[Travel] Anyone been to Genoa ?

[happypig]

Wife and I are planning to trip to NW Italy, flying in and out of Genoa and were thinking of spending a couple of days in the city. Anyone been ? Dos and don't ?

 

[macbeth]

genoa? never heard of her

 

[spence]

No but I love there flag.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

genoa? never heard of her

jamaica? . . . no she went of her own accord.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

A port city, and home to Christopher Columbus. A working town rather than a touristy one, and the sort of place that l would enjoy visiting l think.

I've always preferred places full of locals going about their daily toil, to tourist towns which pander to the mass holiday market.

 

[Questions]

I went for 3 days a couple of years ago. Not a top Italian city in my opinion but a great base to go off exploring….Used to cut through the narrow lanes to the beachfront and there were some of the ugliest, fattest, African prostitutes you could imagine plying there trade, trying to entice you in until they saw the missus arriving 20 paces behind.
There is a lovely railway that goes up the hills though https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=genoa+small+railway&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

Nice walks to Nervi and Boccadasse

 

[Gabbiano]

Not the nicest Italian city, dominated by highways and flyovers along the seafront. A couple of decent museums, the aquarium and pretty piazzas though. The city’s history is interesting, once the great rival to Venice.

But my advice would be stay there for a day and then head along the coast to Cinque Terre and Spezia area which are beautiful (although extremely touristy)

 

[Machiavelli]

I love Genoa, but it's unlike all other Italian cities I've been to. There's something seedy about it, as it's an old port and trading city. The centre features winding roads, passageways and alleyways with tall buildings, which have largely been flattened elsewhere to 'let the light in', a la Haussmann in Paris. There's a good bustling urban vibe to it, and good mix of architecture, with some great coffee shops, bars and restaurants.
The aquarium is one of the most highly regarded.
As indicated above, it's also a good base to explore the fancier Ligurian coast. We've travelled in from Florence by train, and it's a beautiful journey, so if you can do at least some of that, it's to be recommended. Might be worth having a quick look at Stanley Tucci's series on Italian food because IIRC, there's one on Genoa in there.

 

[Jim in the West]

We went there for New Year a few years ago - great fun. Fascinating old centre, and beautiful sea-front and beaches just a few miles out of town (to the east)....we took the train to Nervi (which has a lovely park, nice modern art museum, and some cool cafes on the front), then walked most of the way back to Genoa along the coast.

 

[Vicar!]

Was there for the legendary game between Ireland and Romania that ended in a penalty shootout. It took five hours to walk back from the stadium hitting every bar we came to. Happy Days. In summery friendly, earthy, working City. Decent stop for a night or the ferries.

 

[cloud]

Check out the Stanley Tucci programme on Genoa https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fqgl

If you do go, try farinata, a delicious chickpea fast food.

 

[schmunk]

there were some of the ugliest, fattest, African prostitutes you could imagine plying there trade, trying to entice you in until they saw the missus arriving 20 paces behind.

Presume you went back later...?

"I must have dropped it somewhere earlier, dear - I'll just go back and look"...

 

[GJN1]

Wife and I are planning to trip to NW Italy, flying in and out of Genoa and were thinking of spending a couple of days in the city. Anyone been ? Dos and don't ?

Yes, nice for a day or two. Took my son with me to see the Genoa v Palma match. €15 a ticket and you can have a beer in the stands too. Top notch.