Location: Genoa
Top Things to do in Genoa
The 10 Best Things to do Good for Couples in Genoa, Liguria
Wandering the narrow caruggi alleyways of Genoa is a bit like solving a medieval labyrinth. In the heart of the Italian port city lies Piazza de Ferrari, a main square with a beautiful fountain and a perimeter lined with historic buildings, including the Palace of the Doges the Teatro Carlo Felice, which was destroyed during WWII and subsequently rebuilt. The seaside neighborhood of Boccadasse is vision of pink and yellow buildings that brighten up this lovely fishing village.
Restaurants in Genoa
1. Via Giuseppe Garibaldi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,188 reviews
Reviewed By DonaldHahn - State College, United States
Narrow Alley Lined With Wonderful Aristocratic Urban Palazzos in the great maritime trading rival to Venice. We took a slow walking tour down the street, admiring its amazing architecture, mostly from the Reniissance and the Baroque Age. MUST SEE!
2. Cattedrale di San Lorenzo - Duomo di Genova
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,839 reviews
Reviewed By jedferrari - Richmond, United States
While it is hard to get a good view of the building as it is in the middle of very small streets, the inside is quite impressive, and you clearly see the different times of construction / decoration. You can go on the top, and on the way get a cool view of the inside from a high point, then you get a great view of the old town.
3. Museo di Palazzo Reale
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,104 reviews
Reviewed By backpacker31 - Boynton Beach, United States
Dating back to the early 1600’s when it was built for the Balbi family (subsequently owned and expanded by a succession of families), this massive home contains countless original items such as paintings, tapestries, furniture, sculptures, etc. The numerous rooms are decorated and arranged as if the homeowners will be returning shortly. The inner courtyard and garden provide a luxurious and tranquil environment. The top floor terrace offers sweeping city and port views. Each room has very informative literature (in several languages). A visit here was a step back to the golden era of Genoa’s seafaring history.
4. Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 336 reviews
Reviewed By 946lenak - Minsk, Belarus
Absolutely stunning! Definitely worth visiting even though it's not as easy to find as other palaces because it's not on Via Garibaldi but rather further in the Old Town. I would highly recommend spending time wondering around old narrow streets to get to this Palazzo as it's one of the oldest ones (the oldest?) in Genova. The interiors and the artwork are breath taking. This might be the only place in the world where you can see paintings by van Dyck and Rybens without queuing. They organize guided tours every half an hour, the male guide we had was amazing and spoke good English. The entrance fee is lower than in other Palazzos and gives you a discount to visit Museo di Palazzo Reale for just 3 EUR. If you ever come to visit Genova, this is a must-see!!!
5. Piazza San Matteo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 396 reviews
Reviewed By libius2018 - Moscow, Russia
The medieval piazza with palaces of Doria family members. The charch contents the sword of Andrea Doria and his tomb in cripta. For visiting it you have to ask a key. The tomb of Lamba Doria locates on the facade in the left side.
6. Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 829 reviews
The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, planned in the 1850s in an inhabited area, lies now in an area not far from the centre of Genoa. Staglieno's architectural pattern, albeit in the forms of a mature Classicism, draws on a genre that was rather common in Europe and Italy around the mid nineteenth century. However, the peculiarity and the charm of Staglieno lie in the fact that its architecture is combined with a natural layout, a type that is much more common in northern European cemeteries like, for example, the Pere Lachaise in Paris. It currently covers an area of 300.000 sqm.
Reviewed By giovannic973
The largest historical cemetery in Europe, full of amazing statues and beautiful ornaments. A visit is almost mandatory, better if not in summer.
7. Galata Museo del Mare
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,174 reviews
Reviewed By A5550FKheleng - Weybridge, United Kingdom
Four floors of Genoa history. Plenty of exhibits for all ages, nearly all have an English translation. An interesting reconstruction of a 17th century galley, beautiful globes and atlases, plus a fantastic story of emigration and immigration, with photos, videos etc. See life for various passengers on board ship, there is also a submarine to visit. Do not miss the 360 degrees views of the port and the old city centre of Genoa from the two terraces on the 4th floor.
8. Chiesa del Gesu e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 465 reviews
Reviewed By alibeegp - Corbridge, United Kingdom
This Church is a must to see if you are in Genoa.It was built by the Jesuit’s and the wonderful Baroque decoration is very uplifting and beautiful,with wonderful paintings and 2 incredible Rubens ,just so much to see ,I definitely want to go back as impossible to take it all in .I preferred it much more to the Cathedral /Duomo ,just below it as though magnificent was very dour in comparison ,(for me personally )
9. Palazzi dei Rolli
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,057 reviews
On 13 July 2006, the site"Genoa: le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli" entered UNESCO’s World Heritage List of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Forming an organic urban unit, the site is made up of late-Renaissance and Baroque streets and squares lined by over a hundred palaces belonging to the city’s noble families. The grandest residences, each with its own architectural style and individual character, were an official lists (Rolli), and lots were drawn to decide which palace would have the privilege of playing host to visiting state dignitaries. Often erected on sloping ground, the Palazzi dei Rolli were designed according to the sequence atrium-courtyard-grand staircase-gardens and boast richly decorated interiors. They embody a distinctive social and economic identity and mark the beginning of the era of modern urban architecture in Europe.
Reviewed By Susywonder
It's one of the best example in Europe of aristocrat palaces only in one street. Not to miss, especially during the rolli days
10. Castello d'Albertis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 537 reviews
The Museum of World Cultures is housed in the Castello D’Albertis, home of captain Enrico Alberto D’Albertis, its creator. After travelling by sea and land between the 19th-20th centuries, the Captain’s home collects pieces of his world in a romantic setting between “Chambers of Wonder” and colonial trophies. His castle testifies to the strong fascination that the distant worlds he had visited exerted on his soul, permeated with Genoese traditions and the love for the sea, as well as curiosity about the unknown and the unventured. But there is more. At the entry of the 16th-century bastion, on which the castle was built, starts a second exhibition, where archaeological and ethnographic pieces are displayed through the dialogue with the peoples who produced them, thus giving voice to multiple perspectives and making our certainties relative. The Castello D’Albertis is not only the home of Captain D’Albertis but our own house.
Reviewed By DonBursle
Stand in the square outside Piazza Principe station, look up past the statue of Christopher Columbus and you will see the towers of Castello D’Albertis. I wondered what it was, and finding out was easier than I expected. There is a really interesting (if you're an engineer) railway/lift just along Via Balbi under Hotel Vittoria, on which you can use your bus ticket, that takes you up to just outside the entrance to the park. It’s free to wander around the small park and castle grounds and only €6 to look around the museum. The museum has two subjects: items collected by Captain Enrico Alberto D”Albertis and his son on their explorations to various parts of the world; and World Cultures. It’s quite interesting and although most of it is in Italian there are explanation cards available in various languages including English next to many of the exhibits. Whatever you make of the museum it’s worth the entrance fee just to see the view over the city and docks. There is also a café just outside the castle for a cool drink in the shade. This museum is a little off the beaten track but it is most unusual and worth a visit if you have the time.
