Genoa
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Genoa - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Palazzo Reale
PréLavish rococo rooms provide sumptuous display space for paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and Asian ceramics. The 17th-century palace—also known as Palazzo Balbi Durazzo—was built by the Balbi family, enormously wealthy Genovese merchants. Its regal pretensions were not lost on the Savoy, who bought the palace and turned it into a royal residence in the early 19th century. The gallery of mirrors and the ballroom on the upper floor are particularly decadent. The formal gardens provide a welcome respite from the bustle of the city, as well as great views of the harbor.
Via Balbi 10, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy010-2710236Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 with Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Closed Sun.–Tues. (except 1st Sun. of month when it\'s free entry) -
2. Acquario di Genova
Porto VecchioEurope's biggest aquarium is the third-most-visited museum in Italy and a must for children. Fifty tanks of marine species, including sea turtles, dolphins, seals, eels, penguins, jellyfish, and sharks, share space with educational displays, touch pools, and re-creations of marine ecosystems, among them a tank of coral from the Indian Ocean, and a wall that replicates a forest in Madagascar. The Aquarium Village complex (additional cost) includes two biospheres with tropical plants and birds, as well as a virtual reality room. Buy tickets online in advance for the lowest prices. If arriving by car, take the Genova Ovest exit from the autostrada.
View Tours and ActivitiesPonte Spinola, Genoa, Liguria, 16128, Italy010-23451Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €22 -
3. Castelletto
CastellettoTo reach this charming neighborhood high above the city center, you take one of Genoa's historical municipal elevators that whisk you skyward from Piazza del Portello, at the end of Galleria Garibaldi, for a spectacular view of the old city.
Piazza del Portello, Genoa, Liguria, 16124, ItalySight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
4. Childhood Home of Christopher Columbus
MoloThe ivy-covered remains of this fabled medieval house—just a very small portion of it—stand in the gardens below the Porta Soprana. A small collection of objects and reproductions relating to the life and travels of Columbus are on display inside. Just outside the house, take a minute to admire the charming remains of the chiostro di Sant'Andrea, a medieval cloister dating from the 13th century.
Piazza Dante, Genoa, Liguria, 16121, Italy331-2605009-mobileSight Details
Rate Includes: €3, Closed Mon. -
5. Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno
One of the most famous of Genovese landmarks is this bizarrely beautiful cemetery; its fanciful marble and bronze sculptures sprawl haphazardly across a hillside on the outskirts of town. A pantheon holds indoor tombs and some remarkable works like an 1878 Eve by Villa. Don't miss Rovelli's 1896 Tomba Raggio, which shoots Gothic spires out of the hillside forest. The cemetery began operation in 1851 and has been lauded by such visitors as Mark Twain and Evelyn Waugh. It covers a good deal of ground (allow at least half a day to explore). Take Bus Nos. 13 or 14 from the Stazione Genova Brignole, Bus No. 34 from Stazione Principe, or a taxi.
Piazzale Resasco 2, Genoa, Liguria, 16137, Italy010-5576470Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Consorzio Liguria Via Mare
Porto VecchioBoat tours of the harbor, operated by the Consorzio Liguria Via Mare, launch from the aquarium pier and last about an hour. The tours include a visit to the breakwater outside the harbor, the Bacino delle Grazie, and the Molo Vecchio (Old Port). There are also daily excursions down the coast as far as Portofino and San Fruttuoso.
Via Marina d'Italia, Genoa, Liguria, 16126, Italy010-256775Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8 -
7. Ferrovia Genova–Casella
Piazza ManinThe Genova–Casella Railroad is a good way to get a sense of the rugged landscape around Genoa; the train departs about every hour. In operation since 1929, it runs from Piazza Manin in Genoa (follow Via Montaldo from the center of town, or take Bus No. 34 or 36 to the piazza) through the beautiful countryside above the city, arriving in the rural hill town Casella. The tiny train traverses precarious switchbacks that afford sweeping views of the Ligurian hills. In Casella Paese (the last stop) you can hike, eat lunch, or check out the view and ride back. Canova (two stops from the end of the line) is the start of two possible hikes: a two-hour (one-way) trek to a small sanctuary, Santuario della Vittoria, and a grueling four-hour hike to the hill town of Creto. Another worthwhile stop is Sant'Olcese Tullo, where you can take a half-hour (one-way) walk through the Sentiero Botanico di Ciaé, a botanical garden and forest refuge with a tiny medieval castle.
Genoa, Liguria, 16122, Italy010-5582414Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3 one-way -
8. Galata Museo del Mare
Ponte dei MilleDevoted to the city's seafaring history, this museum is probably the best way, at least on dry land, to get an idea of the changing shape of Genoa's busy port. Highlighting the displays is a full-size replica of a 17th-century Genovese galleon.
Calata de Mari 1, Genoa, Liguria, 16128, Italy010-2533555Sight Details
Rate Includes: €17, Closed Mon. Nov.--Feb. -
9. Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola
MaddalenaHoused in the richly adorned Palazzo Spinola north of Piazza Soziglia, this beautiful museum contains masterpieces by Luca Giordano and Guido Reni. The Ecce Homo, by Antonello da Messina (1430–79), is a hauntingly beautiful painting, of historical interest because it was the Sicilian Antonello who first brought Flemish oil paints and techniques to Italy from his sojourns in the Low Countries. Or so some contend.
Piazza Pellicceria 1, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy010-2705300Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 with Palazzo Reale, Closed Sun.–Tues. (except 1st Sun. of month when it\'s free entry) -
10. Granarolo Funicular
San TeodoroTake a cog railway up the steeply rising terrain to another part of the city's fortified walls. It takes 15 minutes to hoist you from Stazione Principe to Porta Granarolo, 1,000 feet above, where the sweeping view gives you a sense of Genoa's size. The funicular departs about every 40 minutes.
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11. Il Bigo
Porto VecchioDesigned by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, this spiderlike white structure was erected in 1992 to celebrate the Columbus quincentenary. You can take its Ascensore Panoramico Bigo (Bigo Panoramic Elevator) up 650 feet for a 360-degree view of the harbor, city, and sea. In winter there's an ice-skating rink next to the elevator, in an area covered by sail-like awnings. Check the website for seasonal opening hours.
Ponte Spinola, Genoa, Liguria, 16124, Italy010-23451Sight Details
Rate Includes: Elevator €4, Closed Mon. morning and weekdays Nov.–Feb. -
12. Loggia dei Mercanti
MaddalenaThis merchants' row dating from the 16th century is lined with shops selling local foods and gifts, as well as flowers and vintage books and records.
Piazza Banchi, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy -
13. Mercato Orientale
PortoriaA bustling place, this produce, fish, and meat market in a former church cloister has added a second-floor bar, restaurant, and cooking school. Experience the sensory overload of colorful everyday Genovese life while watching the merchants and buyers banter over prices on the ground floor, and then head upstairs for a drink, a cooking lesson, or to try authentic Ligurian cuisine.
Via XX Settembre, Genoa, Liguria, 16121, Italy010-8973000Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. -
14. Museo d'Arte Orientale Chiossone
MaddalenaOne of Europe's most noteworthy collections of Japanese, Chinese, and Thai objects is housed in galleries in the Villetta di Negro park on the hillside above Piazza Portello. There's also a fine view of the city from the museum's terrace.
Piazzale Mazzini 4, Genoa, Liguria, 16122, Italy010-5577950Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, Closed Mon. -
15. Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti
PortoriaFounded in 1751, the city's art school has a museum with a collection of paintings from the 16th to the 19th century. Genovese artists of the Baroque period are particularly well represented.
Largo Pertini 4, Genoa, Liguria, 16121, Italy010-5601324Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed mornings and all Sun. and Mon. -
16. Museo di Sant'Agostino
MoloDamaged during World War II, the 13th-century Gothic church of Sant'Agostino now houses a museum displaying pieces of medieval architecture, sculptures, and frescoes. Highlights of the collection are the enigmatic fragments of a tomb sculpture by Giovanni Pisano (circa 1250–1315). From the original construction the fine campanile with a Moorish inlaid marble design survives, as well as two well-preserved cloisters (one of which is the only triangular cloister in Europe).
Piazza Sarzano 35/R, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy010-5576753Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, Closed Mon. -
17. Palazzo Bianco
MaddalenaIt's difficult to miss the splendid white facade of this town palace and museum as you walk down Via Garibaldi (also known as Strada Nuova), one of Genoa's most important streets. The building houses a fine collection of 16th- and 17th-century art, with the Spanish and Flemish schools well represented. There's also a textiles collection. Buy tickets for Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso, and Palazzo Turso from the ticket office and gift shop at Via Garibaldi 25.
Via Garibaldi 11, Genoa, Liguria, 16124, Italy010-5572193Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9, includes Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Tursi, Closed Mon. -
18. Palazzo dell'Università
PréBuilt in the 1630s as a Jesuit college, this has been Genoa's university since 1803. The exterior is unassuming, but climb the stairway flanked by lions to visit the handsome courtyard, with its portico of double Doric columns.
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19. Palazzo Ducale
PortoriaThis palace was built in the 16th century over a medieval hall, and its facade was rebuilt in the late 18th century and later restored. It now houses temporary exhibitions upstairs and a couple of cocktail bars and restaurants on the ground floor. The amazingly large courtyard (which is free) is worth strolling through.
Piazza Matteotti 9, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy010-8171600Sight Details
Rate Includes: Tickets from €11, Closed Mon. -
20. Palazzo Rosso
MaddalenaThis 17th-century Baroque palace, named for the red stone used in its construction, now contains, apart from a number of lavishly frescoed suites, works by Veronese, Guido Reni, and Sir Anthony van Dyck.
Via Garibaldi 18, Genoa, Liguria, 16124, Italy010-5572193Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9, includes Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi, Closed Mon.
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