Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Flights to and from most European capitals serve Aeroporto Internazionale de Genova Cristoforo Colombo, just 6.4km (4 miles) west of the city center (tel. 010-60-151 for the central line, 010-601-5410 for information; www.airport.genova.it). Volabus no. 100 (tel. 010-558-2414) connects the airport with Stazione Principe and Stazione Brignole, with buses running every half-hour from 6am to 10pm; buy tickets (2.05€/$2.55) on the bus. The nearest airports handling overseas flights are at Nice, 187km (116 miles) west just over the border with France, and Milan, 137km (85 miles) to the north; both cities are well connected to Genoa by superhighways and train service.

By Train -- An important thing train travelers should know about Genoa is that the city has two major train stations, Stazione Principe (designated on timetables as Genova P.P.), near the old city on Piazza Acqua Verde, and Stazione Brignole (designated on timetables as Genova BR.), in the modern city on Piazza Verdi. Many trains, especially those on long-distance lines, service both stations; however, many trains stop only at one, making it essential that you know the station at which your train is scheduled to arrive and from which it will depart. Trains (free since they don't check tickets between the downtown stations) connect the two stations in just 5 minutes and run about every 15 minutes. City bus nos. 40 and 37 also run between the two train stations, leaving from the front of each station about every 10 minutes; you must allow at least 20 minutes for the connection on Genoa's crowded streets.

Genoa is the hub for trains serving the Italian Riviera, with trains arriving and departing for Ventimiglia on the French border about every half-hour, and La Spezia, at the eastern edge of Liguria, even more frequently, as often as every 15 minutes during peak times between 7am and 7pm (regional: 1 3/4 hr.; high-speed: 1 hr.). Most of these trains make local stops at the coastal resorts (for towns covered in this chapter, see individual listings for connections with Genoa). Lots of trains connect Genoa with major Italian cities: Milan (one to three per hour; regional: 1 3/4 hr.; high-speed: 1 1/2 hr.), Rome (hourly; 4 1/2-5 1/2 hr.), Turin (one to two per hour; regional: 1 5/6 hr.; high-speed: 1 1/2 hr.), Florence (hourly but always with a change, usually at Pisa; 3 hr.), Pisa (hourly; regional: 3 hr.; high-speed: 1 1/2-2 hr.).

By Bus -- An extensive bus network connects Genoa with other parts of Liguria, as well as other Italian and European cities, from the main bus station next to Stazione Principe. While it is easiest to reach seaside resorts by the trains that run up and down the coast, buses link to many small towns in the region's hilly hinterlands. For tickets and information, contact PESCI, Piazza della Vittoria 94r (tel. 010-564-936).

By Car -- Genoa is linked to other parts of Italy and to France by a convenient network of superhighways. The A10/A12 follows the coast and passes through dozens of tunnels to link Genoa with France to the west (Nice is less than 2 hr. away) and Pisa, about 1 1/2 hours to the southeast. The A7 links Genoa with Milan, a little over an hour to the north.

By Ferry -- Port that it is, Genoa is linked to several other Mediterranean ports by ferry service (www.traghettigenova.it). Most boats leave and depart from the Stazione Marittima (tel. 010-256-682), which is on a waterfront roadway, Via Marina D'Italia, about a 5-minute walk south of Stazione Principe. For service to and from the Riviera Levante, check with Tigullio (tel. 800-014-808; www.traghettiportofino.it); there's once-daily service early July to late September.

Visitor Information

The main tourist office is near the aquarium on Via al Porto Antico (tel. 010-253-0671 or 010-248-711; fax 010-246-7658; www.apt.genova.it), open daily 9am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm. The agency also has branches at Stazione Principe (tel. 010-246-2633), open Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 6pm; Cristoforo Colombo airport (tel. 010-610-5247), open Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 5:30pm; and a seasonal one at the cruise terminal (tel. 010-246-3686), whose hours vary year to year.

A Genoa Warning--Even locals are wary of back streets in the old city, especially after dark and on mid-afternoons and Sundays, when shops are closed and streets tend to be deserted. Purse snatching, jewelry theft, and armed robberies are all too common. Also, count your change here. I've never had more people consistently try to rip me off (shops, restaurants, even the public parking garages) anywhere else in Italy.

City Layout -- Genoa extends for miles along the coast, with neighborhoods and suburbs tucked into valleys and climbing the city's many hills. Most sights of interest are in the Old Town, a fascinating jumble of old palazzos, laundry-festooned tenements, cramped squares, and tiny lanes and alleyways clustered on the eastern side of the old port. The city's two train stations are located on either side of the Old Town, known as Caruggi; as confusing as Genoa's topography is, wherever you are in the Old Town, you are only a short walk or bus or taxi ride from one of these two stations. Stazione Principe is the closest, just to the west; from Piazza Aquaverde in front of the station, follow Via Balbi through Piazza della Nunziata to Via Cairoli, which runs into Via Garibaldi (the walk will take about 15 min.). Palazzo-lined Via Garibaldi forms the northern flank of the Old Town and is the best place to begin your explorations. Many of the city's major museums and other major monuments are on and around this street, and from here you can descend into the warren of little lanes that lead through the cluttered heart of Caruggi down to the port.

From Stazione Brignole, walk straight across the broad, open, buildingless space to Piazza della Vittoria/Via Luigi Cadorna and turn right to follow broad Via XX Settembre, one of the city's major shopping avenues, due west for about 15 or 20 minutes to Piazza de Ferrari, which is on the eastern edge of the Old Town. From here, Via San Lorenzo will lead you past Genoa's cathedral and to the port, but if you want to use Via Garibaldi as your sightseeing base, continue north from the piazza on Via XXV Aprile to Piazza delle Fontane Marose. This busy square marks the eastern end of Via Garibaldi.

Festivals & Markets -- In June, an ancient tradition continues when Genoa takes to the sea in the Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare (not to be confused with Venice's very own Regata Storica) competing against crews from its ancient maritime rivals, Amalfi, Pisa, and Venice, who host the event in turn. Another spectacular -- though more modern -- regatta takes place here every April, the Millevele, or "thousand sails," when Genoa's bay is carpeted with the mainsails and spinnakers of nautical enthusiasts from around the world.

Genoa adds a touch of culture to the summer season with an International Ballet Festival that attracts a stellar list of performers from around the world. Performances are held in the beautiful gardens of Villa Gropallo in outlying Nervi, a late-19th-century resort with lush parks and a lively seaside promenade. Contact the tourist office in Genoa for schedules and ticket information, as well as for the summer concerts staged at different venues, many of them outdoors, around the city.

The Mercato Orientale, Genoa's sprawling indoor food market, evokes the days when ships brought back spices and other commodities from the ends of the earth. Still a boisterous affair and an excellent place to stock up on olives, herbs, fresh fruit, and other Ligurian products, it is held Monday through Saturday from 7am to 1pm and 3:30 to 7:30pm (closed Wed afternoons), with entrances on Via XX Settembre and Via Galata (about halfway between Piazza de Ferrari at the edge of the old city and Stazione Brignole). The district just north of the market (especially Via San Vincenzo and Via Colombo) is a gourmand's dream, with many bakeries, pasticcerie (pastry shops), and stores selling pasta and cheese, wine, olive oil, and other foodstuffs.

Getting Around

Given Genoa's labyrinth of small streets (many of which can not be negotiated by taxi or bus), the only easy way to get around much of the city is on foot. This, however, can be a navigational feat that requires a good map. You can get a basic one for free at the tourist office, but purchase a more detailed map, preferably one with a good street index and a section showing the old city in detail, at a newsstand. Genovese are usually happy to direct visitors, but given the geography with which they are dealing, their instructions can be complicated. You should also be aware of Genoa's unusual street numbering system, similar to that in Florence: Addresses in red (marked with an "r") generally indicate a commercial establishment; those in black are offices or residences. So, two buildings on the same street can have the same number, one in black, one in red.

By Bus -- Bus tickets (1€/$1.25) are available at newsstands and at ticket booths, tabacchi (tobacconists, marked by a brown and white "T" sign), and at the train stations; look for the symbol AMT (tel. 010-254-3431; www.amt.genova.it). You must stamp your ticket when you board a bus. Bus tickets can also be used on most of the funiculars and public elevators that climb the city's steep hills, which surround the ancient core of the town (Genoa's sprawl continues atop these hills and would probably continue right up them if they weren't so clifflike steep). Day tickets cost 3€ ($3.75).

By Taxi -- Metered taxis, which you can find at cab stands, are an especially convenient and safe way to get around Genoa at night -- or by day, for that matter, if you are tired of navigating mazelike streets or trying to decipher the city's elaborate bus system. For instance, you may well want to consider taking a taxi from a restaurant in the old city to your hotel or to one of the train stations (especially Stazione Brignole, which is quite a bit farther). Cabstands at Piazza della Nunziata, Piazza Fontane Marose, and Piazza de Ferrari are especially convenient to the old city, or call a radio taxi at tel. 010-5966.

By Subway -- In 2004, the city cut the ribbon on its long-awaited subway system, though it is still in an embryonic stage. There are six stops on a single line, stretching from just south of the aquarium to just beyond the Principe train station. Those are the only useful stops for an average tourist, though it is only a 20-minute walk between them. Signs, maps, and other information at the stations were still pretty scant, practically nonexistent, as of press time. The tickets are the same ones used for the bus: They cost 1€ ($1.25) for a 90-minute pass, 3€ ($3.75) for a day pass.