Genoa Travel Guide

 
by mrdvthomas
 
  •   Things to Do
    by mrdvthomas
  •   Genoa
    by Matyas
  • Galleria Giuseppe Mazzini
      Galleria Giuseppe Mazzini
    by csordila
  •   Genoa
    by ciao_bambino
  • marina
      marina
    by lara1962
 

Pro

Carletto76 profile photo

 Wonderful and big Old Town, Aquarium... me! 


Con

sim1 profile photo

 No parking spots to find anywhere in this city! 


In a nutshell

BlueLlama profile photo

 Genoa is unique amongst the northern Italian cities, with an almost tropical decadence created by palm trees, bright blue sea, peeling palazzi and edgy sidestreets. 

 

Explore Genoa

Things to Do  

Palazzo Ducale & Piazza De Ferrari

Palazzo Ducale & Piazza De Ferrari, Genoa

 39 Reviews  The huge building of the New Stock Exchange of Genova (La Borsa Valori) was built in 1912, with the curved facade and facing Piazza De Ferrari. This monumental palace, with arched pillared porch, was designed by the local architect Dario Carbone. The huge structure of the palace is perfectly... 

Via San Lorenzo and the cathedral

Via San Lorenzo and the cathedral, Genoa

 23 Reviews  Unfortunatelly I couldn't see the interiors of the cathedral because the door was closed by the time of my visit. I didn't get impression that some works of reconstructions taking place, no visible signs about it. Some Italian churches, however, don't care much for the tourists and visitors, opening... 

Hotels  

Best Western Hotel Metropoli

 1 Review and 137 Opinions  It's good 3* hotel, rather centrally located (about 15 min walk to Duomo and 25 min walk to the... 

Hotel Chopin

 1 Review and 6 Opinions  I seem to remember this was the cheapest and most convenient hotel we found when turning up in Genoa... 

Restaurants  

Maria

Maria, Genoa

 7 Reviews  We got an enthusiastic tip for Maria's restaurant from our hotel, but we had a very mixed experience there. The atmosphere is REALLY authentic--gym basement decor, OK if you know it is what you are after. That was not our problem. Problems were (1) it was pretty hard to figure out what you were... 

sa pesta

sa pesta, Genoa

 6 Reviews  Freshly off the train and having just dropped our bags off at the hotel, we went out in search of lunch. We walked high and low (literally- the streets of Genova are full of ups and downs) before reaching this gem of a restaurant. From the street we could see that the trattoria-style interior was... 

Nightlife  

piazza delle erbe

piazza delle erbe, Genoa

 1 Review  It is a big crime :) to stay a friday night at home in Genoa.. Instead you should be leading to Piazza delle Erbe and start strolling around the narrow streets.. Piazza Erbe is just below the Piazza de Ferrari, which is the main square in Genoa. Just take to road to the sea side and follow the... 

bottega del conte

bottega del conte, Genoa

 2 Reviews  ... and now it is an excellent little bar. Stockfish is some kind of salted fish. Never found out what it was like. Paolo and Chiara took me here for a nightcap. I was just following along through all the narrow alleyways. Smelling the walls. Because a barman at the Novotel had told me you will... 

Transportation  

Trains

Trains, Genoa

 8 Reviews  Going to Genova by train is probably the wisest solution, even if not the cheaper one too. If you come from the North of Italy or from the Western part of the region (Savona and Imperia provinces), you will be lucky to get off at the Piazza Principe station. I am saying this because this station... 

buses

buses, Genoa

 5 Reviews  After our ride on the funicular, we decided to catch a Bus back down to the Port area. We asked the shop keeper, and were going to buy a ticket, but didn't have to. You see, our ticket from the funicular we still could use on the bus, as we had 90 minutes in which to use it. Great! Just look for... 

Shopping  

food and wine

food and wine, Genoa

 4 Reviews  Hmm, this is what I really love, fine fresh and moderately expensive fishes & crabs. It is, however, too much if asking 26€ for the wild orata (orata nostrana), should cost around 20 euros, not more then that. The other guy have put the price of 10€ for "orata nostrana" but there must be something... 

fornitures

fornitures, Genoa

 1 Review  In Via Garibaldi, the most impostant street in Genoa, (Rubens found its elegance mesmerising, and was inspired to record its architectural history in the " Palazzi di Genova") at the first floor of Palazzo Campanella, made in 1562, you'll find a shop totally different. Household items, furniture,... 

Local Customs  

people

people, Genoa

 4 Reviews  Raffaele Rubattino was a visionary and the first Italian ship owner to commit his company to steam navigation. He formed the steamship line that would connect Genova to several ports of the Mediterranean and later to Middle East. Rubattino had political ambitions aswell, supporting Giuseppe... 

museums and exibitions

museums and exibitions, Genoa

 4 Reviews  Genova is city of arts and culture with number of outstanding art galleries containing many masterpieces from previous centuries. It is place of particular charm which attracted many artists to live here or to spend parts of their lifes in Genova or its surroundings. Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Historic Centre: not always a safe place!

Historic Centre: not always a safe place!, Genoa

 7 Reviews  Large group of tourists invariably attracting all sorts of thieves. Those who can afford to travel usually carry cash money, even if small, and its exactly with which thieves count. The crowd is ideal for pickpocketing, especially if the victim is penned in the mass and stationary. Distracting the... 

Tourist Traps  

House of Christopher Columbus

House of Christopher Columbus, Genoa

 3 Reviews  Or what is left of it. Says the sign. But it is not. It is the remains of a house from that period. No reason at all to believe CC lived here. He may have, of course. It's very close to the Palazzo Ducale and on the edge of the old quarter, so no harm to spare it a glance. It really is no sweat... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Eastern Riviera

Eastern Riviera, Genoa

 6 Reviews  Bocadasse at sunset is an interesting and romantic area just minutes from the center of Genoa. It's a great place to begin shaking off the jet lag, exploring the boardwalk and neighborhoods, absorbing the culture of the residents, and falling in love with Italy! 

palazzi

palazzi, Genoa

 13 Reviews  I like to observe and explore the places when strolling around, there are so many small, hidden but beautiful details that can easilly miss to our attention. Details give us an impression wheter local people love their homes, their city and do they care for it. Once upon a time alot more attention... 

Sports & Outdoors  

soccer

soccer, Genoa

 3 Reviews  Here in Genova we really like football (soccer for Americans!), and here in Genova some English gentlemen founded the first Italian football team, CFC Genoa 1893. Genoa 1893, or simply "Genoa" won 9 Italian leagues before WWII, then a long period with no wins started, and still now Genoa is in 2nd... 

sailing

sailing, Genoa

 2 Reviews  if you want to try to sail on an America Cup boat addressto the Sail academy, they've got 3 AC class boat ready to sail. everytime you're at sea a wetsuit id suggested, but they can provide one for you. 

Favorites  

Aquarium

Aquarium, Genoa

 7 Reviews   The aquarium in Genoa is one of the largest aquariums in Europe. My first impression of the aquarium wasn’t exactly what you call good though. When you enter the aquarium the first thing that happens is that a mascot jumps next to you and tells you to smile for a picture… arghhh! I totally dislike... 

churches

churches, Genoa

 5 Reviews   It's a week later, and I am back in Genoa. The weather was boring though.... rain, rain and more rain. But we tried to see some of Genoa despite of the weather. Unfortunately we only had a few hours to explore Genoa, not very much time to visit this huge city. Normally I would do a citywalk to get... 

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Map of Genoa