Staying in Camogli to visit Portofino?
 

We are planning to drive and stay in Camogli at the end of October to show Portofino to our friends. The last time we went to Portofino we had to drive at 7 am to get parking and avoid traffic jam so we prefer not to drive into Portofino this time.
Is there any ferry service to Portofino or do we need to charter a small boat in Camogli?Ideally we would like to take a ferry boat to Portofino and return by train to Camogli if there is a train service. Anyone knows an info link for the above or maybe an approximate idea how much it would cost to charter a motorboat in Camogli for half a day (4 -5 hours)?

There is water transport but not sure about its availability or reliability at the end of October. We went by boat (about 30 people on the boat) in warmish September weather and it got pretty steamy in the boat. Uncomfortable and a bit smelly. We have not chartered a boat in Camogli but did so in Capri for about 600 euros for a half day.

By the end of October the parking problem you experienced previously might not be so bad. Check with your hotel. Good luck.

The boat services from Camogli are run by this firm:
www.golfoparadiso.it
There is no railway to Portofino, but trains go from Camogli to Santa Margherita, from where there are buses to Portofino.

There is no train service from Portofino.


Ferries:

http://www.traghettiportofino.it/eng/linee.html

You can ferry if the water is calm enough and the boats are running. Otherwise, train to Santa Margherita and from there bus, ferry or even walk (long but flat beautiful route) to Portofino.

Thanks for all the good info. It seems that Camogli may be doable but not exactly the ideal place for visiting Portofino. It's hard to find a luxury hotel in the Portofino area for under 350 euro/room/night in late October. Any idea anyone? We're open to any nearby comfortable town.

todor, don't sell your plan short: Camogli is a fine place to hit Portofino for the day.

Santa Margherita Ligure is another good option. We tooka ferry to Portofino from there one time, another time we drove and it was a hassle.

krgystn: That's really encouraging to hear, because we already have a nice waterfront hotel booked there.
I couldn't find a true 4-5 star hotel in SML with available rooms for Oct 28 & 29 plus SML seemed rather blah when we drove through, although driving though may not be the best way to judge a town, I may have gotten the wrong impression.

Todor, if you're at the Cennobia dei Doge in Camogli, you'll be fine.

Thanks Julie, glad to hear your reassurance. I imagine they have parking at the hotel.

Yes, they have parking and there is no charge for hotel guests.

You can take the train to SML (only about 7 minutes) then bus on to Portofino(10 minutes). It's not a problem at all.