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The Ligurian Coast is the western Italian Riviera, and the 40 to 50m bracket sits at the operational ceiling for a route that combines Portofino as the visible centrepiece with the Cinque Terre as the half-day program. A 40 to 50m motor yacht the Ligurian Coast in 2026 high season runs $230,000 to $370,000 per week plus 25 to 30 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and carries 9 to 13 crew. The active 40 to 50m fleet on the Ligurian Coast during August is estimated at 18 to 28 yachts per night, distributed across the Portofino roads anchorage, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, and the deeper-water marinas at Genova Marina di Sestri Ponente and Imperia.
Why the bracket fits the Ligurian Coast specifically
Portofino is the route's commercial purpose. The harbour does not hold 40m and above (the inner basin takes 30m and below at the mole, with a small handful of 30 to 35m slots on the southern wall). The bracket lives at anchor in Portofino roads (off the lighthouse and off Paraggi), with the dinner-tender to the Calata Marconi dinghy dock for the evening at Da Puny or DV Restaurant. The route is short: Portofino to the Cinque Terre is 16 to 22 miles, Portofino to Genova is 16 miles, Portofino to Imperia is 50 miles. The bracket runs as a Portofino-base week with day-runs south to the Cinque Terre and west to the Riviera dei Fiori (Imperia, Sanremo).
The Portofino roads anchorage is the route's binding constraint. The roads take 10 to 18 yachts in the bracket on a peak August night, and the sand-and-rock bottom holds well in normal weather. The bracket needs at-rest stabilizers because the roads are exposed to a southwest swell that builds in the late afternoon. Santa Margherita Ligure is the alternative overnight base (the marina takes 40m and below at the outer mole, with a small number of 40 to 45m slots), and is the realistic fallback when the Portofino roads anchorage fills.
The Cinque Terre is the route's half-day program. The bracket does not enter the Cinque Terre harbours (none of them hold this LOA). The booking anchors off Vernazza or off Monterosso, runs the morning swimming and the lunch program, and returns to Portofino or Santa Margherita for the evening.
Weekly rate map for 2026
Rates below are high season (mid-July to late August) for 2026, before APA at 25 to 30 percent and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $230K to $285K per week | $190K to $245K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $275K to $335K per week | $225K to $290K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $315K to $370K per week | $260K to $325K per week |
Ligurian Coast rates sit roughly 4 to 8 percent below Cote d'Azur and 2 to 5 percent below Costa Smeralda at the same LOA. Shoulder weeks in early June and late September drop 22 to 30 percent off high-season floor. For wider context see Mediterranean charter weekly rates.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. 5 to 6-cabin layouts dominate. The Ligurian client mix is older and more European than Ibiza or Saint-Tropez, with a heavier family-and-multigeneration share, so the 6-cabin convertible layout is more common at the upper bracket.
Crew. 9 to 13. The Portofino dinner-tender programme is the operational load and the deck-and-tender crew weight is the rate-limiting factor.
Tenders. A primary 8 to 9m tender plus a 6 to 7m secondary. The Calata Marconi dinghy dock at Portofino is the dinner pick-up and a 9m tender is the upper-limit size for a smooth dock approach. The Cinque Terre tender programme uses the secondary tender for the morning swim platform off Vernazza.
Stabilizers. At-rest stabilizers matter for Portofino roads and for the Cinque Terre anchorages. The afternoon onshore breeze builds chop on the Portofino roads anchorage after 3pm and the bracket without at-rest stabilizers reads as uncomfortable from the transom by 5pm.
Beach club. Standard and used heavily off Paraggi and at the Cinque Terre lunch stops.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The classic Portofino-Cinque Terre week. Embark Genova Marina di Sestri Ponente, two nights Portofino roads, day-runs south to Camogli and the Cinque Terre, one night anchored off Vernazza, return Portofino for two nights, disembark Genova. Seven nights. The bracket is the operational sweet spot.
The Liguria plus Cote d'Azur run. Embark Imperia or Sanremo, two nights Portofino, transit west to Monaco for two nights, Cap-Ferrat for one night, Cannes for two nights, disembark Cannes. Seven to ten nights. The bracket runs the route comfortably.
The Tuscan Archipelago extension. Embark Genova, three nights Portofino-Cinque Terre, southbound to Portoferraio (Elba) and the Tuscan Archipelago, disembark Olbia (Sardinia) one-way or back to Genova. Ten to fourteen nights. The bracket handles the night-passage south.
For destination context see Charter Ligurian Coast, Charter Cote d'Azur, and Day charter Portofino.
What the bracket does not do well on the Ligurian Coast
Portofino inner harbour. The bracket does not enter the inner harbour. Charter clients who expect a quay-side step-off at the Piazzetta are buying a different product. Plan the dinner-tender to Calata Marconi from the roads anchorage or from the Santa Margherita berth.
Cinque Terre swing. The Cinque Terre anchorages (Vernazza, Monterosso roads) are exposed to a swell that builds quickly in afternoon weather. The bracket reads as a 4 to 6-hour daytime anchorage, not an overnight option, and the route shape should plan accordingly.
Genova traffic and air. The Genova approach runs through commercial shipping density and the harbour air quality at the Marina di Sestri Ponente berth is meaningfully worse than the Portofino anchorage. The embarkation slot at Genova is fine for the morning departure, less attractive as an overnight base.
Two we would book
For two couples, seven days in mid-June, Portofino and the Cinque Terre: a 43m motor yacht with 5 cabins and at-rest stabilizers, embarkation Genova Marina di Sestri Ponente. Budget $265K plus APA, all-in roughly $360K. Booking lead time: 5 to 8 months.
For a family of 10, ten days in early August, Portofino-base with Cinque Terre and Riviera dei Fiori day-runs: a 46m motor yacht with 6 cabins, at-rest stabilizers, twin tenders, embarkation Genova. Budget $330K plus APA, all-in roughly $455K. Booking lead time: 9 to 12 months.
For a group of 12, fourteen days in late July, Liguria plus Cote d'Azur run: a 49m motor yacht with 6 cabins, embarkation Imperia, disembark Cannes one-way. Budget $445K plus APA, all-in roughly $610K. Booking lead time: 10 to 14 months.
Build year, refit, condition
The Ligurian Coast is an anchorage-and-dinner-tender route at this bracket, which makes the at-rest stabilizer spec and the tender programme the most important booking variables. A 2017 to 2024 build with at-rest stabilizers, or a pre-2017 build with a 2022 or later refit that included the stabilizer retrofit, is the realistic ask. We would pass on any yacht without at-rest stabilizers, on any yacht whose Santa Margherita slot is not confirmed as a backup for the Portofino roads anchorage at the August peak, and on any yacht arriving from a hard Caribbean season without a Mediterranean shipyard refit.