I think Genoa is worth a visit even if you’re not boarding a cruise ship: it has a lovely historic centre, parks and good food. Try the focaccia with basil pesto, a sauce that comes from right here. I came by train from Milan, and Genoa makes a very good trip from there.
- Getting there
- A cheap flight to Milan, then the train from Milano Centrale, which took an hour and a half to Genoa
- Where I stayed
- The Bristol Palace Genova near Piazza De Ferrari; it felt sterile, and I should have gone for an Airbnb in the centre
- Food and drink
- An Aperol at New Diagonal with a burger from the Porcapancetta stall opposite; a Nutella croissant at Tazze Pazze in the morning
- What I liked most
- The port and its promenade; take a walk, sit wherever you like the look of and ride the Ferris wheel
- Not worth it
- I skipped the aquarium; I’d rather have fish on my plate than look at it through glass
- Columbus’s house
- In 2021 you couldn’t pay for tickets by card, and I had to run to a cash machine
Contents2 chaptersHideShow
- 01Things to do in Genoa: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks
- Where to stay in Genoa: hotel or Airbnb?
- Good cafés and restaurants in Genoa
- Italian focaccia with pesto, the sauce invented in Genoa
- 02Where to go and what to see in Genoa: sights and attractions
- Piazza De Ferrari and the colourful fountain in the centre of Genoa
- Porta Soprana and Christopher Columbus’s house in Genoa
- Villetta Di Negro park and its artificial fountain
- Via Garibaldi, Genoa’s most important street
- The port of Genoa: the Ferris wheel, the aquarium, the maritime museum and the Bigo panoramic lift
I wrote this article in 2021. Prices, opening hours and connections may have changed since then, so check them before you travel.
What to see in Genoa, Italy? I’ll admit Genoa was never on my travel radar. In my head it was simply ‘the place the Mediterranean cruise ships leave from’. And that’s true: Genoa has one of the biggest ports in Europe. But it also has a very attractive historic centre, parks and fascinating stories that some of the world’s great explorers began writing here.
Things to do in Genoa: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks
So I bought a cheap flight to Milan (here’s what to see in Milan), got on a train and an hour and a half later stepped off in Genoa. It’s the Italian city that gave the world both basil pesto and Christopher Columbus. Genoa spreads along the Gulf of Genoa in north-west Italy. About 566,000 people live here, more than in Bratislava, and it’s Italy’s sixth-largest city. Over 1.5 million people live in the wider area along the coast. History isn’t really my thing, but I should probably mention that Genoa was once part of Napoleon’s empire. Don’t let that throw you.
As my train from Milano Centrale slowly pulled into Genoa station, I could see hills. For quite a while it felt as if we had stopped somewhere in the mountains, yet Genoa is a coastal city. It’s hilly, with humid air and a very ‘Austrian feel’. It took me a while to find ‘Italy’ here, but once I had squeezed through the narrow lanes to my hotel, I said to myself: ‘Buongiorno, Italia.’
Where to stay in Genoa: hotel or Airbnb?
Genoa confirmed it for me once again: forget hotels and try Airbnb. This time I stayed at the Bristol Palace Genova because of the breakfast, but it only reminded me that I should have gone for a nice Airbnb in the centre. Hotels like that just don’t have the feel of the city, and to me they seem completely sterile. I like Airbnb because I get to live in a real flat, furnished the way any Italian would furnish their own home.
It dawned on me in Brooklyn, New York, where I once stayed in a beautiful flat with a big wooden bookcase. My tips on what to see in New York are in a separate article. Where you stay can really put its stamp on how you experience a trip and a culture. So can a sterile hotel with a double bed and one TV.
Good cafés and restaurants in Genoa
Before you start sightseeing in Genoa, here are the places that won my heart, where I ate or drank well. Genoa has countless places like these. I’m convinced you fall in love with a city or a country through your stomach. And where is that truer than in Italy?
- New Diagonal is a very cosy bar in the lanes near Piazza De Ferrari. I ordered a great Aperol here and stayed until closing time. If you’re after a pleasant bar with a local atmosphere, I can definitely recommend it.
- Porcapancetta is a tiny stall right opposite New Diagonal, where two men make excellent street-food burgers. What I did was order mine there and ask the man to bring it across the street to New Diagonal’s little terrace.
- I found Tazze Pazze Caffetteria Gourmet completely by chance and ate what was probably the best Nutella croissant in the world. When I walked past again later, they had none left. So pop in earlier in the morning for a late breakfast.
- Ristorante Pizzeria Gelateria Bigo: as the name suggests, it’s a pizzeria and ice cream parlour in one. I stopped here for a good pizza right on the harbour promenade.
Tip from Milan Try Italian focaccia. It’s a flatbread you could easily mistake for a pizza base. Have it with pesto and you’re onto a winner. Pesto was invented right here in Genoa.
You’ll find tours of Genoa and day trips from the city here:
Italian focaccia with pesto, the sauce invented in Genoa
Where to go and what to see in Genoa: sights and attractions
Piazza De Ferrari and the colourful fountain in the centre of Genoa
Piazza De Ferrari is a square just a few metres from my hotel, right in the heart of the city. In the middle you can’t miss the big fountain, which is beautifully lit in the evening. My advice is to start here and then make your way through the old town towards the port. Just wander the lanes and sooner or later you’ll come across a part of the city I really liked: Porta Soprana and Christopher Columbus’s house. Did you know he was born right here?
Porta Soprana and Christopher Columbus’s house in Genoa
Something I only found out once I got to Genoa is that the house where Christopher Columbus lived is still standing: the home of the navigator who discovered America. Plenty of people equate America with the USA, but let me remind you that Mexico and Argentina are America too. Columbus’s voyages always headed for Central America and the Caribbean. You can go inside his house, and in 2026 a ticket costs €5. When I visited in 2021, it was €3 and you couldn’t pay by card. I had to dash to the nearest cash machine, which nearly swallowed my Revolut card before finally letting it go.
Right next to Columbus’s house is the beautiful Porta Soprana gate. It was once the entrance to the historic part of Genoa and separated poor Genoa from rich Genoa. The common people lived outside the gate, and Christopher Columbus was one of them. He connected civilisations that had never met before. His transatlantic and Caribbean route was revolutionary. He reached the Bahamas, the coast of Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Antilles, as well as Dominica and Trinidad. Besides this part of town, Genoa has two more lovely squares: Piazza Matteotti and Piazza San Lorenzo with its cathedral.
Villetta Di Negro park and its artificial fountain
I found the small green Villetta Di Negro park completely by chance. It turned out to have a lovely view over the whole historic city, the port and the famous Ferris wheel down in the harbour. Take a walk round the park, which sits on one of Genoa’s many hills, and you’ll notice an artificial waterfall and grotto. The park has a rather less pleasant past: it once helped defend the city. Thanks to its position and view over the whole of Genoa, it was also used as a cannon emplacement. When people came to their senses and stopped fighting, they turned the park into a botanical garden and created the artificial waterfall and grotto.
Admission is free. The park is a little way from the centre but still within walking distance. Be ready for plenty of uphill walking in Genoa: after a holiday in Italy your backside will be nicely toned.
Via Garibaldi, Genoa’s most important street
If you’re into UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as Aperol and pizza when you travel, head for Via Garibaldi. It’s the most important street in Genoa, lined with palaces, shops and restaurants. Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi are open to visitors.
The port of Genoa: the Ferris wheel, the aquarium, the maritime museum and the Bigo panoramic lift
Personally, I liked the port of Genoa and its promenade more than any other part of the city. The atmosphere is lovely, and there are so many bars and restaurants that I decided not to single any out in this article. Just stroll along, sit wherever you like the look of and wait your turn for the Ferris wheel. I skipped the aquarium: at over €30 a ticket, I’d rather have fish on my plate than look at it through glass. In 2026 an adult ticket for a specific date starts at €26. The price changes every day, and the sooner you buy, the less you pay. You can buy tickets here.
The Ferris wheel gives you a beautiful view of the whole port. You’ll certainly notice a striking piece of architecture, the Bigo, which has graced Genoa for a good few years now. It’s part of the aquarium. The panoramic lift was designed by the Genoese architect Renzo Piano. It offers a fantastic view of the old town and is one of the largest and most expensive works of art in Europe.
Genoa won’t disappoint, so do stop by. I’m happy to add it to my list of lovely places to visit in Italy.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
