Making the most of Genoa
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
How to arrive:
From Malpensa Airport:
Take the airport shuttle every 20 minutes to Milan central station, which takes about 50 minutes.
Train schedule from Milan to Genova
From Genova Principe station catch a taxi to the Cruise Terminal.
From Linate Airport it is best to take the shuttle to Milan central station and take the train to Genoa.
Note: During the colder months foggy conditions prevail in the area between Milan and Genova: resulting in airport delays/cancellations and road traffic delays.
From Genova Airport As it is close by: just take a taxi.
From Nice Airport: You can take a taxi or a bus to the station (Gare SNCF) in Nice center.
The old very elegant terminal has just been renovated.
Printable map to take along.
Genoa typically serves as a port of embarkation or disembarkation so it isn't often given high priority as a shore excursion. Our best advice? Enjoy a day here before or after your cruise. It's worth it. From a distance, the Genoa cityscape -- climbing up a steep, green hillside from the Ligurian sea -- is awash in color associated with all things Mediterranean: ochre, pink and red. It's a big town with more than 600,000 people, but it has a small town feel and layout that make it imminently walkable. Genoa in north-west Italy was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2004 (along with Lille ). One of five Italian maritime republics in…
Visit the Old Port, close to the cruise terminal where many of today's cruise ships now dock. In what once was a seedy waterfront in Northern Italy is now a charming blend of old and new structures featuring restaurants, shops, a movie complex, a maritime museum, a spectacular play and cultural center for kids, and, most importantly, an aquarium that is the largest in Europe.
The Acquario di Genova (Genoa Aquarium) is the biggest in Europe and second in the world, after Osaka, Japan. This is one of the most visited museums in all Italy. Its huge tanks reproduce the environment of the Mediterranean Sea and the oceans and contain over six hundred species.
Getting around
Hop on/off tour. Stops right at the cruise terminal, one level up.
Genoa 's three different funicular (cable car) systems each offer great views of the hills that surround the city. A city bus pass for the entire day is only 4,50 Euros.
Food and shopping
Shopping: The main shopping corridors of Genoa are the streets that radiate out from Piazza De Ferrari. The best boutiques and fashionable shops are found on via XX Settembre, via Roma, and in the elegant Galleria Mazzini. Those looking for style, but a less shocking price tag usually head to the Via San Luca for younger, trendy italian label clothing and accessory boutiques.
Genoa Food Specialties: Genoa is famous for pesto (basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmigiano cheese) usually served over trenette or trofia pasta cooked with potatoes and green beans. Being a port city, Genoa also has some good seafood dishes such as the fish stew buridda. Cima alla Genovese is veal breast stuffed with organ meats, herbs, vegetables, and pine nuts, served cold. Evening life: The nights in Genoa are lively and cheerful: lots of people literally "invade" the old town streets, where all kinds of places have opened over the last few years: American bars, pubs, blues clubs, piano bars, cabarets, and places featuring all sorts of…
Also the promenade of Corso Italia is lined with charming night clubs overlooking the sea. In summer, private beaches host shows or turn into music clubs. There are also, obviously, disco clubs, often featuring wonderful outdoor terraces. And then "trendy" clubs with music and "off" theatre performances, for anyone looking for some unusual nights out.
Money
Euro
Staying connected
Language Italian.
There are many cafes which offer free WiFi for customers.
Emergency number: 112
Opening Hours and
Most shops and businesses in Italy open from Monday to Saturday from around 8am until 1pm, and from about 4pm until 7pm, though many shops close on Saturday afternoons and Monday mornings, and in the south the day can begin and end an hour later. In the north some businesses work to a 9am-5pm day to facilitate international dealings. Traditionally, everything except bars and restaurants closes on Sunday, though most towns have a pasticceria open in the mornings, while in large cities and tourist areas, Sunday opening is becoming more common