Tour of Genoa and Day Trip to Portofino from Genoa
Description
Discover Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, a city with a glorious past. Spend your morning in is one of the most charming cities in Northern Italy. Also visit Portofino, the pearl of the Ligurian sea, and see its crystalline green waters.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The biggest medieval town in Europe, Genoa maintains the charm of the ancient maritime republic. The Ancient Harbor renovated in 1992 by the architect Renzo Piano and the labyrinth of narrow alleyways in the old town are just two of the many attractions of this city. A professional guide will show you the heart of the city on an inspiring walking tour.
Free time for lunch and to explore the colorful village of Santa Margherita Ligure on the Tigullio gulf, nicknamed the Dolphins Gulf due to the large school of dolphins that are often spotted there. Here you take the boat for a mini-cruise to the charming fishing village of Portofino.
Free time to expolore Portofino, the half-moon shaped sea side village, whose beauty has been narrated across the millennia by writers and poets such as Guy de Maupassant. The journey ends with the return by boat to Santa Margherita, where your coach will be waiting to take you back to Milan.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Times subjected to organization and/or traffic problem.
Reviews(44)
I thought the two hour tour of the old city of Genoa was way too brief. I expected more time providing the history of the sites we were shown. The tour was ”I’ve shown you where a few key places to see”. You now have an hour and a half to tour on your own. The rest of the tour to Portofino was fine. It is unfortunate Mother Nature didn’t cooperate with the plan to take a boat ride back to Genoa. A train ride was provided instead. The only real pet peeve I have is with the communication leading up to the tour. Prior to the day of the tour, all communications were via email and a specific meeting place was specified. When I contacted the office to confirm I was at the right location (since no one else was also waiting), I was told a message was sent the day before using WhatsApp. Unfortunately, there was never any mention to use WhatsApp so how was I to know of the change in the meeting location. This needs to be clearly stated on the Viatour website or on the emails sent to customers.
Dear guest, thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We sincerely apologize for the communication issues you experienced before the tour. You are absolutely right that important information such as changes to the meeting point should be clearly communicated via email and not assumed to be known through WhatsApp alone. We take your point seriously and will work to improve our pre-tour communication process. We are also sorry that the boat ride to Portofino was not possible due to rough seas that day, as this is unfortunately beyond our control. We appreciate your understanding and are glad the tour to Portofino itself was enjoyable. Your feedback helps us improve and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again.Dear guest, thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We sincerely apologize for the communication issues you experienced before the tour. You are absolutely right that important information such as changes to the meeting point should be clearly communicated via email and not assumed to be known through WhatsApp alone. We take your point seriously and will work to improve our pre-tour communication process. We are also sorry that the boat ride to Portofino was not possible due to rough seas that day, as this is unfortunately beyond our control. We appreciate your understanding and are glad the tour to Portofino itself was enjoyable. Your feedback helps us improve and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again.
Excellent excursion. Well informed guides and extremely organised. We had a fantastic day and Portofino was everything and more.
Beautiful views, boat ride was calm and relaxed. Especially enjoyed the Genova city tour with our guide!
Great full day tour. Would of been a little better to have more time in Portofino as we were only there for a short time. Rapallo was a beautiful town to visit.
The 2 hour Genoa tour was great- the tour guide was warm and funny, and not boring. The experience was marred by the boat company cancelling the last leg home due to high seas. Nobody’s fault, and on the bright side we were offered a refund if we decided against going to Portofino knowing this. Well the whole point was a day outside of Genoa, so we decided to do it and take the public bus and then train back to Genoa. #worth it
Our tour was cancelled by the operator for "organizational reasons!" We had to,scramble for an alternative as we were already in Italy!
Stay the helm away from this company. This tour started in the city centre of Genoa instructions to get to the pick up point was very confusing when we arrived at the destination. The tour guide was off somewhere else and was never had a location that she was supposed to be.. we then got on the bus and went into Genoa. I had a walking stick and this woman pretty much ran to every destination without any regard for anybody else that was behind her for example able bodied customers had stated that they were unable to keep up with her and that this was the most confusing tour that they had ever been on. In the end as I was at risk of falling and injuring myself so I pulled out of the tour and headed back to the marina.. this tour guide had no idea what she was doing and her English was not the greatest either. Do not waste your money on this company..
There was a bit of a change to what we expected. We were combined with a large tour group from Milan. We had a short coach tour of the city, followed by a walking tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable but the mini headsets weren't working so she used a mic and speaker. We then recorded the coach and went to Santa Margherita where there was time for lunch before the boat ride to Portofino. There were a few delays with pickups etc. it meant that we only had an hour there, which is very beautiful. The Milan coach people were heading back to S. Margherita and the coach back to Milan. We jumped on a boat for a trip back to Genoa by sea, which was great.
A lovey walking, bus and boat tour. A very long and full day. Knowledgeable tour guides. Some busy places especially Portofino. Enjoyed the two boat trips at the end of the tour after a long day. The weather was lovely.
I had high expectations for this tour and was really looking forward to it, but unfortunately, it was canceled just three days before the scheduled date. I received very little notice and no real explanation for the cancellation, which left me scrambling to rearrange my plans on short notice. Would not recommend booking with this company if you’re looking for a stress-free and dependable experience.
