Port guide: Genoa, Italy

This Italian city has long been overlooked but has been getting increasing attention for its history, culture and fine setting. Could it be Italy’s next big destination?

Who goes there

It seems cruise passengers have already cottoned on to the attractions of Genoa, since it receives 1.7 million cruise tourists annually. The northern Italian port is favoured by larger ships; small luxury ships anchor off Portofino 50 kilometres down the coast. Celebrity, Costa, Cunard, P&O Cruises UK, Princess and Royal Caribbean are among lines that visit on Mediterranean cruises. MSC homeports ships here.

The Old Port of Genoa.Credit: iStock

Sail on in

The city, named one of the best in travel for 2025 by Lonely Planet, provides an exciting arrival. In centuries past, those on their Grand Tour raved about Genoa’s blue bay and hillsides on which lemon trees grew. Today, harbour and hills are packed with industrial infrastructure and buildings, but the setting is still theatrical, and you can almost feel the city’s buzz from the sea.

Berth rites

Ships dock either at Ponte dei Mille or Ponte Andrea Doria quays, which are adjacent to each other in Genoa’s harbour. The terminal is a splendid 1930s building that looks like a mini-palazzo. There are good transport connections by taxi, metro (Principe station) and local bus, but you can walk to the city centre in 20 minutes.

Going ashore

Porto Antico, the old harbour along from the cruise terminal, has one of Europe’s largest aquariums, which is adjacent to the eye-catching Genoa Biosphere, nicknamed La Bolla or The Bubble, a huge spherical glasshouse containing plants, birds and insects. Then head into the old-town core for magnificent architecture including the Moorish-influenced San Lorenzo Cathedral. If you’re going to pick one museum, make it Galata Museo del Mare, which relates the incredible history of this former maritime power and has a full-scale reproduction of a Genoese galley.

Don’t miss

A stroll along Via Garibaldi, also known as Strada Nuova. It’s one of Italy’s most sumptuous streets and packs an even bigger punch when compared to the shadowy tangle of alleys that surround it. It’s lined by opulent 16th- and 17th-century palazzi with courtyards in which fountains splash, and also has notable art collections in Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco. The latter’s rooftop terrace has great outlooks over the city.

Moorish-influenced San Lorenzo Cathedral in Genoa.Credit: Getty Images

Get active

If you’re keen, an 11-kilometre, four-hour hike in the hills above the city, which begins at the top of the Principe-Granarolo rack railway, links several fortifications from which you get splendid views over Genoa and the Mediterranean. Alternatively, Portofino Regional Park is 35 kilometres south and has scenic hiking along the Ligurian coast.

Best bites

Where Naples has pizza, Genoa has focaccia, and you’ll find plenty of it in neighbourhood outlets, topped with herbs, cheese, onion or prosciutto. Another favourite local snack is farinata, a chickpea fritter large as a pizza from which slices are cut to order. For both treats, look for outlets with brisk turnover, since they’re best eaten warm from the oven. If you’re after a meal, Trattoria da Maria on Vico Testadoro isn’t flash but serves very popular local dishes including pasta with pesto, which originated in Genoa in the 16th century.

Further afield

You have a good choice of excursions. Historic Savona with its imposing fortress is often combined with nearby Albissola, a centre of ceramics production. Expect about an hour’s drive in each direction. Another takes you to the Cinque Terre, a World Heritage stretch of coastline whose picturesque, pastel-painted villages cling to cliff sides. Portofino is also a popular destination: the attractive former fishing village turned chic tourist town is wedged into a blue bay and backed by olive-covered hillsides.