Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe
If the sunlit terraces and Italian Riviera views in Hotel Portofino have you wondering where the series was filmed, there is an important twist: the story is set in Portofino, Italy, but much of the production takes place across the Adriatic in Croatia. Historic villas, promenades and coastal towns around Lovran, Opatija, Rovinj and Rijeka combine with genuine Portofino footage to create the show’s 1920s Italian setting.
Quick Answer
Hotel Portofino is set in Portofino on the Italian Riviera, but most of the series is filmed in Croatia. A historic villa in Lovran stands in for the fictional hotel, while Opatija, Rovinj, Bale, Rijeka and other Croatian locations create much of the surrounding scenery. Some genuine Portofino footage was also filmed in Italy.
Key Takeaways
- The Hotel Portofino in the drama is fictional. The building representing it is a historic villa in Lovran, Croatia.
- Most filming takes place in Croatia, including Lovran, Opatija, Rovinj, Bale, Rijeka and several additional locations that vary by season.
- Portofino, Italy, is still part of the production. Genuine Italian Riviera footage, including views associated with Castello Brown, helps establish the real setting.
- Croatia works especially well as a stand-in because its Adriatic architecture, historic villas and coastal scenery can resemble the Ligurian coast on screen.
- Claims that unrelated films such as A Month by the Lake were filmed at “Hotel Portofino” confuse the fictional television hotel with real locations.
The Charm of Portofino: Real Setting vs. Filming Location
Portofino is a real coastal village in Liguria, northwest Italy, and it is the place the television story is meant to represent. Its compact harbor, pastel-colored buildings, hillside villas and Mediterranean scenery provide the visual identity behind the series.
Hotel Portofino, however, does not center on a real historic hotel of that name. PBS describes the series as a period drama about the British Ainsworth family running an upper-class hotel on the Italian Riviera during the 1920s. The hotel itself is a fictional part of the story.
The production therefore combines real Italian imagery with locations elsewhere that can convincingly double for 1920s Liguria. Croatia became the main filming base because its northern Adriatic coast offers grand villas, old waterfront buildings, narrow streets and coastal landscapes that work well for the period setting.
Note: When a scene is supposed to take place in Portofino, that does not necessarily mean the camera was physically in Portofino. The series frequently uses Croatian locations to represent the Italian town.
Iconic Hotel Portofino Filming Locations
Official production records from the Filming in Croatia program identify numerous Croatian locations used to construct the world viewers see on screen.
Lovran: The Fictional Hotel
Lovran, on Croatia’s Kvarner coast, is one of the most important filming locations because a historic villa there stands in for the fictional Hotel Portofino.
Production press material describes the building as a villa constructed in 1904 by Austrian architect Carl Seidl. Its preserved period architecture gives the production the grand early-20th-century appearance needed for the Ainsworth family’s hotel.
The surrounding Lovran area is also used extensively. The Lungomare coastal promenade is among the locations identified by Croatia’s official filming database.
Opatija
Nearby Opatija provides more of the elegant Adriatic architecture seen in the drama. The resort developed a reputation for elaborate villas and grand hotels during the Austro-Hungarian period, which makes its waterfront and historic buildings useful substitutes for an upscale Italian Riviera resort.
The Kvarner Film Commission confirms that Opatija scenery appears in the series along with the villa in Lovran.
Rovinj and Bale
Rovinj and Bale in Istria were among the Croatian locations used during the first season. Rovinj’s old-town streets and dense historic architecture provide a Mediterranean look that can pass naturally for Italy on screen.
Bale contributes a different atmosphere, allowing the production to move beyond waterfront resort scenes while keeping the same historic Adriatic character.
Rijeka
Rijeka has appeared throughout the production as another stand-in for Italy. The Croatian Audiovisual Centre lists Rijeka among the Season 1 and Season 2 filming areas, while the Kvarner Film Commission confirms additional Rijeka locations for Season 3.
For the third season, parts of Rijeka, including city streets and waterfront views, helped represent the show’s late-1920s Italian world.
Zagreb and Other Season 2 Locations
The production expanded beyond the coast during Season 2. According to the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, filming took place in Zagreb as well as Lovran, Matulji, Grožnjan, Belaj and Rijeka.
In Zagreb, locations included the National Stateroom of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Croatian Institute of History and the Museum of Arts and Crafts. These historic interiors helped the production expand the story beyond the hotel’s immediate surroundings.
Portofino, Italy
Croatia provides most of the production’s locations, but the real Portofino is not absent from the series. Production material states that some houses and interiors were filmed in Portofino itself, while landscape and promotional imagery was captured from Castello Brown above the harbor.
Castello Brown is a historic fortress overlooking the bay. Its elevated position gives the production the unmistakable panoramic views that establish the story’s Italian setting before scenes move to Croatian stand-ins.
The Portofino viewers see on screen is a carefully blended world: genuine Ligurian views establish the setting, while Croatian villas, streets and waterfronts provide much of the drama’s physical stage.
Behind-the-Scenes Stories and Production Details
| Production | Confirmed Locations | Production Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Lovran/Opatija, Bale, Rovinj, Matulji, Pula and Rijeka, plus footage in Portofino | Official Croatian records report 61 filming days in Croatia. |
| Season 2 | Zagreb, Lovran, Matulji, Grožnjan, Belaj and Rijeka | The Croatian production involved 135 local film workers and more than 800 extras. |
| Season 3 | Lovran, Rijeka, Opatija, Kostrena, Klana and other Croatian locations | The Kvarner Film Commission confirms that the Lovran villa again represented the hotel. |
The scale of the Croatian production is more interesting than the unsupported anecdotes often repeated about the show. For Season 2 alone, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre reported 135 Croatian film workers, including 13 of the production’s 14 department heads, along with more than 800 local extras.
That local involvement helps explain why the Croatian locations feel cohesive rather than like occasional substitutes. Croatia was not simply used for a few establishing shots; it became a major production base for the series.
The hotel’s architecture also plays an important role. According to production press material, the Lovran villa used for the central hotel dates from 1904 and retains many original architectural features. That gives the show’s rooms, terraces and exterior spaces a period character that would be difficult to recreate entirely on a modern studio set.
Pro Tip: When identifying a location from an episode, look at the type of shot. Wide harbor views may come from Portofino itself, while hotel scenes and many street-level sequences are more likely to have been filmed in Croatia.
Were Famous Films Shot at Hotel Portofino?
No evidence supports the idea that the fictional Hotel Portofino was previously used as a filming location for famous movies such as The Talented Mr. Ripley or A Month by the Lake. The confusion likely comes from the fact that all of these productions use glamorous Italian or Mediterranean settings.
The Talented Mr. Ripley is another film strongly associated with picturesque Italian scenery, but that does not establish a connection to the fictional hotel in the PBS drama.
A Month by the Lake is even easier to distinguish. Miramax describes the film as taking place at a luxury resort on Lake Como. It is therefore unrelated to the Hotel Portofino television location.
The more meaningful screen connection is between Hotel Portofino and the real places used to create it: Portofino in Liguria and the Croatian communities that provide most of the series’ buildings, streets and waterfronts.
Impact on Tourism
The series gives viewers two different travel inspirations at once. Portofino supplies the real-world destination where the story is set, while Croatia offers many of the locations viewers actually recognize from individual scenes.
For travelers visiting Italy, Portofino’s harbor and Castello Brown provide the clearest connection to the genuine setting. In Croatia, Lovran and Opatija are particularly important for fans because they contain the architecture and waterfront scenery used repeatedly throughout the drama.
There is not enough authoritative evidence to assign a specific increase in tourism revenue or visitor numbers directly to Hotel Portofino, so claims that the production itself caused major infrastructure projects or specific tourism growth should be treated cautiously.
Travelers planning a filming-location trip may also want to organize luggage carefully when moving between coastal towns. The site’s existing guide to packing cubes for a spring getaway offers general packing ideas.
Preservation of the Filming Locations
Many locations associated with Hotel Portofino are real historic buildings and communities rather than purpose-built tourist attractions. That makes respectful visiting especially important.
Castello Brown, for example, is a genuine historic landmark overlooking Portofino rather than merely a television set. Likewise, Lovran and Opatija are living Croatian towns whose historic villas, promenades and public spaces existed long before the series arrived.
The best approach for fans is to treat these places as cultural destinations first and filming locations second. Follow local access rules, stay on public paths and do not assume that a building seen on television is open for unrestricted entry.
Note: Filming access and public visitor access are not the same. A production may receive permission to use villas or interiors that are normally private or have limited public access.
Future of Hotel Portofino
The original idea that a real Hotel Portofino property was planning renovations or special film events is not supported because the hotel’s identity in the series is fictional.
For viewers, the more relevant question is whether the television drama will continue. As of July 25, 2026, the official PBS page for Hotel Portofino lists Seasons 1 through 3. No official Season 4 announcement was found in the authoritative sources reviewed for this update.
Until a broadcaster or production company announces another season, release dates, new filming locations and supposed future story plans should be treated as speculation rather than confirmed information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hotel Portofino filmed?
Hotel Portofino is filmed mainly in Croatia. Major locations include Lovran, Opatija, Rovinj, Bale and Rijeka, with other locations added in later seasons. Some genuine footage was also shot in Portofino, Italy.
Is the Hotel Portofino building a real hotel?
The Hotel Portofino operated by the Ainsworth family is fictional. A historic villa in Lovran, Croatia, is used to portray the hotel on screen.
Was any of Hotel Portofino actually filmed in Portofino, Italy?
Yes. Production material confirms that Portofino itself contributed genuine footage and locations. Landscape and promotional imagery was filmed from Castello Brown, while some buildings and interiors in Portofino were also used. Most production work, however, took place in Croatia.
Which Croatian towns appear in Hotel Portofino?
Confirmed Croatian filming locations across the series include Lovran, Opatija, Rovinj, Bale, Rijeka, Pula, Matulji, Zagreb, Grožnjan and Belaj, along with additional Kvarner-region locations used in Season 3.
What Portofino landmark is clearly connected to filming?
Castello Brown is one of the best-documented Portofino locations connected with the production. Its elevated position above the harbor was used for landscape and branding imagery that establishes the show’s Italian Riviera setting.
Was A Month by the Lake filmed at Hotel Portofino?
No. A Month by the Lake is associated with a Lake Como resort and has no documented connection to the fictional Hotel Portofino used in the television series.
Is Hotel Portofino Season 4 confirmed?
As of July 25, 2026, PBS officially lists three seasons of Hotel Portofino. No authoritative announcement confirming Season 4 was found during this update.
Sources
- PBS — Hotel Portofino Season 3 guide — confirms that the series is set in Portofino while most filming takes place across Croatia.
- Filming in Croatia — Hotel Portofino — official production listing for locations including Lovran, Opatija, Rovinj and Bale.
- Croatian Audiovisual Centre — documents Season 1 and Season 2 locations, Croatian crew participation and extras.
- Kvarner Film Commission — confirms the Lovran villa and additional Season 3 locations.
- Portofino — Castello Brown — background on the real landmark overlooking Portofino used for production views.