Benvenuti a Italia and I am so excited to tell y'all all about the amazing things y'all MUST see if you visit Portofino and your ultimate guide on what to do on your European summer vacation.
I just went to Italy over the Summer 2023 and there was so much to see, eat, and enjoy. Some must do and must see views; also visited Rome and made a whole travel guide all about the top things to do and see in Rome, check it out here.
Let's Plan Your European Summer Vacation!
Okay y'all so there is so much to do around the Italian Riviera Coast, so I'll be outlining here everything I did on my trip + other recommendations I have seen. I will be linking the places and websites directly as much as possible, though I definitely recommend going to different travel websites to check for the best prices.
How to Get There?
Okay so there actually aren't direct flights to Rapallo available (at least when I went in beginning of June) so we took a connecting flight from Orlando to Chicago then from Chicago to Rome then from Rome to Genoa. From there it was a twenty minute taxi ride from the Genoa airport to the hotel in Rapallo. Lots and lots of flights this trip lol! After the first part of our trip we then took a flight back to Rome to spend the last days of our trip (check out the Rome travel guide next).
One major thing I have to warn y'all about, if your flights aren't connecting and you end up missing one due to delays of your other flights, they will make you repay the entire round trip. We had to repay pretty much the flights from Rome to Genoa as with the delays that happened from Chicago we arrived late (wanted to mention was not our fault, the plane was delayed due to airline issues but no matter the reason, your flight will be seen as you missed it if it is an independent flight. The airline will not reimburse you.) We were at the Rome airport for I think 2-3 hours just trying to figure out how we could get on our original flight plus get our money back, so definitely get that insurance or plan flights with at least 3 hours in between as pretty much all flights now days are delayed.
Where to Eat
Where to eat is a very easy question to answer in Italy because everywhere the food is soooo good! Your go-to's: pasta and pizza. And of course for dessert: gelato and a cappuccino.
Portofino
We ate at da I Gemelli di Paolo & Matteo which was right by the dock and had such amazing food. I ate the pesto pasta and ya'll like I said before nothing compares to Italian pasta. Also tasted the most delicious dessert that had the best cream/gelato and berries called paciugo. Eating right by the dock was so beautiful and picturesque. Pretty much all the restaurants are lined right by the dock and all have amazing food to eat.
Rapallo (where we stayed)
We had breakfast at the hotel; the Excelsior Palace has a wonderful included breakfast buffet and balcony area that served 7 am from to 10:30 am (though balcony tables to go fast so getting there before 8:30 was key). My fave items to get were the fresh peaches (so sweet) and the cappuccinos (pretty much everywhere in Italy have to die for cappuccinos)!
For evening drinks, the hotel also has a sporting bar where they serve drinks with free accompanying snacks; if y'all go make sure to try the peach bellini!
Okay now for dinner, we typically went out around the town to look for a restaurant to try. The street called Lungomare Vittorio Veneto has so many cute restaurants back to back. We tried Taverna Azzurra, so yummy! The pasta carbonara was delicious, but the cappucino and gelato were even better. My mom ordered a green apple gelato and y'all I swear it was like you were taking a bite of an actual apple, no artificial flavors here.
Cinque Terre
We only had time to stop at one restaurant in Vernazza, though it is my dream to go back and try more from all five towns. We ate at Ristorante Luca right by the coast beachfront and it was soooo good! I ate the full fish with a lemon soda and I swear ya'll it was the best fish from the entire trip. Fresh, seasoned amazingly, and the vibes were amazing.
HUGE TIP: If you girls are from the States like I am, this is something you want to keep in mind. In Italy, you have to pay to use the bathrooms. Usually its 1 Euro per person per bathroom trip, so make sure you exchange Dollars to Euros. We made the mistake to forget to and it was a pain to find somewhere to exchange money. **
Tours / What to Do
Okay so I am going to separate Cinque Terre below since it is a whole itinerary of things to do there. Focusing on Portofino, Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure, and pretty much most of the coastline, there isn't much to do besides eat, boat, and drink. We took a tour to go yachting around the coastline from Rapallo all the way to Portofino. Got to see very famous houses along the way including the ex-prime minister and Dolce & Gabbana's house, we jumped into the ocean (which was so, so cold!), enjoyed the yacht with drinks, snacks, and sun, and stopped to have lunch at Portofino. Definitely recommend a boat tour if you can as the water is so blue and you really get to see the coastline from boat in a way you can't from trains or cars. On our free day, we pretty much just enjoyed the hotel as it has beautiful pool area and Rapallo also has some adorable beaches to relax on.
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre are five towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, that are along Liguria's coastline and have jaw-dropping views of the Mediterranean sea. Each town has its own specialties, shops, restaurants, views, and hikes. We got to visit Monterosso (first), Vernazza (second), and Manarola (third). I found Monterosso to be the most beautiful but they all have amazing prospects and are all a must see. And I am definitely going back to see the last two towns one day. You can travel the towns by train, hike, or boat; one thing to mention about the hiking, it is a HIKE. We we told pretty much by most websites that's it's a cutie little hike, no y'all this was harder than the Kauai hikes I did. Make sure to bring athletic gear, water, and good sneakers (my sis wore fashion sneakers and destroyed her feet). It was worth it because the views from the hike are incredible, from lemon trees to the bright blue ocean and cliff sides. There were so many uneven stairs throughout the hike, if you are traveling with elderly or people with disabilities, I recommend going by the ferry. If you do the full 8.6 mile hike, then I want to caution that you probably won't get to all five towns if you like to take your time exploring and eating at each. My fam took it slow and I actually preferred it that way as I actually got to know the towns I went to.
Top Places to Stay
Okay so as I mentioned, we stayed at Rapallo as it was a very nice area with great restaurants, had the train that traveled to Cinque Terre, and was where our yacht tour came out of. If you are looking to explore the coast and take the train as we did, then I definitely recommend Rapallo as the place to look at. As mentioned we stayed at the Excelsior Palace Portofino Coast which was a luxury stay and was absolutely incredible. Looking at some of the more affordable, yet still as amazing in reviews, options are the Best Western Plus Tigullio Royal Hotel and after would be the Europa Hotel Design SPA 1877.
What to Pack
Depending on your tours, you definitely want to pack swimsuits, coverups and sporty gear. Lots and lots of summer dresses for the day time exploring and evening dinners at the town. Comfy sandals are a staple as you will be doing lots of walking. Plus, sneakers for Cinque Terre if you go. All my Italy outfits are linked on LTK for y'all to shop. I'll also link here a travel outfit guide I made for a general Italian trip, which y'all can get inspo and even shop from.
Have an amazing trip lovelies! Ciao bella!!!