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Chauffeur service

Chauffeur service to Portofino: the SP227 filter

Portofino is 220 km from Nice, about 2 h 30 of driving. Tolls and fuel are included, and the fare is confirmed to you before departure. From 14 March to 1 November 2026 a traffic filter holds private vehicles on the SP227 at kilometre 5, upstream of the village.

Journey time depends on a queue, not a distance

One Italian provincial road serves the village, the SP227, recorded from kilometre 2+010 to kilometre 7+710. Since 2025 the highway authority has installed a seasonal traffic filter on it.

The order of 17 February 2026 from the Genoa metropolitan authority sets that filter at kilometre 5, from 00.01 on 14 March 2026 to 23.59 on 1 November 2026, to regulate private vehicles waiting for access to the village and Paraggi car parks. By day local police hold the queue upstream, in the Cervara district of Santa Margherita Ligure; in the evening and at night the filter moves into the centre.

In practice the last half hour of a transfer is not measured in kilometres. It depends on the queue that day and that hour. A driver who knows the road says so beforehand, proposes an early arrival, and does not promise a time to the minute.

The piazzetta sits inside the limited traffic zone

The municipal order of 19 March 2023 is explicit about the perimeter: via Roma, piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta, molo Umberto I and calata Marconi. In other words the village square, the mole and the quay are all inside the regulated area.

So the drop-off happens upstream and the last metres are walked. For a vehicle of unusual size, the commune publishes an application form for transit on the SP227, handled by its local police at piazza Libertà 13B. That is not a last-minute formality.

One point often reported wrongly: the text of the traffic-flow order, as reproduced by local press, lists chauffeur-driven hire cars alongside public transport and taxis among the vehicles whose transit must be eased.

What the fare includes

The fare, by sedan as by van, covers the whole 220-kilometre run from the Riviera, French and Italian tolls included, fuel and driving time, waiting at the filter included. The fare is fixed when you book, and it does not move if the queue grows.

What it does not include: a transit authorisation for an oversized vehicle, long-stay parking in the village car parks, and entry to the regulated zone, which nobody can guarantee.

Local details and sources

The limited traffic zone covers via Roma, piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta, molo Umberto I and calata Marconi, so drop-off happens upstream and never beside the harbour.

The SP227 traffic filter at kilometre 5, in the Cervara district of Santa Margherita Ligure

Source : Comune di Portofino, mayoral order 4 of 19 March 2023 (limited traffic zone) and SP227 transit application form for oversized vehicles; Genoa metropolitan authority, order 36 of 17 February 2026 (filter at km 5, 14 March to 1 November 2026) and SP227 road record, running from km 2+010 to km 7+710

Before you arrive

Your questions.

Why is the arrival time at Portofino hard to predict?

Because a traffic filter regulates access. The Genoa metropolitan authority set it by order of 17 February 2026 on the SP227, at kilometre 5, from 14 March to 1 November 2026, to hold private vehicles waiting for a parking space. The queue decides, not the distance.

Where exactly is the filter placed?

At kilometre 5 of the SP227, which falls on the Santa Margherita Ligure side, in the Cervara district, roughly 2.7 kilometres before the village boundary. Local police hold the queue there by day and move the filter into the centre in the evening and at night.

Can a guest be dropped off beside the harbour?

No. The municipal order of 19 March 2023 places via Roma, piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta, molo Umberto I and calata Marconi inside the limited traffic zone. The drop-off happens before that perimeter, and the last stretch is walked.

Can an oversized vehicle drive up to the village?

Not without prior authorisation. The commune publishes an official application form for transit on the SP227 by vehicles of unusual size, handled by its local police at piazza Libertà 13B. A long or wide vehicle does not simply turn up.

Do chauffeur-driven cars have priority in the queue?

The text of the traffic-flow order, as reproduced by local press, names public transport, taxis and chauffeur-driven hire cars, together with emergency services and residents, among the vehicles whose transit is to be eased. That helps passage without removing the wait.

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