Around Palmaria Island
The loop around Liguria's largest island, off Portovenere: pine woods, abandoned marble quarries, 19th-century forts and sheer cliffs on the open-sea side.
- Difficulty
- E Hiking
- Length
- 5.9 km
- Elevation gain
- +280 m / −280 m
- Time
- 3–4 hours
- Route
- Loop
- Altitude
- 0–176 m
- Season
- Spring Summer Autumn Winter
Download the GPXDirections to the start ↗
Saved. You'll find everything in My trip, where you can split it into days and see it on the map.
Saved on this device: you can open it even without a connection. All your saved pages are in Offline guides.
The topographic map loads OpenTopoMap tiles (an external server) only when you open it.
The story
For centuries Palmaria was a quarry: portoro, the gold-veined black marble loved by the kings of France, was cut here. Then the island became a naval fortress, with Forte Cavour and the batteries guarding the Gulf of La Spezia. It was the military presence that saved it from concrete.
Why go
Because five minutes by boat from one of the busiest places in Liguria you walk almost alone, with views of the Cinque Terre and the islands of Tino and Tinetto.
Practical information
- Start
- Terrizzo landing (boat from Portovenere)
- Finish
- Loop
- Best time
- All year round, avoiding the hottest hours in summer
- Parking
- In Portovenere, pay car parks at the entrance to the village.
- By public transport
- Boat from Portovenere to Terrizzo (a few minutes, frequent in season). Bus from La Spezia to Portovenere.
- Water
- Cafés at Terrizzo and Pozzale in season; nothing elsewhere.
- Shade
- Pine woods and holm oaks on the north side, the south side very exposed.
- Huts and refreshments
- None.
- With children
- Yes, with children used to walking: there is a steep stretch towards the fort.
Weather at the start
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
What to see on the route and nearby
- Palmaria IslandOn the route
- PortovenereOn the route
- Lerici6 km from the start
- ★ Tellaro9 km from the start
- Manarola12 km from the start
After the hike, into the water
More hikes in Liguria
- 1The Sentiero Azzurro of the Cinque TerreE 10.5 km · +710 m · 5–6 hours · point to point
- 2★ Camogli–San Fruttuoso via the BatterieEE 10.5 km · +870 m · 5–6 hours · point to point
- 4★ Sentiero del Pellegrino, Varigotti–NoliT 4.9 km · +430 m · 2–2.5 hours · point to point
- 5Punta Manara loopE 4.6 km · +290 m · 2 hours · loop
- 6★ Genoa's historic aqueductE 8.8 km · +620 m · 3–3.5 hours · loop
- 7★ Monte Antola from CaprileE 6.4 km · +590 m · 3 hours · out and back
- 8★ Lago delle Lame loopE 8.2 km · +470 m · 3 hours · loop
- 9★ The Napoleonic Trail in the BeiguaE 5.3 km · +290 m · 2 hours · loop
- 10★ Sentiero degli AlpiniEE 5.7 km · +770 m · 4–5 hours · point to point
- 11From Portofino to San Fruttuoso via Base 0E 4.7 km · +330 m · 2–2.5 hours · point to point
- 12Sant'Antonio del Mesco from MonterossoE 3.6 km · +280 m · 2–2.5 hours round trip · out and back
- 13Montenero Sanctuary from RiomaggioreE 5 km · +270 m · 2 hours round trip · out and back
- 14From Campiglia to Portovenere on the Alta ViaE 4.9 km · +60 m · 2–2.5 hours · point to point
- 15Seaside walk from Levanto to FramuraT 5.9 km · +30 m · 1.5 hours · point to point
- 16The Genoa Forts trail, from Righi to Forte DiamanteE 12.6 km · +470 m · 3.5–4 hours round trip · out and back
Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Waymarked Trails and BRouter; elevations from a digital terrain model. Times and elevation gains are indicative: waymarks on the ground and closure orders always take precedence.