Three days on the Italian Riviera with a baby

Portofino is for yachts. Portofino is for luxury travelers. Portofino is for cruise ships, or large groups of tourists off the ferry for a few hours of photos and focaccia. Portofino isn’t really for babies. Portofino isn’t really for me, either, if I’m being honest.

But the towns around it are. And the walk to get there from neighboring towns definitely is.

Craving Italian summer (beaches and fresh seafood), but without the time to go south, we drove to Liguria for three nights on the coast. We stayed in Santa Margherita, overlooking the Tigullio Bay and backed by mountains dotted with pastel villas. It’s gorgeous and a good base for visiting Camogli, Rapallo, San Fruttuoso, and Portofino. Crucially, it’s easy to get around with a stroller.

You could easily spend a week here lounging at beach clubs and visiting nearby towns. We loved it so much we started fantasizing about moving nearby. Alas, we only had three nights.

We checked into our hotel and booked it to the beach for a late afternoon swim. The public beach is small and crowded, but good for a quick dip. This isn’t the most beautiful, turquoise water you’ll find in Italy. That’s in Salento, or Sardinia, but it is clean and refreshing and the views from the water are so pretty you won’t mind.

Post-swim, we cleaned up and wandered the town, Nathan pointing out types of sailboats while I pretended to understand what he was talking about and focused instead on the fashion of the glamorous boat owners sipping wine near the docks. (The restaurants near the port seem more shi-shi and full of boat people than those in the center.) We had cocktails on the deck of Hotel Helios and a wonderful dinner at Ristorante Taverna Colombo once Stella fell asleep in the stroller.

You can easily reach Portofino from Santa Margherita by bus or a 15-minute ferry. But the most rewarding, most beautiful, and most fun way to get there is to walk. The Portofino Regional Natural Park covers an area from Camogli to Portofino and the walk from Santa Margherita to Portofino goes right through it. It’s about three miles and paved the whole way. There’s a half mile or so of cobblestones near the end, but you could probably still take a stroller. We opted for the carrier and if you’re stopping at beaches, I think that’s the easier move.

Leave early in the morning, if you can, to avoid the heat and have the trail to yourself. For how beautiful it is, and how touristy the towns around it are, we were shocked to be the only people on it at 8am. (Stop at Panificio Fiordiponto on the way to pick up some focaccia for the journey.) The road out of the city turns into the trail and it’s very well marked from there. You can’t mess it up.

This is one of the prettiest walks I’ve ever taken. The views over the water and of the villas and castles perched in the hills along the way are insane. We spent an especially long time admiring this castle, which after a quick search turns out once housed Napoleon’s troops and later Berlusconi.

There are lots of beaches along the way, from public beaches to cheap umbrellas to ultra-luxury. As you near Portofino, you’ll find the Dior and Dolce & Gabbana beach clubs right next to each other. I’m not gonna lie—they look extremely nice. And expensive. An umbrella for one person costs €300! The nice hostess who saw me peeking in told me they’re booked at least a month out.

Keep walking, and you’ll find a free, quiet cove and your first stop for a morning swim. Outdoor Portofino operates from here and offers kayaking and paddle boarding. If your kids are a little older this looked like a great way to spend a couple of hours.

From here, you only have about 15 minutes of walking left to reach Portofino, and this last stretch really feels like you’re in some sort of dreamland. Like, people actually live here??

Then, you’ve arrived! And honestly, it’s fine. The former fishing village turned designer shopping/Belmond hotel destination is colorful and cute. I think the other towns in the area are prettier and have nicer mountain backdrops, and definitely better and more affordable dining options. But for a day trip it’s nice to see. Walk up to Castello Brown for the best views (this part is not stroller-friendly) and gawk at the yachts in the harbor. Stroll through shops and get a granita.

It’s wild to me that Santa Margherita and Camogli are crowded in July, but not overly so, while the second we entered Portofino there were swarms of people. A perfect example of how word of mouth, travel magazines, and especially social media influence who goes where, even though the other destinations are equally pretty and bigger, with more to offer. Just south is Cinque Terre, which I haven’t visited but am hesitant to because of the crowds and logistics with a baby. (On the other hand, I’m eager to visit farther north of Genoa, which looks very nice and less crowded.)

You could take the ferry back, but if you’re up for doing the walk again you’ll be rewarded with one of the best, most picturesque lunches in the area. We were going to be a little early for our 2 p.m. reservation so we stopped at the free beach smack dab in between the Dior and Dolce & Gabbana beach clubs.

The Google reviews of this beach are telling:

I wouldn’t go here for a full beach day. But, if you’re walking by and want a 10-minute dip, it’s ok. The water is the same whether you’re at a luxury beach club or not. People were packed in but no one seemed to mind if you set your bag almost on top of theirs, and everyone was friendly in line for the shower to rinse off afterward.

And now, lunch! When you imagine the perfect seaside lunch experience, Capo Nord is it. There’s an upper patio or tables on the sea level. Stella was asleep (win!) so we sat against the rocks on the sea. If she were awake I probably would have opted for something less water-adjacent. It’s not the most kid-friendly place if your kid is apt to run toward water, but if they’re young enough to sit in a stroller or carrier, or old enough to understand rules, don’t miss dining here. We had rosé, seafood pastas, and a perfectly cooked piece of fish that Stella woke up just in time to have the last few bites of. I’m sure they could make pasta dishes for children, too, if they’re awake.

Back at the hotel, we hung out in the pool for a bit, then ran into town for some dinner supplies. There are a few excellent grocers in Santa Margherita that also sell prepared foods (linked below). Shops like this are amazing when you’re traveling with a baby and planning to eat at least half your meals on the go or in your hotel room.

After a long day of walking and swimming, it was dinner and bedtime for Stella and a balcony grocery meal with books for us.

We planned to take the ferry to San Fruttuoso (about 45 minutes) but it was drizzling and the water was rough. San Fruttuoso looks beautiful, but from my understanding there’s not much to do there except the beach. Another option we had thought about for our third day was posting up at a beach club. If your kids are slightly older I heard good things about the Regina Elena beach club, which I think has a kids’ club and kids’ water activities. Beaches are fun to swim in right now (Stella loves the water) but not so fun to stay at all day (it is a battle to keep her from eating rocks and sand). I love beach days so am looking forward to the day when she can actually build sand castles or spend more time in the water and understands that pebbles are not for consumption.

We drove to Camogli instead, where once it cleared up we did go in the water but spent more time walking around the town.

Get focaccia at Focacceria Revello (the best we had on the trip - get the Focaccia di Recco, with cheese) and lunch at La Camogliese, which juts over the sea. It doesn’t look kid-friendly from the outside, but there were three other toddlers there. (Basically all of Italy is kid-friendly.) I got testaroli with pesto, a large portion that’s easy to share with a small child. Testaroli is a thin, spongy pasta that reminds me of injera. I’d never heard of it, but apparently it dates back to the Etruscans and is “the earliest recorded pasta.”

Back in Santa Margherita we took a walk up to Villa Durazzo and had more pool time, one last aperitivo, and some perfectly fried fish.

This was a short getaway, but felt like a full one. It had physical activity, sightseeing, great food, a couple of destinations, and relaxation. A good mix of things that I’ve realized I like in a trip. I can’t wait to come back.

Getting there: Fly into Genoa or Milan and rent a car. If you’re coming from around Italy, you can take the train to Santa Margherita.

Stay: We booked last minute and ended up at Hotel Laurin. The location is great, the pool is nice, the breakfast is fine, and most rooms have balconies. (When traveling with a one-year-old who goes to bed much earlier than we do, booking a hotel room or home rental with extra space (a balcony, a living room area) is key for dinners, watching shows, not having to whisper all the time… ) Rooms are basic for the price, but again we booked last minute. I wanted to stay at Grand Hotel Miramare but they were sold out (and it’s $$$). There are tons of hotels and apartment rentals in the area though.

Eat: This is the land of pesto and focaccia, so get as much of both as you can. The focaccia at Focacceria Revello in Camogli was my favorite. I had the thinnest pappardelle I’ve ever eaten in my life in a creamy pesto at Taverna Colombo. It went on my ‘best things I’ve eaten in 2025’ list. The testaroli with pesto at La Camogliese is also very good. Pinamonti Focacceria and Panificio Fiordiponti are famous for a reason. Get pastries and coffee at Pasticceria Arte Dolce, fried fish to go at Il Pescetariano and drinks at Terazza Bagni Sirena. We didn’t make it to Trattoria da Pezzi but it looks good and casual. Capo Nord, between Santa Margherita and Portofino, is the epitome of seaside dining.

Shop: Anticha Drogheria Seghezzo is the place to buy vintage candies and pretty packaged goods. But it also has a coffee bar and good deli/takeout food section. Portofino Gourmet is another good option for pasta salads and other takeaway foods. If you’re staying somewhere with a kitchen, buy fresh pasta here.

Do: Walk to Portofino; take the ferry to San Fruttuoso; spend the day at one of the many, many beach clubs between Santa Margherita and Portofino depending on the age of your kids; hike in the park behind Santa Margherita if your kids are older and up for it!

Keep in mind: The beaches in the area are mostly pebbled, not sandy. Pros: cleaner. Cons: choking hazards and tough on feet.

Pack: Water shoes or sandals you can wear in the water (I love my Ancient Greek jellies or Birkenstocks). We pack this whenever we’ll be at a pool. This clip-on highchair is a lifesaver for eating in hotel rooms. I’ve so far only taken it on driving trips, but it folds up pretty small and is so useful I would fly with it if we were doing an extended trip that involved lots of eating in the room. The Slumber Pod is useful if you’re sharing a hotel room with your baby and want to still be able to read or have the lights on. Warning that European pack-and-plays are generally longer, so the Slumber Pod doesn’t fit over them perfectly.

Happy travels!