A One-Day Expedition · Liguria · 2026
Portovenere
& Palmaria
the cliff village, the secret island, the ferry, the sunset.
Duration ~11h
Vlog guaranteed
change of plan
Yesterday I was pitching the idea and couldn't even remember the name — I kept calling it "caste-something". Turns out it just "reopened" today but only the second half runs by train. The first half is still a replacement bus because of unfinished landslide works. We'd basically take a regular bus to ride a half-train. Not the move.
Instead: we go further, somewhere no Erasmus student has been. A pastel cliff village hanging over the sea, a wild island reachable only by ferry, a real hike, real cliffs, and the kind of day we'll actually remember.
why this is better
01 / SCENE
A village glued to a cliff
Pastel houses stacked vertically, a 12th-century church on a rock spit pounded by waves, Byron's Grotto below. Looks like a movie set.
02 / FERRY
A boat to a wild island
Palmaria — protected nature park. Sea caves, abandoned military ruins, cliff trails, no cars. The kind of place that makes the vlog.
03 / NARRATIVE
3 acts in one day
Train through Liguria → cliffside village → island traverse → sunset ferry back. The video almost edits itself.
04 / RARITY
Fewer tourists than CT
Right next to Cinque Terre but a fraction of the crowds. Locals, real food, no influencer queues.
· · · ✦ · · ·
the run sheet
10:45
Train → La Spezia Centrale
Regionale 3265 from Brignole, direct, arrives 12:30. €9.80 per person. Coastal views the whole way.
meet at Brignole 10:30 so nobody misses it
12:35
Bus 11/P → Portovenere
5-min walk from station to Via Garibaldi / Via Chiodo stop. Bus runs every 15–20 min. ~30 min ride along the gulf. Last stop is Portovenere — can't miss it.
buy at any tabacchi · €3 · double price on the bus
13:00
Lunch + first walk
Focaccia / seafood / aperitivo on the harbor. Walk up to San Pietro (the church on the rocks) and Byron's Grotto. Castle climb if energy.
14:30
Ferry → Palmaria Island
Wooden ticket booth at the pier (Cooperativa Barcaioli). Ferry to Terrizzo — the trail head. Pay cash.
5–10 min crossing · year-round service
14:45 → 17:30
Island loop hike
~3h trail around Palmaria. Cliffs, sea caves, abandoned WWII military stuff, hidden coves. Bring water + good shoes. Best part of the day lives here.
18:00
Sunset · Portovenere harbor
Aperitivo at the harbor. Sun sets behind Palmaria — golden hour right where we just hiked. Outro of the vlog basically writes itself here.
19:30
Bus back → La Spezia
Bus 11/P, same line, reverse direction.
20:30
Train → Genova
Regionali run until ~22:00. Home around 22:00–22:30.
Train RT
~€20
Genova ↔ La Spezia
Bus + Ferry
~€18
11/P + Palmaria boat
Total / person
~€40
+ food on top
bring with you
Hiking shoes (Palmaria is rocky)
Swimsuit + towel — hidden coves on the island
Water bottle (refillable)
Cash for the ferry booth
If you have a camera — bring it
Snacks for the hike
Light jacket (sea wind)
Power bank
final word
in or out?
One day, two coasts, an island, a ferry, a sunset. We film it properly and we'll have a video to look back on years from now — when Erasmus is just a story we tell.
— Domantas