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Genoa
Largest city in Liguria, Italy

Genoa

Genoa is the sixth-largest city in Italy and the capital of the region of Liguria in northern Italy.

Plan a trip to Genoa→From Segrate (MI)

As of 2026, 566,247 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 820,691 inhabitants, more than 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera.

Get in

Getting to Genoa

  1. 01
    Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport

    Provides several daily flights from major European cities such as Rome, London, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris and Madrid.

  2. 02
    Brignole serves most local routes
  3. 03
    Principe serves local
  4. 04
    Terminal Traghetti has ferries from Barcelona
See

Worth seeing

Genoa has one of Europe’s largest preserved historical centers, made up of an incredible number of tiny streets and alleys called Caruggi. Walking through it will plunk you right back to olden times when Genoa was the most important harbor of the Mediterranean sea.

  1. 01
    Christopher Columbus House
  2. 02
    Spianata Castelletto

    A nice belvedere where one can have a pleasant view of the city and of the seaport.

  3. 03
    Via Garibaldi
  4. 04
    The Old Harbour

    An entertainment area with museums, cinemas, cafés and also a beautiful promenade along the sea.

  5. 05
    Lanterna di Genova
  6. 06
    Castello
Do

Things to do

There are plenty of things to do in Genoa, although it is very advisable to visit in spring and summer. A lot of young kids spend their time playing with their friends in Parks found within certain antique Villas, some of them are also museums (i.e. Villa di Negro- oriental arts museum Edoardo Chiossone). Go for ice cream along the beaches and beach promenades.

Eat

Where to eat

The vast majority of places charge service for a fixed amount per person (called coperto), as is customary in Italy. A trattoria, cafe or bar will not charge this fee for lunch, and this is often a good place to get pasta or a sandwich in the afternoon. Restaurants are open from approximately 12:30 - 15:00 for lunch and 19:30 - 22:00 for dinner. Pesto sauce originates from the city of Genova.

How locals move

Getting around Genoa the local way

  • Get inThe main airport bus, Volabus, drops off at the ferry terminal (Via Milano) and the two train stations.
  • Get inAnd see Ferries in the Mediterranean has ferries from Barcelona (Grandi Navi Veloci, daily, 18 hours), Tangier (Grandi Navi Veloci, weekly, 46 hours), Valletta on Malta, Bastia on Corsica, Olbia and Porto Torres on Sardinia, Palermo on Sicily, and Tunis.
  • Get aroundThere is also an underground line connecting the main square, piazza De Ferrari, with the northwestern neighborhood of Rivarolo, serving the historical center, the Porto Antico tourist area, the Stazione Principe main train station and the ferry terminal at Dinegro along the route.
  • Get aroundAs is common in Italy, tickets are not sold on board (except at night or on Sundays, then at an increased price); you need to buy your ticket before boarding the bus at a newspaper kiosk or a tobacconist's or an underground station, and validate it at a punching machine once you have boarded the bus or on the platform of the Metro/funicular/elevator.
  • Get aroundSingle tickets cost €2.0 (excluding Trenitalia) or €2.20 (including Trenitalia) and are valid for 110 minutes after validation for an unlimited number of travels in any direction on most transport options (bus, Metro, funicular, elevators, etc.).
  • Get aroundThe exceptions that require separate tickets are Volabus (bus to the airport), Navebus (ferry from Pegli to Genoa city center), the train to Casella, and bus 782 to Portofino.

From Wikivoyage: Genoa, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.