How to Spend 2 Days in Genoa, Italy

Genoa is not a common stop for tourists visiting Italy, but I think this town is well worth a visit! It was nice to explore an Italian city without the crowds of tourist you see in places like Rome.

My favorite meal from our 15 day Italy trip came from Genoa! Jump to the food here!

Free 15 Day Italy Itinerary at the bottom of this post!

Things to Do

1. Walk around town and explore

We enjoyed walking by the fountain in Piazza De Ferrari (pictured above). We also loved wandering into every Focacceria we saw.

We spent some time walking down by the port. This is where we talked with the people selling ferry tickets so we could plan how to get to our next stop, Rapallo.

Normally, I would say get lost in a new city. It’s usually the best way to explore! But we did take a wrong turn while walking one day and walked past a lot of ‘ladies of the night’ (but it was breakfast time). I felt very uneasy (as the movie ‘Taken’ was playing in my head). So walk around, but do be careful (stay in the busier areas).

2. Take a Ferry/Boat Ride to Portofino

There is no better way to soak up the Italian coastline than from the water! I highly recommend a ferry ride!

We just walked down to the port and bought our tickets the morning that we rode.

We bought tickets to go all the way to Rapallo (there was a stop/transfer in Portofino). We had to buy round trip tickets, but we actually only went one way as this is how we traveled to the next town we were staying in (Rapallo). We only traveled with our large hiking backpacks for our 15 Day Italy Trip to make things easier!

3. Aperitivo Time

Italians eat dinner much later than we do in the U.S., so we had to stop for an aperitivo sometimes to tie us over to dinner.

An aperitivo is a pre-meal drink. Kind of like happy hour in the U.S., but better! When you order a drink, it typically comes with a little snack or appetizer.

4. Walk or take the Funicular to Villetta Di Negro

We ended up walking to Villetta Di Negro which is a beautiful park that features a waterfall.

There were some great views from this park!

5. Walk to Spianata Di Castelletto

Spianata Di Castelletto is a nice overlook point. Soak up some good views of Genoa here!

6. Sit in a Piazza and people watch

We sat in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti (outside of Douce Patisserie Café) and did a little people watching. I’m not the only one that likes to people watch, right?!

7. Visit a grocery store

This one may seem weird. But I love popping in grocery stores when I am in other countries. It’s fun to see what products are sold there!

And while you’re there, pick up a snack or goodie to bring home in a checked bag!

8. Walk by the Christopher Columbus House

This is an 18th-century reconstruction of the house that Christopher Columbus grew up in.

We walked by this several times before realizing this was it (so look for the house in the picture above)!

9. Visit the Aquarium

The Aquarium is right on the port (where the dome is in picture above).

We did not stop here, but if we had more time we would have!

Where to Eat

Each region in Italy is known for certain dishes. I would recommend having pasta with pesto sauce in Genoa!

• Trattoria Rosmarino – My favorite restaurant on our Italy Trip!!! We had the pesto pasta and lasagna. Both were fantastic. I still dream of this place. Make reservations!

• Douce Patisserie Cafe – This place is great for breakfast, lunch, or aperitivo time. They also have some beautiful delicious desserts!

• Focaccerias – There is nothing better than biting into some fresh made focaccia!

• Gelato Shops – Be sure to research how to spot the real vs. ‘fake’ gelato!

Where to Stay

We stayed at Hotel Bristol and loved it! It was in a good central location, close to restaurants/food.

The staff was great here. They even helped us make some dinner reservations.

If you are looking to spend more time exploring Italy, check out my 15 Day Itinerary below!

Free 15 Day Italy Itinerary:

Other Posts You Might Like:

• How to Spend 24 Hours in Rapallo
• How to Spend 3 Days in Cinque Terre, Italy
• How to Spend 3 Days in Florence, Italy
• How to Spend 3 Days in Rome, Italy
• The Ultimate 15 Day Italy Itinerary

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