Soggiorna
Two days in Genoa are enough, on one condition: make a choice on the second day instead of trying to fit everything in. It is the mistake that ruins more itineraries here than any other, and it is not about pace: the Porto Antico and the eastern shore are on opposite sides and each needs half a day not to become a rush.
Day one, by contrast, decides itself.
Day 1 — The old town
Morning: from De Ferrari into the carruggi
You start at piazza De Ferrari, which has the metro and Palazzo Ducale with its exhibitions, and reach the cathedral of San Lorenzo: black and white banded façade, bell tower of 1522. Inside, the 381 millimetre shell that on 9 February 1941 pierced the roof, bounced on the floor and did not explode.
Then into the carruggi, the largest maze in Europe, which you visit by wandering rather than following a list. Towards piazza Banchi you reach the edge of the port.
Afternoon: via Garibaldi and the Rolli
Via Garibaldi is the Strada Nuova, where the most representative palaces of the Rolli system stand — inscribed by UNESCO in 2006, forty-two palaces. Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria-Tursi form the Musei di Strada Nuova, and Doria-Tursi holds Paganini's violin, il Cannone.
Watch out for the thing that wastes afternoons: the Rolli cannot all be visited in the same way. Some are museums, others are banks and offices where you see only the courtyard, others private homes open only on dedicated occasions. The detail is in the guide to the old town and the Rolli.
Evening: Castelletto
You finish by going up to the Spianata Castelletto on the public lift of 1909, 45 seconds. At sunset you see everything you walked through during the day, and the city stops looking like a maze.
Day 2 — The choice
Option A: the Porto Antico
The Aquarium is among the largest in Europe: over 70 recreated environments, more than 12,000 specimens of around 400 species. Reckon on it taking most of the morning, and go in at opening time.
In the same space are Renzo Piano's Biosfera and Bigo, and a little further along the Galata maritime museum with the submarine Nazario Sauro, the only Italian submarine you can visit afloat.
This is the right day with children — see Genoa with children — and when it rains, because it is all indoors.
Option B: the sea to the east
The other Genoa. You walk Corso Italia as far as Boccadasse, the fishing village with pastel houses and a small pebble beach, and if it is packed you carry on to Vernazzola, the version the locals choose.
Or you take the urban train and get off at Nervi: the Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, almost two kilometres along the sea to Capolungo, the parks with 92,000 square metres of green space and four museums within a square kilometre.
This is the right day in good weather and for anyone who has seen enough museums. The detail is in the guide to the sea at Genoa.
How to choose
- Raining? Porto Antico, no hesitation.
- Children along? Porto Antico.
- Fine day and you have been to the city before? The east.
- First time in Genoa, adults, good weather? The east in the morning, and if time allows the Galata in the afternoon: you cross the Porto Antico on the way back anyway.
If half a day is left over
The Lanterna is the tallest lighthouse in the Mediterranean at 77 metres, and among the oldest in the world still working: its earliest part dates from 1128. It is off the usual circuit, and that is exactly why it is a good idea for anyone with a third half-day.
What to leave out
With two days you do not do the Aquarium and the eastern shore together, you do not get inside more than two or three palaces, and you do not reach Nervi and the Lanterna. Anyone who tries goes home having seen many things in a hurry and none of them properly — which in Genoa is worse than elsewhere, because it is a city you understand by walking through it, not by ticking it off.
Frequently asked questions
Are two days enough to see Genoa?
Yes, if on the second day you choose between the Porto Antico and the sea to the east instead of doing both. The first day covers the old town, via Garibaldi and sunset from Castelletto.
What is there to see in Genoa in two days?
Day one: piazza De Ferrari, Palazzo Ducale, the cathedral of San Lorenzo, the carruggi, via Garibaldi with the Musei di Strada Nuova and the climb to Castelletto. Day two, your choice: the Aquarium and the Porto Antico, or Boccadasse and Nervi.
Aquarium or the sea to the east?
It depends on the weather and who is travelling: Porto Antico if it rains or there are children, the east if it is a fine day and it is not your first time. Doing both in one day means doing both badly.
How long does the Genoa Aquarium take?
Most of the morning, and with small children it is better to go in at opening: the route runs through over 70 recreated environments with more than 12,000 specimens.
What can you do in Genoa in two days if it rains?
Day one stays almost identical — Palazzo Ducale, San Lorenzo and the Musei di Strada Nuova are all indoors — and day two goes to the Porto Antico: Aquarium, Biosfera and Galata. The one caution is that the stone carruggi get slippery.
Do you need a car for two days in Genoa?
No, and it is a hindrance. The metro, urban trains, public lifts and funiculars cover the whole itinerary: see getting around Genoa without a car.