Italy · GENOA TOURS
Consider this the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 genoa tours that hold up, each with what it costs, what travellers said afterwards, and the thing to check before you pay.
Ticket for the Aquarium of Genoa with skips-the-line entry, 70 tanks, and the Renzo Piano Cetacean Pavilion, plus optional focaccia and lunch.
“Bought tickets for the evening, which ended up being the perfect time to go. It wasn’t crowded and we had plenty of time to look at all the animals.”
Hop on hop off Genoa by open-top buses on red and blue lines. 24 or 48 hours, audio guide, Wi-Fi, and a handy app.
“I love the hop on hop off busses. I have used them in many countries. I only wish you would make it easier to find the stops or at least put a map in the ticket information section. We have caught 2 busses, 1 in Paris, 1 in Genoa in the past week and found it extremely difficult to find the nearest stops to our accommodation.”
Enjoy a half-day ferry from Genoa to glamorous Portofino, with coastal views and a short self-guided stroll. Roundtrip by boat included.
“It was a lovely trip. Portafino has too many people but the boat ride was great.”
Genoa Pelagos Sanctuary whale cruise with a biologist guide. 4 hours on the Tyrrhenian Sea, odds-based spotting, dolphins and whales from $51.
“What an amazing opportunity. So relaxing and so cool to see the dolphins and whales. It was definitely one of the highlights of my month abroad! Thank you for a great experience!”
Genoa cetacean-watching cruise in the Pelagos Sanctuary with a marine biologist guide, 4.5 hours at sea, great photo chances.
“Wir haben viele größere Delfin Gruppen gesehen. Insgesamt ca 100 Stück. Auch verschiedene rassen. Sogar einen pottwal konnten wir kurz sehen. Leider war er grad am abtauchen und wir noch recht weit weg von ihm. Snacks und Getränke gibt's gegen Gebühr an Bord. Toilette vorhanden. Innen und außen Sitzplätze vorhanden. 4,5 Stunden sich allerdings recht lang”
Walk Genoa’s caruggi with a bilingual guide, see UNESCO Rolli palaces and Doria power, then visit Strada Nuova and Sant’Agostino Museums.
“It was wonderful. She was extremely informative and helpful.”
Boat from Genoa to Portofino with 2 hours ashore, plus coast views from the sea. Easy timing, great value, simple logistics.
“Such a great tour, views were amazing, also GREAT value”
Guided tour of Genoa’s Rolli Palaces UNESCO site, visiting four 16th-century residences. 2.5 hours, bilingual guide, $16 value.
“Very knowledgeable and genial guide. Switching between Italian and English was problematic at times and it would have been better if just English. Guide could have introduced herself and said how she felt re taking questions.”
Taste Genoa is a 3.5-hour walking food tour with pesto, Recco-style cheese focaccia, pasta, street bites, wine, and gelato.
“Absolutely wonderful walking food tour! Valentina took us to five places to eat. I felt like we had a 5 course meal, even ending with espresso! Very authentic experience. Valentina was very knowledgeable and thorough. Valentina took great care to find the easiest routes for us, as we had a scooter to consider. Allow at least 30 minutes to get to the meeting place.”
Genoa Aquarium and FantaCinema combo ticket in Porto Antico, Italy, with skip-the-line entry to sea life and cult film memorabilia.
“layout was great for fitting so much in and plenty of space even when busy didn't feel over crowded a definte must visit if your visiting the port”
Genoa rooftop pasta and basil pesto class with a local chef. Hands-on dough and pesto, lunch with wine, plus Ligurian dessert.
“An incredibly unique experience. Alberto is a wonderful host who was very knowledgeable - teaching us the steps to making delicious pesto and pasta, but also providing us with history and background of the ingredients we were using. The location is stunning. The food was delicious. Was the highlight of our trip to Genoa and a must for food lovers!”
A 90-minute, five-sense interactive museum ticket in Genoa’s Aquarium building. Fun rooms, photo props, and hands-on play.
“Il gioco del olfatto è piaciuto. Ma il museo è troppo piccolo per quello che ti fanno pagare. E non ho visto nulla di più, anzi! rispetto agli altri musei dei sensi o illusioni..”
Segway through Genova's UNESCO medieval center, from Porto Antico to Caruggi, with a small guide group, helmet, and photo stops.
“Our guide Matt was fantastic. We felt safe and had so much fun.”
Ride City Sightseeing’s hop-on hop-off bus in Genoa for 24 to 48 hours, with English audio, free Wi-Fi, and flexible stops.
“Buses were dirty. I swear the was only 1 blue line bus as it took forever to come around and pick us up after we ‘hopped off’. Some of the speakers did not work and the earphones were so short a medium sized man couldn’t wear them and sit normally anyway. The bus driver didn’t wait for my wife to up the stairs and took off, causing her to stumble and hurt her hand. We have done hop on & off buses in other cities and never disliked them this much.”
Genoa Aquarium plus Casa di Cristoforo Colombo combo ticket. Watch dolphins, sharks, manatees, and tour Columbus childhood home.
“Tutto molto interessante, l'Acquario è stupendo..unica pecca l'orario perché non sono flessibili, avevamo casa di Cristoforo colombo alle ore 9, ma siamo arrivati un po' dopo per via dei mezzi di trasporto, ma non ci sono stati problemi lí, per l'acquario invece ogni prenotazione ha un suo orario preciso, ci hanno fatto la gentilezza di segnare errore nella prenotazione per farci entrare lo stesso anche se ad un orario diverso, per fortuna. ma c'era il rischio che saltasse il tutto.”
Pick a city, or pick a kind of day.
