Cinque Terre by Private Water Taxi

Boarding is at the village jetties — Monterosso's Fegina landing is the easiest and most sheltered, while Vernazza and Riomaggiore have small quays and Manarola is boarded by tender. Corniglia sits on a clifftop with no harbour, so it can't be reached by boat. From La Spezia or Portovenere you board at the marina and we run you up the coast.

For hopping between two adjacent villages the train is quick when it runs on time, but a private boat wins on the whole experience: no platform crowds, no ferry queue, no waiting on the timetable, and a direct run from Portovenere, La Spezia or Portofino straight to the village you want.

Prices are quoted from a starting rate and depend on your pick-up point, the season and the number of stops. A short hop from Portovenere starts well below a run down from Portofino or Santa Margherita, which round the Punta Mesco headland. You get the exact all-in figure with your booking.

This is an open, west-facing coast. When the libeccio, the south-west wind, kicks up a swell, the tiny village landings can close and even the scheduled ferry stops. We watch the forecast and may shift your pick-up to sheltered Monterosso or the Gulf of Poets, or move the time — safety and a dry cabin come first.

Boats run roughly from late March to early November, matching the villages' tourist season. May and September are the sweet spot; July and August are glorious but the busiest — exactly when a private cabin boat saves you the queues.