Portoferraio is the capital of Elba and where most visitors first set foot on the island — the ferry from Piombino docks right in the harbour. The town wraps around what has long been considered one of the safest natural ports in the Mediterranean, and the Medici fortifications that ring the old centre still give it a dramatic profile from the water.
The historic core is a compact tangle of stepped lanes climbing between two imposing forts — Forte Falcone and Forte Stella — built by Cosimo I de' Medici in the 1540s when he renamed the place Cosmopoli. The ramparts offer sweeping views across the channel to the mainland, and on a clear day you can pick out the hills above Piombino. Below, Cosmopoli's pastel houses and narrow alleys are pleasant to wander, especially in the early evening when the day-trippers have left. The small Linguella Archaeological Museum on the harbour spit holds the Roman finds from across the island.
Napoleon lived here during his ten-month exile (May 1814 to February 1815), and his presence still defines much of the town's identity. His official residence, the Palazzina dei Mulini, perches on the heights between the two forts and retains original furniture, letters, and frescoes celebrating his Egyptian campaign. His summer villa at San Martino, a few kilometres inland, houses the Demidoff gallery. Both are worth visiting — they hold the best Napoleonic collection outside France.
The two town beaches — Spiaggia delle Ghiaie and its quieter neighbour Padulella — are five to twenty minutes' walk west of the old walls and have the famously clear water of the white-pebble coast. West along the coast, the coast turns wild: the rocky promontory of Enfola — almost an island, connected by a narrow sand bar — is a favourite spot for swimming and snorkelling. Further along, the beaches of Scaglieri and Biodola are golden sand backed by pine woods, quieter than the south coast and easily reached by car or bus. East of town, San Giovanni has a small marina and a mud spa drawing on the therapeutic properties of local seabed sediments.