vernazza or Monterosso. Anchor outside the National Park (the no-anchor zones are extensive) or moor at one of the reserved buoys. Lunch ashore at a Vernazza or Monterosso restaurant. Return via the same route. Nine to ten hours, much of it in transit, and a long day on the water. The honest read is that this is not a great day charter from Portofino. See the Cinque Terre day charter piece for why the right base is La Spezia.
The Paraggi anchorage reality
Paraggi cove is small. The buoy field installed and expanded since 2022 covers the eastern half of the cove for swimming and snorkelling visitors, and the western half is restricted under the Portofino Marine Protected Area regulation. Anchoring on the seagrass beds in the protected zone is fined €150 to €1,500 for yachts under 24m and €1,500 to €30,000 above 24m. Operators worth booking reserve a buoy through the MPA portal or anchor in the sand-bottom patches at the cove entrance. Operators not worth booking will say "we'll drop where we always drop". This is the same story as Pampelonne in a smaller, less-policed cove. The trend is toward more enforcement, not less.
The San Fruttuoso bay has its own MPA regulation. The mooring buoy field is mandatory in the inner bay. Reservations through the MPA portal, day rate €25 to €120 depending on yacht size. Larger yachts (above 24m) generally cannot work the inner bay and anchor in the outer bay or off Punta Chiappa.
The honest yacht-size recommendation
For a Portofino-area day with six to eight clients, the call is a 20m to 22m motor yacht with chef. Price band €8,500 to €11,500 peak from Santa Margherita. The 22m sweet spot is more pronounced here than at Cannes or Saint-Tropez because the Paraggi and San Fruttuoso anchorages are physically small, and a 28m flybridge has to anchor further out.
For four clients, an 18m to 20m at €6,500 to €8,500 is the right size. The Ligurian day-charter market is the only French or Italian Riviera market where a 16m to 18m motor cruiser still delivers a day for two couples without feeling cramped.
For 10 to 12 clients, step up to a 24m to 28m at €13,500 to €18,500. Above 28m the inventory is unreliable and the anchorages stop well.
Lunch ashore: the short list
The Portofino-area day usually puts lunch at one of these:
- Da Giorgio (San Fruttuoso). The reference San Fruttuoso lunch. Booking 14 to 30 days peak. Tender drop on the beach. Simple Ligurian food, the position is the point.
- Ristorante Puny (Portofino piazzetta). The reference Portofino lunch. Booking 30 to 90 days peak. Tender to the small Portofino dock, walk up to the piazzetta. The food is good rather than transcendent.
- Da U Batti (Portofino piazzetta). The alternative Portofino lunch. Specialises in seafood, smaller, books 30 to 60 days.
- Trattoria O Magazin (Camogli). For the Camogli route. Smaller, less scene, very good. Booking 7 to 21 days.
- Bagni Fiore (Paraggi). For the Paraggi-anchor day. Sea-front, smaller scene, books 14 to 30 days.
For the post-day program, the Splendido bar at the top of Portofino is the reference, then dinner in Portofino or back in Santa Margherita. See restaurantsforkings.com/portofino and barsforkings.com/portofino for the list.
Where to stay
The Belmond Splendido and the Splendido Mare in Portofino are the reference. Eight Hotel Portofino and the Hotel Piccolo are the smaller-scale options. The Imperiale Palace in Santa Margherita is the Santa Margherita choice. See hotelsforkings.com/portofino for the full list.
How to book
Book 60 to 90 days out for July and August, 30 to 60 days for shoulder, 6 to 9 months for the Ferragosto weekend. Confirm in writing: rate, embarkation marina, named captain, fuel band, chef inclusion, MPA buoy reservations, Portofino tender drop if planned, lunch booking responsibility. Verify the operator's commercial day-charter license with the Guardia Costiera or the Italian Capitaneria di Porto register.
For the wider Italian context, the Cinque Terre operators and the Positano and Amalfi operators cover the south. For the French Riviera comparison, the Cannes day-charter operators and the Nice day charter calibrate against the Ligurian price point.