Palmaria Island: how to get there, beaches and the island walk

How to get to Palmaria

Boats leave from the Molo Doria, near the small beach in Portovenere, where signs and the ticket office say “Traghetti per Palmaria”. The public service is run by the Cooperativa Barcaioli Portovenere and, according to its website, operates all year; in bad weather sailings are reduced or suspended. The cooperative’s timetable is split into periods (1–30 April, May, 1–14 June, 15 June–1 September, 2–14 September, 15 September–31 October). The summer table, the busiest, has a boat roughly every half hour from 7.15 and the last departure from the island at 8.05pm; in spring and autumn there are fewer runs and the last return is at 7.05pm. These are the values of the latest published table, which is not dated 2026: check the last return before you leave.

Boats stop at three points:

• Punta Secco: facing Portovenere, with the free and equipped beach (sunbeds, umbrellas and a snack bar).
• Terrizzo: all the island trails start here; in the timetable the runs marked with an asterisk also reach Terrizzo.
• Pozzale: the bay on the south-east side, facing Tino. The service runs for a minimum of 4 people.

Sources do not agree on ticket prices, so ask at the ticket office or on the cooperative’s website. From late March to early November Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti also links Portovenere with La Spezia and Lerici (line 01); the park lists Terrizzo as reachable by the scheduled boats from Portovenere and La Spezia.

Beaches and coves

Walking around the island

The park describes the loop as a medium-grade route of 3 hours 30 minutes with 198 m of total ascent, to be done properly equipped. It starts at Terrizzo on a dirt road that climbs gently along the gulf side and shows Fort Umberto I, the Torre Scola and Cala della Fornace. The mid-slope path then crosses Mediterranean scrub and drops steeply to Pozzale, the other landing, where you can already take a boat back. After the portoro quarries a climb leads to the island’s summit (186 m), with views of open sea and cliffs, and finally to San Pietro and back to Terrizzo.

• Punta Mariella variant: from the Roccio, the terrace of the former post-telegraph station, you descend to the sea.
• Carriage road: from the environmental education centre to Terrizzo, about 45 minutes in the shade.
• Strada dei Condannati: steps and hairpins beside the moat of Fort Cavour.
• Canalone: a shortcut of about 20 minutes from the centre to Terrizzo.

Another guide gives 6 km and 2–3 hours: the official source is the park’s, so allow half a day with stops. In summer start early and carry water: shade is not continuous.

Rules on the island

The park bans open fires, camping and hunting. Always follow marked trails, do not remove rocks, do not feed animals and take your rubbish with you. The park says nothing specific about dogs: ask the park authority or the cooperative before you go.

The three-islands tour and Tino

If you prefer not to land, the Giro 3 Isole by Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti leaves Portovenere and circles Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto: cliffs, the Tino lighthouse, the Madonna Bianca on the Tinetto shoal and the Torre Scola. In 2026 it runs from 28 March to 1 November; from La Spezia and Lerici the ticket also covers the return trip to Portovenere, while from the Cinque Terre you need a supplement to the line’s day ticket. Tickets can be bought online up to the day before. Tino is a military zone and can only be visited on special occasions such as the feast of San Venerio around 13 September. Read more about the White Madonna.