Traveling from Geneva: Cinque Terre or Portofino?
 

Hi, I have 3 days to visit the Italian Riviera and was wondering if I should go to Portofino or Cinque Terre. I'm a photographer and need advice as to what area is best to go to considering what the easier travel route from Geneva is and which place would give me more photo opportunities.

Also, any suggestions as to getting from the Italian Riviera to Geneva by train is helpful! Thanks so much!

If you mean Geneva, Switzerland and not Genova, Italy, you should put up a separate thread tagged Switzerland.

There are so many photos of both le Cinque Terre and Portofino online, I recommend you look at them online and decide for yourself. if you want a hidden fisherman's cove or a view from cliffs to the sea. But remember if that your 3 days are in the summer, or include weekends, you will have a very hard time taking photographs of these picturesque places that are not filled with tourists (especially in Portofino). You will need to get up at dawn.

If you want to go to Portofino, you should stay in Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli so you can use the trains and buses and boats to visit other places. Portofino is isolated and extremely expensive.

Were I a photographer coming to the area and didn't want to take pictures of a lot of other tourists, I would consider visiting the highly photogenic seaside walk of Zoagli. It is easier to find accommodations in Rapallo (the town next door to Zoagli). If you are interested in views other than nature-and-sea, then the interior of the town of Chiavari (near Rapallo and Zoagli) is very atmospheric and colorful, and the city of Genova is filled with curiosities and atmosphere.

I should add that if you become intrigued to visit Genova, you need to be mindful walking through its oldest neighbors of your valuables, and you should especially avoid the train station area around Principe. If you are not used to urban travel in port cities, and if your camera equipment is very high end, then maybe it is wisest to stick to the seaside beauty spots or a small town like Chiavari, where you will not encounter anything to make you nervous. Genova is a maze of shadowy alleys with a fair amount of dodgy characters, even in daytime.

Hi Zeppole,

Thank you so much for your advice. I did mean Geneva, Switzerland and I didn't even think about tagging Switzerland too.

I love the pictures I see of Cinque Terre and Portofino looks quite similar, but I'm hesitant to go to Portofino because of the tourists and expensive accommodations. I think I will spend one night in either Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure and take the train/bus down to Portofino to visit and see what the hype is all about. Do you have a preference between Camogli and Santa Margherita Ligure? I just need a place that is easily accessible to get to and safe.

I prefer Camogli, partly because it is mainly without car traffic. Everyplace along the Riviera is safe. Rapallo is another town that is convenient and fun, but it is much busier.

To get to Portofino, you must either take two boats from Camogli, or take the train or bus to Santa Margherita Ligure, and from there you can either take a bus, or a boat, or you can even walk to Portofino.

Rapallo is another town that is convenient and fun, and you can take a boat from there to Portofino, or else a bus or train to Santa Margherita Ligure, and go from there. It is the biggest of the 3 towns, but if often has lots of accommodation, and it is closer to le Cinque Terre. It also has a cable car you can take into the mountains to the Sanctuary of Monteallegro. You can look it up on the web.