Hotels in Genoa

Genoa may not be as overrun with tourists as the Cinque Terre towns further down the Ligurian coast, but perhaps that’s just because Genoa is a large enough city that it can accommodate the influx. It’s a port city (and sometimes a stop for cruise ships), and it’s in this part of the world that you should definitely order whatever has pesto on the menu. Genovese basil, after all, takes its name from this very city.
Because it’s a port city, you’re likely to read about hotels that say they’re close to the water. With the map below you can pinpoint exactly where each hotel is located and see if they’re really as close as they say they are.

Genoa's old town is a knot of narrow lanes (the Genovese call them caruggi) running down to the harbor, and it's one of the largest medieval centers in Europe. Up the hill, the Renaissance palaces along Via Garibaldi are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and several are open as museums. Down at the Porto Antico, the aquarium is one of the biggest in Europe.

Eat focaccia for breakfast the way the locals do, and trofie al pesto for lunch. Trains run down the coast to the Cinque Terre and up to Santa Margherita Ligure, the station for Portofino, so Genoa works as a base as well as a stop.

Here’s that map of hotels in Genoa.