Genoa: the ultimate guide to visit it in 2025

Squeezed between the mountains of the Ligurian-Genoese Apennines and the blue of the sea, Genoa is a city of a thousand faces and a thousand colors. Stretched vertically, Genoa is the fascinating city that gave birth to the great Christopher Columbus and that has been sung many times by poets and singer-songwriters such as the beloved Fabrizio De Andrè.

Alongside the most famous attractions such as the Aquarium and the Lantern, the lighthouse that reminds us of its glorious past as a Maritime Republic, you will discover an enchanted world made of picturesque alleys, the carrugi that run through the entire old center and descend to the sea and where the historic shops still live with their perfumes and precious artifacts; the delightful seaside village of Boccadasse, the complex of the splendid Rolli palaces and the stories of the ancient Genoese aristocracy and also magnificent walks in nature and many opportunities in its surroundings. Keep reading and discover with us this incredible city!

Awarded by the famous Lonely Planet guide as one of the Best in Travel 2025 destinations, Genoa is a city that offers its visitors a unique experience rich in history, art, culture, and delicious cuisine. Genoa lets itself be discovered slowly, far from the frenetic pace of mass tourism that characterizes other Italian cities. The capital of delicious pesto and good food is also home to trade fairs and cultural and artistic events among the most important in the country.

Why visit Genoa in 2025? Because next to its splendid historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the numerous and evocative destinations both in the city and its surroundings that you will discover by reading, you will be able to mingle with the citizens just like a local and participate in one of the many events scheduled for this year ranging from art to music and literature passing through sports. If you want to have an authentic and Italian experience that combines history, beauty, food, walks and nature, events and culture and a different concept of tourism: slower and more sustainable, then Genoa is the right place!

The historic center of Genoa is made up of an incredible tangle of narrow alleys, the famous caruggi from which small squares suddenly open up. Splendid mansion that preserve incredible works of art alternate with ease with old churches and artisan workshops without interruption. The architectural styles overlap and the past merges with the present, it is here that the soul of the city resides, sung so many times by the famous Genoese singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andrè.

The structure of the old nucleus is medieval in style and is inextricably linked to the history of Genoa, from its past as a Maritime Republic to the patriotic battles and the Carboneria of Giuseppe Mazzini. Genoa was also the birthplace of Goffredo Mameli, one of the most famous figures of the Italian Risorgimento. The historic center goes from the Carignano hill to the Genoa Station in Piazza Principe. Walk through the historic center, let yourself be surprised by every corner, stop in front of the historic residence or a delicate votive shrine, savor the smells that emanate from the shops where ancient recipes with a genuine flavor are still prepared and appreciate the work of the artisans. Genoa is an authentic Italian experience.

Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli are a circuit of splendid Renaissance and Baroque noble palaces, which were part of an extraordinary public custom of hospitality for state visits of the Republic of Genoa. Since 2006 they have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even just from the outside, walking through the old center you can admire courtyards, loggias, interiors decorated with stucco and wonderful frescoes. The UNESCO site includes 42 Palaces of the over 100 existing scattered throughout the old center of the city, partly private and partly public, some of which are always open and can be visited all year round.

But if you want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit even the less accessible ones, we suggest you don't miss the Rolli Days, an eagerly awaited weekend that this year will take place in autumn, in which dozens of private and public Palaces will be open to the public, in addition to guided tours led by experts, the prestigious Palazzi dei Rolli will be animated by events and shows. If instead you want to take on the role of an ancient guest of the Republic as it happened in the past, then the Rolli Experience is for you; a long weekend in which you can stay overnight in the ancient palaces following a program full of events that includes guided tours within the city, musical entertainment and tastings and themed dinners.

The Parco delle Mura is one of the places most loved by the Genoese and is now a protected natural area. If you want to get away from the sounds and rush of the city, it won't take long to find yourself in an enchanting natural landscape, made of green paths that immerse themselves in conifer and oak forests, in spring the meadows are transformed into an idyll colored by the yellow of the broom. We are in the Parco delle Mura, 12 km of city walls: the longest in Europe and around the walls what were once unassailable military forts built between the 17th and 19th centuries.

An ideal place to walk accompanied only by the chirping of birds and a light sound of the sea in the distance, the view from here is wonderful and worth the trip. The walk of the Forts includes several buildings: Forte Castellaccio, Forte Sperone, Forte Begato, Forte Puin and Forte Diamante. To get here you can use the suggestive funicular Zecca-Righi or the Casella Train which from the city centre through a historic railway that looks like a picturesque collector's model will take you to the Campi stop passing through the green hills with a view of the sea.

Between natural parks for trekking excursions, enchanting villages that recall postcard landscapes, famous or lesser-known locations, without going as far as the Cinque Terre, the surroundings of Genoa offer so much and will make you think that a trip to these parts would be worth more than a quick visit, almost to leave your heart and dream about whether it is the case to move to these splendid Ligurian shores. Let's start this exploration from the ancient seaside village of Boccadasse, among the iconic and most loved places in Genoa, just a quarter of an hour by car from the center, it is located between Corso d'Italia and Capo Santa Chiara, its colorful houses by the sea are enchanting. Let's move towards Recco here a stop is a must even just to taste the famous Recco Focaccia filled with crescenza present in all the local bakeries, a little further away, always on the coast, the village of Camogli.

Continuing east we cannot avoid mentioning the destination of the international jet-set: Portofino, located on a bay at the foot of the promontory of the same name, a chic destination that you will surely be curious to see, here also the possibility of taking an excursion in the Portofino Regional Park. On the opposite side of the coast, almost on the border with France, another famous place that if you are a music fan you will want to include in your itinerary: San Remo, famous for the Italian music festival that takes place every year in February. From a naturalistic point of view, ideal for trekking and not to be missed is the Beigua Regional Natural Park, included in the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks since 2015; in the hinterland of Genoa, just an hour and a half by car is the Aveto Regional Natural Park, here you will find small lakes nestled in the Lame forest and a landscape dominated by the highest peaks of the Ligurian Apennines.

From January to December, Genoa is crossed by many local and international initiatives that range in various fields, many of the events have become fixed appointments that the city hosts every year. The 2025 agenda is particularly rich in events. It starts in spring with Euroflora, an international exhibition of plants and flowers that takes place every year. Moving on to art and culture, there is an embarrassment of choice, Genoa will host the presentation of the finalists of the Strega Prize, the meeting of the most prestigious literary prize in Italy is scheduled for June 9 at Palazzo Ducale; from June 12 to 22 the Suq Festival returns as every year, which as the name tells us, which in Arabic means market, is an intercultural Festival that through the arts promotes interaction and knowledge between cultures; until June 24 at Palazzo Ducale and for the first time in Genoa Word Press Photo, the famous exhibition dedicated to international photojournalism.

Moving on to musical events, on June 20, 2025 Genoa will host the 105 Summer Festival for the third consecutive year in Piazza della Vittoria, with important Italian and international musicians alternating on stage. From June 28 to July 27, the Nervi International Ballet Festival will open, an event promoted by the municipality of Genoa. Still in the musical field, the Premio Paganini international violin competition will take place from October 14 to 26, 2025. Genoa confirms itself as a city that loves sport in all its forms, on August 24 returns the most adrenaline-filled and spectacular urban downhill competition: the Red Bull Cerro Abajo,; from August 10 to September 21, the wonderful Ocean Race Europe returns for the second time, the stage race that involves the best boats and crews in the world; we close the roundup with another initiative with an international breath: the European Fencing Championships that will be held from June 14 to 19.

Genoa, a city between the sea and the mountains, has a rich and varied Mediterranean culinary tradition that ranges from first courses to second courses of both fish and meat, passing through other specialties, you just need to take a walk around the historic center and be magnetically attracted by the lovely aromas of the artisan workshops, bakeries or restaurants busy cooking the dishes of the day. But the symbols par excellence of the gastronomic tradition of this city appreciated and famous throughout the world are Pesto and Genoese focaccia, that just saying the names would make you want to take a trip to Genoa just to taste them, prepared following the wisdom of tradition and local ingredients.

Do not leave without having tried Trofie al Pesto, a type of pasta originating from the province of Genoa, seasoned with a pesto prepared strictly with Genoese DOP basil; you should know that there are different varieties of pesto, many stories linked to this recipe and local and even family traditions. Another simple but delicious recipe to try at any time of the day, even for breakfast, is Genoese Focaccia, while Focaccia di Recco is a variant we have already told you about.

The commercial soul of Genoa is deeply linked to the history of the city and dates back to the period of the Maritime Republic, when the city was a melting pot of meetings and commercial exchanges. Even today, walking through the old heart of Genoa, you will be surprised to come across so many historic shops, fabric and textile shops where skilled seamstresses can create custom-made ties and suits for you, refined chocolate shops and confectioneries, laboratories of all kinds from glass to stamps through the production of corks, keeping ancient traditional techniques alive.

Visiting these shops is particularly suggestive because many of these activities are located in historic buildings, or use original historic equipment or instruments, in some cases still functioning. To preserve this heritage, a Register of historic shops has been established, 103 are those already included, but the list is still long and over time all those existing in the area will gradually be included.

In the Italian geography, the city of Genoa occupies a truly strategic position and getting there is really very simple, whatever your starting point you have all possible means of transport at your disposal. Genoa's Cristoforo Colombo Airport is located in Sestri Ponente and is connected to the center by public transport. The port and maritime stations connect Genoa with the main ports of the Mediterranean.

It is also possible to reach the Ligurian capital by train, which is a convenient solution for moving around the region Liguria among all the suggestive destinations that make up the city's surroundings. Finally, if you travel by car, the motorways that reach Genoa are: A12, A10, A26 and A7. Genoa is waiting for you, seize the moment!