Wander down the higgledy-piggledy maze of old town Genoa and instantly be transported back in time. This port city was a once powerful maritime republic ruled by Napoleon and this influence is felt everywhere you go thanks to the grandiose palazzi and porticoes in the new part of town. I’m just back from a wonderful weekend in Genoa which is the perfect amount of time to get a taste of the delights that await you in the capital of Liguria.
Genoa requires you to dig a little deeper under her surface to uncover her beauties which are really hiding in plain sight. Peep into the courtyards of the palazzi you pass by, wander up the stairs of an assuming building, or follow locals in the know down a little alley, and you’ll discover the layer cake of wonderfulness that makes up the city of Genoa. If you’re wondering what to see in Genoa Italy in 2 days, keep reading so you can make the most out of your trip and fall in love with her just like I did!
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Where is Genoa?
Genoa is the capital of Liguria, a northwestern region of Italy, and borders France, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, and Tuscany. It’s a skinny stretch of land where the mountains quite literally tumble into the sea and as a result, there are many beautiful seaside villages that dot the coastline. Have a look at this Genoa map below to get a better idea of where the city is located.
How to get to Genoa?
If you’re not a confident driver, then I’m going to firmly suggest you get the train! The distance from Milan to Genoa via train is just an hour and a half on the high-speed Frecciarossa, so you’ll honestly be there before you know it. If you’re instead travelling from Tuscany the Florence to Genoa train takes around 2.5 hours. If you’re visiting from my beloved Turin, it’s even closer! Jump on the train and you’ll be there in just 1.5 hours.
Why visit Genoa?
Assaulted with the scents of piping hot focaccia, fresh fish, zesty pesto, oily fried fritters, and sweet candies from street food storefronts and gorgeous historical sweet shops, my biggest reason for visiting Genoa is because the food is quite simply incredible! If you’re the kind of traveler who visits somewhere for food, then you’ll find no shortage of fun things to do in Genoa. There are delightful historic palazzi to visit filled with beautifully decorated rooms, and wonderful boutiques for food and fashion. But more than that, it’s a wonderful base for exploring the surrounding coastline and making trips into the mountains.
As a side note, unfortunately, the city does get very busy when the cruise ships dock and unload passengers for the day. Now, most will hot tail it out of there towards Portofino or the Cinque Terre, but if you can manage a visit on a day when a cruise ship isn’t arriving, you’ll have a more enjoyable visit. Check this great website to see if a cruise ship is arriving when you’re there. Read on for my ideas on how to spend 48 hours in Genoa!
Visit Genoa with me!
Want to visit Liguria with me? Join our Untold Italy Liguria tour in Spring or Fall. We’ll show you Genoa and other gems of the region along the coast and the mountains from a local’s perspective, getting off the beaten track and taking you to all the best places. We spend 3 nights in Genoa and 2 nights in a stunning Ligurian coastal town eating, drinking and exploring our way around. Find out more now.
8 Best Things to do in Genoa Italy
If you’re wondering what to do in Genoa, then let me tell you there are plenty of great things to do to fill a weekend here! I recently got back from a trip to the seaside city this March and I’m so looking forward to returning later this year and next year on our Untold Italy tours. Here’s a shortlist of my favorite things to do:
1. Go on a food tour
As you know, one of my key motivations for travel is to discover the local food. So, I love to book a food tour on my first day in a new city and discover the best places to eat in town so I can return during my stay. Going with a local is the way to do it because you’ll also get the context for things you see in shop windows but don’t know how to eat/why to eat/where to get the best version.
On our trip, we met up with Genoese local Enrica Manzoni and she took us on a wonderful three-hour walking food tour through her hometown. We tried arguably the best focaccia in Genoa, best pesto in Genoa (yes I bought some to bring home!), popped into historic candied sweets and chocolate shops, and even visited the most gorgeous old-school ‘drogheria‘ or spice shop run by two elderly Genoese women. Enrica is a one-woman operation, so if she happens to be booked out the day you’d like to tour with her, why not try one of these walking food tours instead?
2. Discover secret Genoa on a walking tour
If you’re a little more interested in ducking into some of the most beautiful palaces and piazze Genoa has to offer, then why not join a combined food and history tour? This one takes you to discover magnificent palaces from the 16th century, a dazzling view from the Spianata Castelletto, the Museo di Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Ducale where Marco Polo was imprisoned for a time, and a gorgeous Gothic church.
3. Take the elevator up to see the Spianata Castelletto
We were lucky to be with local Enrica who took us to a nondescript-covered building with an elevator inside. Unsure what we were going to see, we simply jumped in and up and up and up we went. The doors opened and we were met with sweeping views over the entire city and out to the Liguria Sea. Definitely worth a short trip up here to take in the size of the city from above.
4. Grab a short taxi to Boccadasse Genoa
Don’t leave Genoa without going to see the sweet fishing suburb Boccadasse! If you don’t have the time or inclination to visit the Cinque Terre, this is like a mini version of one of the famous 5 towns on the sea. Okay, in all honesty, it is truly a tiny little suburb with a little place to grab focaccia or farinata (savoury chickpea pancake), a bar to get drinks, a gelateria and a restaurant or two and a mix of residential houses and B&Bs. The weather wasn’t amazing when we were there (it was raining a little), but on a sunny day I think it would be just gorgeous.
5. Explore Palazzo Rosso
Aka the red palace! As the name suggests, the ‘fake’ facade of this palace is completely red and decorated with fake windows and doors and embellishments. It was originally a noble house dating back to the 17th century and is now a museum. Inside the museum you can take in masterpieces by Italian and foreign artists. Besides Palazzo Rosso, there are tons of other palaces to visit but you will get so much more out of it by visiting with a guide. They’re able to contextualize what you’re seeing and share stories about the places you visit – rather than a dull recitation of dates and names that the plaques in these museums tell you.
6. Go shopping at an interior design store inside a palazzo!
Okay, I’m going to let you in on a little secret gem we discovered on our trip….this stunning interior design store nestled inside a palace! Via Garibaldi 12 is probably the most incredible homewares and design shop I’ve seen in my entire life. It’s truly a work of art and the way that the owners have styled each room inside the palace with modern-day furniture and appliances is chic, and totally seamless. They stock a range of items at all price points but even if you’re not in the market for homewares, please come and visit just to admire the sheer beauty of each room!
7. Book a cooking class and learn to make the real pesto
Another of my favorite activities is to book a cooking class with a local. In my opinion, it’s the best souvenir you can bring home as you can share your experience with loved ones and revisit treasured memories of a past trip. Probably the most typical dish you could learn to cook would be pasta (trofie) with pesto – that addictive green garlicky-basil sauce we all know and love. I’ll let you in on a spoiler – pesto in Genoa tastes about 100 times better than anything you’ve ever tried because it’s made with a special kind of native garlic (more easily digestible) and indigenous basil to the city!
8. Visit the Aquarium of Genoa
Last but not least, why not visit one of the top attractions in Genoa? This is a great one if you’re traveling with kids, but even if not it’s worth visiting as it’s the biggest aquarium in all of Italy! I’ve not personally visited yet, but my partner’s cousins go often from Torino for an exciting daytrip. It hosts more than 500 species of fish and there’s an impressive exhibition that allows you to watch fish, sharks, mollusks, jellyfish, and dolphins, not to mention crocodiles, frogs, snakes, penguins and seals!
Where to eat- the best restaurants in Genoa
Food in Genoa is seriously delicious and not just at restaurants! There’s a big street food culture here that includes piping hot focaccia glistening with extra virgin olive oil, frisceau or herb fritters, farinata, fried fish in a cone, or the super local kind of gelato that is really just a semifreddo coffee cream in a cone! Here are some of the best places to eat in Genoa when you spend the weekend in Genoa:
- Cremeria Buonafede: for the aforementioned coffee cream sort-of gelato!
2. Pasticceria Profumo Genoa: for wonderful pastry sweets.
3. Zupp: Go for lunch/dinner or aperitivo at this wonderful modern restaurant nestled in the heart of the old town.
4. Antica Sciamadda: For a snack or an on-the-go lunch, you can’t miss trying the farinata at this historic shop. We also tried the herb fried fritters which were delicious!
5. Soul Kitchen: A modern take on traditional dishes, this is a good option for vegetarians and vegans too.
The best place to stay in Genoa Italy
When it comes to accommodation options, the city is a little lacking in well-appointed, modern hotels. However, we found a gem of a hotel when we stayed that I’d highly recommend. If you’re trying to work out the best area to stay in Genoa, I’d avoid near the port or in the old town as it can get a little sketchy at nighttime. We stayed in the new part of town along Via XX Settembre which was the perfect location in my opinion. Here is my shortlist to consider:
- Hotel Bristol Palace Genoa: This is where we stayed and it’s a 4-star old-school hotel designed really well and in the best location to walk everywhere. Rooms are spacious, bathrooms are modern and there’s even a desk if you have to work. I particularly enjoyed the turndown service every night too.
- Melia Genova: Looking for 5 star hotels in Genoa Italy? Try Melia, set in a residential suburb of Genoa just 10 minutes from the busy Via XX Settembre. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and the right mix of chic meets modern. There’s a wellness center on-site and swimming pool too!
- Best Western City Hotel Genoa: Another 4 star hotel, this is a good and reliable option especially if you’re familiar with other Best Western hotels. The location is just on the periphery of the old town so still a convenient place to stay. If you prefer modern hotel rooms without the grandiose charm of older hotels, then definitely go for this one!
Must-do day trips from Genoa
Whilst there’s only so much you can squeeze into a weekend in Genoa, it really is one of the best bases for exploring more of the Liguria region. If you’ve only got 48 hours to spend in Genoa, you may prefer to fill your time with the plethora of options listed above. However, my vote is to spend one afternoon jumping on the local train and exploring somewhere nearby for another little look at the lovely region. Here are some ideas:
- Cinque Terre: The most obvious choice is visiting one of the towns that make up the Cinque Terre. Train time from Cinque Terre to Genoa is just over an hour (grab a train to Levanto and then board the local Cinque Terre train from there).
- Camogli: Lesser known than the striking cinque terre villages is pretty Camogli. It does still get very busy during the summer though with Europeans. Camogli to Genoa on the train is just 40 minutes, making it the perfect daytrip!
- Nervi: This year, we had a few hours to spare so we hopped on the train to ‘Genova Nervi’ which is a lesser known cute little seaside town right on the outskirts of Genoa. We were there in just over 20 mins and had one of the best lunches of the trip there at a place called Bistrot del Porticciolo!
Inspired to visit Genoa? It was a really wonderful delight for me and I can’t wait to go back to stock up on historical sweet treats, focaccia, pesto, and breathe in that fresh seaside air. Many thanks to Enrica for her wonderful tips on Genoa.