Portovenere and Palmaria

Our ship (symphony of the seas) will be docking in La Spezia. We’re planning on taking the ferry to Portovenere and hanging out there. We were in Vernazza and Monterrosso two years ago on our port day and didn’t love it as much as we expected with SO many tourists filling the few streets. I’ve read that Portovenere is less crowded, so hoping we’ll love it.

I have a few questions:

1. When we get off the ship how do we get to where the ferry is? (Our cruise two years ago docked in Lavorno, so we took the ship excursion)

2. Any suggestions for Portovenere? Food, sights, etc.

3. Is it worth taking a boat over to Palmaria? I’m having trouble finding info about shorter hikes on the island. All I keep finding is the long hike that circles the island and it’s too long for our timeline.

Thanks so much!

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We caught the ferry to Portovenere and enjoyed our day there very much. If your ship docks (sometimes they tender in), there will be a free shuttle bus to get you out of the dock area. From there you walk along the waterfront to the ferry station where you buy your ticket. It isn’t far, maybe 5-10 minutes. Google the timetable.

We walked up to the castle which is a great viewpoint and wandered around the town. Had lunch at a waterfront restaurant.

We didn’t go over to Palmaria so cannot advise on that.

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Thanks so much! I’m happy to hear you had a good time [emoji16]. Is there a certain restaurant you’d recommend?

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Thanks so much! I’m happy to hear you had a good time [emoji16]. Is there a certain restaurant you’d recommend?

 

 

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Sorry, I don’t remember the name of the place where we had lunch. Just that it was near the water so had a nice view. I think we just looked at the menus and then chose. Only had some pasta and strawberries for dessert.

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Sorry, I don’t remember the name of the place where we had lunch. Just that it was near the water so had a nice view. I think we just looked at the menus and then chose. Only had some pasta and strawberries for dessert.

 

 

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Pasta and strawberries with a sea view - sounds good to me [emoji4]. I think we’ll stick to Portovenere like you and not try to pack in more.

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I also enjoyed the walk up to the Castello Doria on top of the hill. It had a few spots with steeper gradients so it was a good short hike option. As marylizcat said the view from the top was great.

There is also an interesting church......Saint Peter's Church which is not large but it is made out of the black and white stone which they have used to create horizontal stripes. The view from there is also nice....lots of steps.

Walking around the streets and stopping for food is a great way to round out the day.

I am actually stopping in Portovenere again this July but taking a private tour to see Vernazza and Monterrosso so will keep in mind the crowds there. I haven't been to either of those two towns yet.

Julie

I also enjoyed the walk up to the Castello Doria on top of the hill. It had a few spots with steeper gradients so it was a good short hike option. As marylizcat said the view from the top was great.

 

There is also an interesting church......Saint Peter's Church which is not large but it is made out of the black and white stone which they have used to create horizontal stripes. The view from there is also nice....lots of steps.

 

Walking around the streets and stopping for food is a great way to round out the day.

 

I am actually stopping in Portovenere again this July but taking a private tour to see Vernazza and Monterrosso so will keep in mind the crowds there. I haven't been to either of those two towns yet.

 

Julie

Thanks so much for your reply! Sounds great!

We liked Vernazza better than Monterrosso, because Monterrosso is bigger than the other four and felt more touristy. I’d personally prefer to go to a different village, we just didn’t have a choice because it was a ship excursion. But don’t get me wrong, it was nice! We enjoyed our time there. Just know that the minute the restaurants open - they’re packed! So it might be best to go knowing which restaurant you’d like to go to.

Vernazza was really lovely, but at a certain point there were hoards of people there. Since you’re on a private tour I really recommend you get there early to beat the crowds.

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from what i can see from google, it seems that there's a round trip ferry ticket to just portovenere for 12 euros...