La Spezia Itineraries: Day Charters and Multi-Day Routes

The La Spezia cruising ground is compact and rich: the entire Cinque Terre coastline (Riomaggiore to Monterosso) stretches just 7 nautical miles, Portovenere is 10 nautical miles from La Spezia’s marina, and Portofino sits 29 nautical miles up the coast. The itineraries below are designed to be combined: the 3-day and 4-day routes cover different coastline and can be stitched together into a 7-day Ligurian Riviera charter without repeating a single stop. Every itinerary is fully customisable.

Day Charter Routes

Cinque Terre Village Hop

Depart La Spezia’s Porto Mirabello by 9 a.m. and cruise to the Cinque Terre (7 nautical miles, roughly 25 minutes). Start at Riomaggiore, the southernmost village, and take the tender into its tiny harbour. Climb the steep lanes past dark-stone tower houses for a morning espresso and views down the coast. Continue by yacht to Manarola – the most photographed of the five, its pastel houses balanced on a black-rock promontory. Tender ashore for a glass of Sciacchetrà at a clifftop enoteca. Cruise to Vernazza (the only village with a natural harbour) for lunch at a waterfront trattoria: trofie al pesto, fried anchovies, chilled Vermentino. After lunch, anchor off Monterosso for a swim at the Cinque Terre’s only sandy beach. Return to La Spezia in the late afternoon with Corniglia’s terraced cliffs glowing in the golden light off the starboard side.

Portovenere and Palmaria Island

Cruise from La Spezia to Portovenere (10 nautical miles, 30 minutes). Dock at the harbour and walk the colourful waterfront to the church of San Pietro, perched on the rocks at the headland’s tip – the Romanesque façade against the open sea is one of the Riviera’s iconic images. Visit Byron’s Grotto at the base of the cliff, then take the tender 5 minutes to Palmaria Island for a morning hike and a swim in one of the sheltered coves. Lunch on the aft deck in the calm water between Palmaria and Portovenere. Afternoon exploring the harbour town: narrow lanes, local ceramics, a plate of fresh anchovies and a limoncino at a café table. Return to La Spezia as the sunset lights up the gulf.

Portofino Day Trip

Depart La Spezia and cruise north-west along the Riviera di Levante to Portofino (29 nautical miles, roughly 1.5 hours). Pass Levanto and the dramatic headlands between the Cinque Terre and the Tigullio Gulf. Anchor off Portofino’s tiny harbour and take the tender ashore. Explore the piazzetta (painted façades, café tables, superyachts in the harbour), walk to the hilltop church of San Giorgio for coastal panoramas, and visit the marine reserve at Punta del Capo for a snorkel over rocky reef. Lunch at a waterfront restaurant: fresh pesto trofie, grilled catch of the day, a glass of Pigato. Cruise back to La Spezia in the late afternoon, stopping off Santa Margherita Ligure for a final swim in its sheltered bay.

3-Day La Spezia Yacht Charter Itinerary: Cinque Terre and Portovenere

Day 1: La Spezia to Portovenere and Palmaria

Board your yacht at Porto Mirabello by mid-morning. After a welcome briefing and a champagne toast on the flybridge, cruise south to Portovenere (10 nautical miles, 30 minutes). The approach from the sea is spectacular: the fortified waterfront, the striped church of San Pietro on its rocky headland, and the Gulf of Poets spreading out behind you. Dock and explore the old town: the narrow Calata Doria waterfront, the 12th-century fortress (Castello Doria) above, and Byron’s Grotto at the cliff base. After lunch on the aft deck, take the tender to Palmaria Island (5 minutes) for a hike along the nature trail and a swim in a hidden cove. Return to Portovenere for dinner at a harbourside restaurant: fritto misto, stuffed mussels (muscoli ripieni, a Spezia speciality), and a bottle of Colli di Luni Vermentino.

Day 2: Cinque Terre

Depart early and cruise east along the coast to the Cinque Terre (7 nautical miles from Portovenere to Riomaggiore). Spend the full day exploring the UNESCO-listed villages by tender. Morning at Riomaggiore and Manarola (climb the lanes, taste the wines, absorb the views). Lunch at Vernazza – the most atmospheric of the five, with its medieval watchtower, natural harbour and waterfront restaurants serving the freshest trofie al pesto on the coast. After lunch, anchor off Monterosso for a swim at the sandy beach and a visit to taste Monterosso’s famous salt-cured anchovies. Return to La Spezia in the late afternoon. Your chef prepares dinner on the aft deck: focaccia, pansotti (ravioli stuffed with local herbs, served in walnut sauce), grilled branzino, and a glass of Sciacchetrà – the Cinque Terre’s rare, sweet passito wine, made in tiny quantities from grapes dried on the terraces.

Day 3: Lerici, the Gulf of Poets and Return

Explore the eastern side of the Gulf of La Spezia. Cruise to Lerici (8 nautical miles from La Spezia), a handsome harbour town with a 12th-century castle guarding the bay entrance. This is Shelley country: the poet lived at nearby Casa Magni in San Terenzo before his fatal boat trip in 1822. Take the tender into Lerici’s sheltered harbour, explore the castle and the old town, and swim in the calm, clear water of the bay. Cruise along the gulf’s eastern shore, passing San Terenzo and Fiascherino (a pair of tiny coves between pine-covered headlands), for a morning of quiet swimming and snorkelling. Your chef prepares a farewell gourmet lunch on the aft deck: Ligurian minestrone, fresh pasta with clams, torta di riso (Spezia’s traditional rice cake), and a final glass of Vermentino. Return to Porto Mirabello by mid-afternoon. Guests looking for a longer voyage can combine this 3-day route with the 4-day Portofino itinerary for a comprehensive 7-day Ligurian Riviera charter.

4-Day La Spezia Yacht Charter Itinerary: Portofino, Santa Margherita and the Riviera

Day 1: La Spezia to Levanto

Board at Porto Mirabello and cruise north-west to Levanto (roughly 15 nautical miles, 45 minutes). Levanto is the Cinque Terre’s quieter northern gateway: a beach town with good anchorage, a sandy beach, and restaurants that serve excellent Ligurian food without the Cinque Terre premium. Anchor for a morning swim, take the tender ashore for a stroll and an early lunch, then cruise the short distance to Monterosso (4 nautical miles) for an afternoon on the only sandy beach in the Cinque Terre. Return to Levanto for the night, or anchor off Monterosso if conditions are calm.

Day 2: Riviera Coastline to Portofino

Cruise from Levanto north-west along the dramatic Riviera di Levante – pine-covered headlands, hidden coves, medieval watchtowers on every promontory. Pass Bonassola (a quiet bay with a sandy beach) and Sestri Levante (the town on a peninsula between two bays – the ‘Bay of Silence’ and the ‘Bay of Fables’, the latter named for Hans Christian Andersen who stayed here in 1833). Continue to Portofino (29 nautical miles from La Spezia, or roughly 15 from Levanto). Anchor in the harbour and take the tender ashore. Explore the legendary piazzetta: the painted façades in orange, ochre and terracotta, the boutiques, and the café tables where you can sit and watch the superyachts come and go. Walk to the church of San Giorgio and the hilltop Castello Brown for panoramic views along the coast. Dinner at one of Portofino’s waterfront restaurants – fresh pesto, grilled catch of the day, limoncino to finish.

Day 3: Portofino Marine Reserve and Santa Margherita Ligure

Morning at Portofino’s marine reserve at Punta del Capo – take the tender to the southern side of the headland and snorkel over rocky reef in protected waters teeming with sea bream, octopus and colourful wrasse. The water clarity in the reserve is exceptional. After a swim, cruise the short distance to Santa Margherita Ligure (3 nautical miles) – a larger, more relaxed Riviera town with a wide harbour, palm-lined promenade and excellent trattorie. Lunch ashore at one of the waterfront restaurants, then explore the town’s pastel streets and Baroque churches. In the afternoon, cruise to Paraggi Bay (between Santa Margherita and Portofino) – a tiny, sheltered cove with emerald water and a narrow sandy beach, one of the most exclusive swimming spots on the Riviera. Anchor for the night in Paraggi or Santa Margherita’s harbour.

Day 4: Return Along the Coast to La Spezia

Depart Santa Margherita Ligure and cruise south-east back towards La Spezia, taking a different route and stopping at highlights missed on the way up. Anchor off Bonassola for a morning swim in its quiet bay, then cruise past the full Cinque Terre coastline – all five villages visible in sequence from the water, their terraced vineyards and colourful houses stacked against the green hillside. Stop at Vernazza for a final tender ride ashore and a plate of fresh fried anchovies at a harbourside trattoria. Your chef prepares a farewell lunch on the aft deck as you cruise back to La Spezia – focaccia, Ligurian farinata (chickpea pancake), fresh pasta with pesto, and a Cinque Terre white. Arrive at Porto Mirabello by mid-afternoon. Guests looking for a full week can combine this 4-day route with the 3-day Portovenere and Cinque Terre itinerary for a comprehensive 7-day Ligurian Riviera charter covering Portofino, Santa Margherita, the Cinque Terre, Portovenere and the Gulf of Poets – without repeating a single stop.