It is located in the Gulf of Tigullio section of the Italian Riviera, between Chiavari and Rapallo.

The municipality is also known for its silk fabrics exported around the world and its cliff paths (creuze and mule tracks) that run along the Mediterranean Sea connecting Zoagli to its nearby villages: San Pietro di Rovereto, San Pantaleo, Semorile, St. Ambrose, and St. Martin.

A bronze sculpture named the Madonna del Mare sits 2.7 metres (9 ft) underwater in front of the promenade in honor of a diving event held each year.

In the Middle Ages it was a fief of the Fieschi family from Lavagna, becoming a possession of the Republic of Genoa in the 13th century.

On 27 December 1943 Zoagli was unexpectedly bombed, and nearly destroyed with many victims among the inhabitants, by the RAF.