Genoa is the most underestimated city in Italy. The medieval core is a UNESCO World Heritage site — 14 km of the narrowest, darkest, tallest caruggi (alleys) in Europe, built when Genoa was the greatest maritime power in the western Mediterranean. The Rolli Palaces along Via Garibaldi are among the finest Renaissance interiors in the country. The Acquario di Genova is the largest aquarium in Europe. And from the city’s harbourfront, ferries reach Portofino in 30 minutes and Cinque Terre in under 2 hours. None of this stops Genoa from being overlooked in favour of Florence and Rome — which means the streets and museums are genuinely uncrowded.
We have mapped 8 top-rated Genoa tours by traveller type. Prices are approximate in EUR as of 2026.
Top Genoa Tours at a Glance
| Tour | Duration | Approx. Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genoa Old Town and Rolli Palaces Walking Tour | 3 hrs | From €25 | Culture, history |
| Portofino and Santa Margherita Day Trip by Boat | Full day | From €65 | Couples, scenic |
| Cinque Terre from Genoa by Boat | Full day | From €70 | Nature, walking |
| Genoa Acquario and Old Port Guided Tour | 3 hrs | From €35 | Families |
| Liguria Pesto Cooking Class | 3 hrs | From €80 | Foodies |
| Genoa Street Food Walk: Farinata and Focaccia | 2.5 hrs | From €30 | Foodies, budget |
| Boccadasse and Nervi Coastal Walk | 3 hrs | From €20 | Active, scenic |
| Day Trip to the Cinque Terre by Train with Guide | Full day | From €60 | Hikers |
For Culture and History Lovers
Genoa Old Town and Rolli Palaces Walking Tour
The Rolli Palaces — a network of 42 Renaissance and Baroque palaces along Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi, built from the 16th century onwards as official state residences for Genoese aristocrats hosting visiting royalty — were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2006. Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco, and Palazzo Doria Tursi (now the city hall) are open to the public; Palazzo Doria Tursi contains the Paganini violin — the Cannone Guarnerius del Gesù, played by Niccolò Paganini and still played in concerts today.
This 3-hour old town and Rolli walking tour covers Via Garibaldi’s palace facades and two interior visits (typically Palazzo Rosso with its frescoed ceilings and portrait gallery, and Palazzo Bianco with its Flemish and Ligurian collections), then descends through the caruggi to the old port (Porto Antico), with stops at the medieval loggia and Piazza de Ferrari — Genoa’s main square with its fountain and the Palazzo della Borsa (stock exchange, 1912, one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau interiors in Italy).
Duration: 3 hours | Price: from approximately €25 | Includes: guide, palace entry fees | Tip: The Rolli palaces open their private interiors to visitors twice a year (Rolli Days, April and October) — if you’re timing a visit, these are extraordinary
For Couples and Scenic Views
Portofino and Santa Margherita Day Trip by Boat
Portofino — a tiny fishing village of 400 permanent residents, famously expensive and small enough to walk end-to-end in 10 minutes — is best approached by sea. The ferry and boat tour from Genoa takes 30 minutes from the Porto Antico to Santa Margherita (a larger resort town, more affordable, worth a stop for lunch), then a short final leg to Portofino. From the water you see what makes Portofino distinctive: pastel houses reflected on a horseshoe harbour, the Castello Brown on the headland above, and the promontory of Punta del Capo at the end of the Tigullio Gulf.
At Portofino, the guided walk covers Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta (the main harbour square), the path to Castello Brown (a castle converted into a residence by the British consul in 1867, open to visitors), and the footpath to the lighthouse at Punta del Faro.
Duration: Full day | Price: from approximately €65 | Includes: guide, ferry tickets | Tip: Portofino has very limited café and restaurant space — book lunch in Santa Margherita before taking the short boat to Portofino
For Families
Genoa Acquario and Old Port Guided Tour
The Acquario di Genova, built on the Porto Antico for the 1992 Columbus celebrations, is the largest aquarium in Europe — 70 tanks housing over 12,000 animals representing 600 species. The beluga whales (now retired — the aquarium no longer acquires new cetaceans), sharks, jellyfish tunnel, and the Mediterranean ray pools are the main draw for families. The adjacent Biosfera (a steel-and-glass sphere on pontoons) adds a tropical ecosystem exhibit with birds and insects.
This 3-hour Acquario and Porto Antico tour combines skip-the-line Acquario entry with a guided walk through the Porto Antico redesign by Renzo Piano (who is Genoese — his crane sculpture towers over the harbour), stopping at the medieval tower (Torre del Bigo) with its panoramic lift and the naval museum ship.
Duration: 3 hours | Price: from approximately €35 | Includes: Acquario entry (skip the line), guide | Queuing note: The Acquario has very long queues on weekends and school holidays — the skip-the-line entry is worth it
For Active and Coastal Travellers
Boccadasse and Nervi Coastal Walk
Boccadasse is a neighbourhood of Genoa that most visitors never reach — a tiny fishing village with coloured houses and a pebble beach, absorbed into the eastern suburbs of the city. The walk east from Boccadasse to Nervi (3 km) follows the Anita Garibaldi Promenade along cliffs and headlands above the Ligurian sea, one of the most scenic short walks in Liguria.
This 3-hour guided coastal walk covers the Boccadasse village, the promenade, and the Parco di Nervi — a large cliff-garden with palm trees and rose terraces above the sea. The walk ends at Nervi station for the return by train to central Genoa (15 minutes).
Duration: 3 hours | Price: from approximately €20 | Includes: guide | Footwear: Comfortable shoes or trainers; no technical hiking required
For Foodies
Liguria Pesto Cooking Class
Genoa invented pesto — the preparation of basil, garlic, pine nuts, Pecorino Sardo, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Ligurian olive oil ground in a marble mortar is first documented in 19th-century Genoese cookbooks, and the basil grown in the hills above the city (specifically the Pra’ neighbourhood) has Protected Designation of Origin status. The local claim is that the narrowness of the caruggi alleys — which filter direct sun — was necessary for growing the right quality of basil.
This 3-hour pesto cooking class covers mortar-ground pesto (the processor version is considered a degradation), fresh trofie pasta (the traditional Ligurian shape), and one second course — typically a Ligurian stuffed vegetable (torta di verdure). Includes a pesto tasting comparison between mortar and machine.
Duration: 3 hours | Price: from approximately €80 | Includes: all ingredients, recipe cards, tasting, glass of Ligurian wine
Genoa Street Food Walk: Farinata and Focaccia
Ligurian street food is distinct from the rest of Italy: farinata (a thin, crispy pancake made from chickpea flour and olive oil, baked in a copper pan and eaten plain) and focaccia genovese (thinner than Puglia’s version, oiled heavily, eaten for breakfast with a cappuccino dipped into it) are the two fundamentals. Both are sold from bakeries throughout the caruggi from 07:00.
This 2.5-hour street food walk visits three or four specific bakeries and shops in the old town: a forno that makes farinata in the original copper pan, the best focaccia shop in the Soziglia neighbourhood, a pesto shop for tasting with breadsticks, and a torta di recco stop (a thin crispy pastry stuffed with fresh stracchino cheese, a Ligurian specialty).
Duration: 2.5 hours | Price: from approximately €30 | Includes: guide, all tastings | Best time: 07:30–10:00 for the fresh farinata and focaccia
Practical Information
Getting to Genoa: Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole are the two main stations — Piazza Principe is closer to the old town and Porto Antico. High-speed trains from Milan take approximately 1.5 hours; from Rome, approximately 4.5 hours. Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport (GOA) is 6 km west of centre with a Volabus connection.
Orientation note: The caruggi are genuinely disorienting — bring a phone with maps downloaded offline. The main axis is Via Luccoli to Via degli Orefici to Via Soziglia, with the Piazza de Ferrari and Porto Antico as reference landmarks.
Portofino via public transport: Tigullio ferry from Porto Antico to Santa Margherita/Portofino runs May to September. Out of season, take the train to Rapallo and the boat from there.