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Get around Genoa
Get around Genoa
Locals will say driving around the city is somewhat faster than public transportation (traffic jams at rush hours notwithstanding), but once you have reached your destination you are faced with the nightmare and frustration of looking for a nonexistent parking spot. It is not just chance that most locals switched from cars to scooters - to the extent that even finding a spot for a scooter has become difficult too. All attractions within the center are in walking distance or well served by public transportation, therefore a car is of no use at all. If you still decide to drive into the city, don't bet on available street parking (there are street parking fees anyway) go directly to a parking garage and hope not all of them are full. If you think of driving to the beach on a sunny weekend day within Genoa or in another town along the coast, forget it. Finding a parking spot in walking distance to your beach is an once-in-a-lifetime event. Use public transit instead.
Public transportation will probably be your best bet within the city. The bus network is operated by AMT and services the whole city until 1 AM at night. Be sure to check routes and timetables you need because the system can be somewhat confusing, e.g. some routes only travel at certain times and are replaced by other similar ones with different numbers at those times. There is also an underground line connecting the main square, piazza De Ferrari, with the northwestern neighborhood of Rivarolo, serving the historical center, the Porto Antico touristic area, the Stazione Principe main train station and the ferry terminal at Dinegro along the route. As is common in Italy, tickets are not sold on board (except at night or on Sundays, then at an increased price); you need to buy your ticket before boarding the bus at a newspaper kiosk or a tobacconist's or an underground station, and validate it at a punching machine once you have boarded the bus. Single tickets cost 1,50 € and are valid for 100 minutes after validation for an unlimited number of travels in any direction. A daily pass costs 4,50 €, while a group daily pass valid for 4 persons costs 9,00 €. Those passes must be validated at the beginning of your first ride.
There are also a number of public elevators and cable railways connecting the center with the neighborhoods on the surrounding hills. The upper stations of the Ascensore di Castelletto elevator and of the Funicolare del righi railway offer an astonishing view of the city.
Trenitalia suburban and regional trains travel in east-west direction along the coast connecting all the coastal neighborhoods/suburbs with the city center. This is the most convenient means of transportation if you plan to see some peripheral districts or towns along the coastline. AMT tickets and passes are valid on Trenitalia trains within the city limits (Voltri and Nervi); single tickets only allow one train ride, and you will need to validate them again at the yellow punching machines at the stations - check for the correct validating space with the name "Trenitalia" on the back side of the ticket.
If you are travelling outside the city limits to visit some outer towns, you will have to buy a ticket at a Trenitalia counter or machine. It is advisable to buy return tickets right away because there are usually no ticket counters at minor stations and chances are good that the ticket machines there won't work, turning buying a ticket (or discussing with the conductor on the return train) into a hassle.
The historic center of Genoa is serviced by bus only around some important squares and streets (Piazza Acquaverde for Stazione di Piazza Principe, Piazza della Nunziata, Largo Zecca, Piazza Corvetto, Piazza Caricamento). Its caruggi alleys are so narrow that no vehicular traffic is physically possible, and they have to be visited on foot - distances are definitely not huge anyway.
AMT also operates a public boat service called Navebus (check the timetables here: ) connecting the Porto Antico to Pegli. It is a great and cheap way to have a look at the city from the sea; once in Pegli, you can pay a visit to the Villa Pallavicini public park.
Private boat services start from the Porto Antico and travel along the coast to Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino, Chiavari and the Cinqueterre.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Genoa
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Genoa - updated May 2024
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Genoa Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.