Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary – Full Tutorial
✅ Before starting with Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary, here are some really interesting links about Tigullio. Take a look! 😉
- Tigullio’s treasures you cannot miss: The Christ of the Abyss
- San Michele di Pagana: what to see?
- Tigullio: 5 Things you can’t miss!
- 5 things to see in Santa Margherita Ligure!
- Tigullio: 10 (and more) reason for a Winter visit
- Tigullio: 5 curious things you need to know!
- Love in Portofino: the very original song
Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary: everything you absolutely must see!
Not just the sea, beaches and famous trendy clubs: in Tigullio there is a lot to do and many things to see!
A trip to the Gulf of Tigullio to be done properly would require at least 3 days, thus having the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful towns calmly.
In just two days, you certainly need to make a quicker visit to each town to see as much as possible.
Don’t worry, you will be entranced by the beauty of this famous part of Liguria, and discover some truly fantastic corners that will certainly leave you speechless!
Take advantage of every opportunity to discover some alleys, see wonderful views and corners .. possibly enjoying a nice slerfa (slerfa = slice/piece in Ligurian dialect) of the famous Genoese Focaccia.
Not only wonderful places: in the Gulf of Tigullio you can eat DIVINE!
Take also a look at: Tigullio: 5 Things you can’t miss!
Before starting, some really useful tips for your trip to the Gulf of Tigullio!
Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary. In the main summer months (July and August) – and on weekends from May to mid-October,do not use the car to reach and move around Tigullio.
✔ You can use all public transport available to travel between cities: train, bus (the best) and boat.
The boat itself is a truly unique experience – and at a good cost – which we absolutely recommend. For example, arriving in Portofino by boat is one of those things to do at least once in life.
✔ Reverse speech for the autumn/winter months.
Besides being a good time to visit Tigullio – in peace and without the “summer rush” – you can move easily with your car, enjoying all the towns
✔ Just on the border of Tigullio, shortly after Sestri Levante, Moneglia is absolutely worth a visit, a real little gem.
Unfortunately, however, in 2 days it is impossible to be able to visit the whole Tigullio and continue even a few km. towards Moneglia, Levanto and Framura.
We advise you, if you can, to dedicate at least one day to these magnificent villages by the sea, between the Tigullio and the Cinque Terre.
Take also a look at: How to arrive in the Cinque Terre by boat/ferry
How we divide the Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary
The best thing to see as much as possible in the Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary is to divide the 7 towns of Tigullio – Portofino, S. Margherita, Rapallo, Zoagli, Chiavari, Lavagna and Sestri Levante – into two tranches: one for 4 and one for 3 .
For their closeness and ease of travel, we suggest seeing together in one day Chiavari, Lavagna and “Sestri” – and the other day Portofino, “Santa”, Rapallo and Zoagli.
Another suggestion – in our opinion very important – is to see Sestri Levante in the evening, truly magical and spectacular in all seasons (photo 👆 above)
Almost similar speech for Portofino, which in the evening is truly unique in the world.
In summer, we advise you to visit it as the last stop of the day
In winter, it is perhaps better to put it as the first stop in the morning and leave Rapallo for the evening instead.
This is because Portofino out of season, while keeping its charm intact, has many closed shops and restaurants. In winter the Borgo… rests!
In Rapallo, even out of season, you will certainly find more “life” and all the bars open.
Take also a look at: Tigullio: 10 (and more) reason for a Winter visit
Tigullio Gulf 2 days itinerary – DAY 1: we start from Chiavari!
We start the 1st day from Chiavari, the magnificent “capital of Tigullio”, which we suggest to visit in the morning.
👉 Chiavari, with its splendid alleys and arcades of the historic center, its splendid boutiques and historic shops, is the nerve center and economic center of Tigullio.
After a good coffee in one of the many bars, you cannot miss a ride in Carruggio Dritto (via Martiri della Liberazione), the main street of the city.
Here, be sure to photograph Piazza Mazzini and its daily fruit and vegetable market.
Take also a look at: Everything you must see in Chiavari
Having visited the historic center of Chiavari, do not miss Villa Rocca and its splendid park and then continue on foot towards the sea.
Chiavari is large, but easy to post. Take any alley or alley towards the sea, cross (there are many underpasses) the railway tracks and you will be on the seafront in an instant.
Always teeming with people, with the sun staying late, the port, the beaches and the many bars you will love. Also not to be missed is the area around the Colonia Fara, in the “west direction
We recommend having lunch in Chiavari (you are spoiled for choice) and spending the early afternoon in Lavagna.
And the best part is that .. you can also do it on foot!
Take also a look at: Tigullio top 5 most instagrammable places
We then move on to Lavagna, the “hidden” beauty
Lavagna is in fact separated from Chiavari by the Entella River – even mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy: you can cross the bridges (photo 👇 below) that connect the two towns on foot, enjoying the naturalistic spectacle of the long river.
We reveal a secret. Read well!
Lavagna is often – and very wrongly – snubbed, perhaps the right word is “underestimated” by the many tourists of the Riviera.
Take also a look at: Lavagna what to see e what to do?
Do you think that many frequenters of Liguria and Tigullio for a long time, claim that they do not know it and that they have never even been there. Incredible but true.
Yet, believe us, Lavagna has the most beautiful square in Liguria in the historic center: we are talking about Piazza Marconi (photo 👆 above) and the magnificent Basilica of Santo Stefano (photo 👇 below) dominating it from above.
It is impossible to describe in words the sensations you will experience when visiting this place.
We guarantee that you will be speechless and think: but how the hell is it possible that there is such a beautiful square here? And why didn’t I know anything about it?
Do not forget also a walk along the seafront, beyond the railway, which overlooks the beaches below.
Now you have to take the car – or public transport – to move a handful of kilometers towards Sestri Levante.
Take also a look at: How to reach San Fruttuoso by ferry?
Evening in “Sestri” – Because Sestri Levante is unique!
If you have never seen Sestri Levante, once again … you will be thrilled by such beauty!
Sestri Levante is truly amazing, a bijou. In Sestri Levante you can not find faults because it is .. really too beautiful. And the inhabitants also confirm it.
We know: we have repeated too many times that “it’s too good” – but it’s the plain truth
With its two bays, the very famous Baia del Silenzio and the “television” Baia delle Favole, the seaside area of “Sestri” is truly a masterpiece of nature.
We suggest: aperitif in one of the seaside cafes, walk in the historic center, among the narrow alleys and the splendid shop windows.
Dinner in one of the many typical bistros and, after a walk along the Baia delle Favole, enjoy the Bay of Silence for the last, with the colors of the night.
Sit on the beach, breathe and don’t miss a second of this grace.
Take also a look at: Sestri Levante: what to see?
Gulf of Tigullio in 2 days – DAY 2
As we said at the beginning, on day 2 we grouped 4 places to visit.
We know that there are many, especially considering the fact that among them there is Portofino and there is also Rapallo (which, like Chiavari, is the largest town among them).
Unfortunately there are only two days: so you have to make choices and now we explain what we mean.
👉 Portofino is a small world unto itself, which cannot be visited hastily in a scarce hour. You have to get into its atmosphere well, to understand it and fully enjoy it.
Take also a look at: what to see in the marvelous Portofino
If you have never seen Portofino and therefore decide to “give priority” to the most beautiful village in the world, at least half a day here is necessary.
In this case, we advise you to do things calmly and maybe take a boat (they leave from all the locations in Tigullio – excluding Zoagli) to reach the “Borgo” by sea.
Here you cannot miss a long stop in the Piazzetta. If you have more time, we recommend a visit to the church of San Giorgio, Castello Brown and to continue to the lighthouse.
Take also a look at: how to arrive at the Portofino Lighthouse – Complete trail
Midday we go … to “Santa”!
👉 Santa Margherita has been considered and called the Pearl of Tigullio since the 1950s.
We said before that Sestri Levante is beautiful: well, “Santa” is beautiful in the same ranking.
However, they have two different conformations and characteristics, so they cannot be compared.
The promenade of “Santa” with the facades of the houses decorated in classic Genoese style is something unique and known all over the world.
We recommend having lunch in one of the many bars in the town, both on the seafront and in the historic center (just behind) and then to pay a visit to Villa Durazzo.
Take also a look at: 5 things to see absolutely in Santa Margherita Ligure
Villa Durazzo, located just above the city, with its incredible garden and its view over the port is one of the unmissable stops in Tigullio.
It can be reached on foot, with a very short walk (5 minutes) from the city center.
There are many things to see in Santa (you can find them all here): among these we recommend you to visit the cathedral of N.S della Rosa and the district of Corte.
Let’s not forget Paraggi: located between Portofino and “Santa”, it is a bay with emerald green water, a popular destination in summer for beach-loving vacationers.
Paraggi is probably the most famous locality in Tigullio for its naturalistic beauty and its sea.
Take also a look at: Portofino and Paraggi beach, where to swim
From Santa we pass to Zoagli, skipping (for the moment) Rapallo
Since we have decided to spend the evening in Rapallo, not wanting to leave out any of the 7 locations in Tigullio, we suggest you first visit Zoagli.
(we repeat: 2 days to see the whole Gulf of Tigullio are very few)
Then, from Santa Margherita we go to Rapallo – but at the moment we DO NOT stop – and we continue further on the Aurelia, towards Zoagli.
Zoagli is a small, colorful and wonderful village (in size it is similar to Portofino), located just below the Aurelia road, which surrounds it from above.
In summer, Zoagli is the destination of many vacationers, who especially love its splendid beaches and the always clean sea.
Let me be clear: in summer, do not try to reach Zoagli by car because you cannot find a parking space. Always opt for a train or a bus (boats do not arrive in Zoagli)
However, out of season there is no problem and you can calmly enjoy this splendid gem.
Walk along the Canevaro seafront – bordered by the two Saracen Towers – and, if the day is nice, stop and take a few minutes of sun on the beach or on the rocks.
Take also a look at: 4 things to see absolutely in Zoagli
Let’s go back to Rapallo and enjoy the evening!
As we said before, we chose to spend the evening in Rapallo. We know, we make you go back and forth, but for a good reason.
In Rapallo you will find a great variety of ice cream parlors, bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants that are also open out of season.
Rapallo is – together with Chiavari – the largest city in Tigullio: there is so much to see and do.
One can only begin with the famous promenade, which extends from the tourist port to the sixteenth-century castle, the unmistakable symbol of the city (photo 👇 below).
Here the photos are absolutely a must.
On the walk, be sure to stop and admire the Music Kiosk and the Porta delle Saline.
You can also continue on foot beyond the Castle, arriving in the area of the bathing establishments.
First reaching the splendid Villa Porticciolo and then, climbing above, up to the Casale Park and Villa Tigullio – seat of the municipal library and the lace museum.
From the balconies of the gardens of Villa Tigullio (photo 👆 above), you have an incredible view of the Gulf of Rapallo. Seeing is believing
Take also a look at: The incredible Valle Christi Monastery in Rapallo
If you stay longer in Tigullio.. read here!
As we have repeated several times, 2 days is a bit short for a visit “properly done in the Gulf of Tigullio”.
There are many other things to do and see, as well as many simple walks suitable for everyone, which will make you discover incredible places.
In Santa Margherita, we recommend a quieter visit to the town, visiting both Paraggi (take the Passeggiata dei Baci), and the hamlets of Nozarego (photo 👆 above) and San Lorenzo della Costa.
Rapallo, has many interesting places that are worth a visit.
In addition to the Valle Christi Monastery, we absolutely recommend (and we reiterate: absolutely) a visit to the Sanctuary of Montallegro, which can even be reached by cable car.
Take also a look at: San Michele di Pagana what to see and what to do
Also in Chiavari, Lavagna and Sestri there are many other things to see.
Among the many, we recommend a visit to the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie – on the Aurelia road (photo 👇 below) – and a quiet tour of the historic center, following our guide and calmly appreciating the incredible streets of the city.
In Lavagna, in addition to the aforementioned Piazza Marconi and the waterfront, we recommend a nice walk along the bank of the Entella river, which is of great wildlife and naturalistic interest.
Furthermore, in the direction of Sestri Levante, you must stop at Cavi di Lavagna (photo 👆 above), a small village in typical Genoese style, a well-known summer destination.
Take also a look at: The Christ of the Abyss in San Fruttuoso
A book would not be enough to tell you about Sestri Levante
We absolutely recommend visiting the Rocche di Sant’Anna and Punta Manara, both reachable on foot, they are two breathtaking points, among the most exciting of the entire Ligurian Riviera.
We said that you cannot miss a visit to Moneglia, a small jewel on the sea, which boasts the Italian RECORD of Bandiere Blu.
Take also a look at: Punta Manara hike, what a wonderful place to be
It can be reached by crossing “the tunnels” from Sestri Levante, passing through the hamlet of Riva Trigoso (photo 👇 below), another seaside village worth seeing.
Last recommendation. Always keep your mobile phone or camera close at hand: in Tigullio, every moment is good to capture an unforgettable corner or panorama.
Even at sea. If you take the boat, it is not uncommon for you to be able to see dolphins too!
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