Rapallo's main sights are within easy walking distance of each other along the seafront. The Castello di Rapallo anchors the eastern end of the promenade — a small sixteenth-century fort on a rocky islet that is more photogenic than vast. The Lungomare Vittorio Veneto curves west from the castle around the harbour, a classic Ligurian seafront of palms, pastel-painted buildings, and café tables.
The town's most striking excursion is the cable car to Montallegro, rising 612 metres to a hilltop sanctuary with sweeping views over the Tigullio Gulf. The Basilica of SS. Gervasio e Protasio on the main piazza is the town's principal church. History-minded visitors should seek out the Palazzo Municipale, where the 1920 Treaty of Rapallo was signed, ending the post-WWI border dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia.