Genoa Travel Forum

I have 2 hours to kill around lunch time to switch to the train to Nice. Reading these posts it sounds like Genoa is like Naples less the charm...LOL Put my 2 bags in a locker and get lunch nearby, or wait it out and pray I'm not whacked in the station? It will be a few days before Easter. Thanks.

People are so silly about some cities.
There's nothing wrong with the station. Check your baggage at luggage consignment and take a walk around the old center, 10 minutes or so from the station. The cathedral is quite wonderful and the alleys of the old center are interesting and atmospheric. Locals are a bit grim, but you never have to see them again, and I found the junkies to be quite the nicest of any city's.
Actually some locals may be a bit over-insistent about helping you get out of there, assuming you must be lost. Pffft. I admit I didn't love Genova, but I did come away wondering what all the screaming was about.

It does depend on which station you change at, Brignole or Porto Principe. Brignole nicer area but PP has some nice little back streets.

there is a lot to see within 2 hours and the old part of town is just around the corner (maybe you better stay out of the smaller streets, it might be confusing how to get back again in time).
But when you stay on the main road, you should have no problem. Genua is not any worse that other places in Europe

Thanks for your help, lunch it is. Any good cheap places near the Main station? And friendly junkies? I may score some smack and sleep all the way back to Roma! LOL Just kidding...

i am picking you will be changing trains at Principe

I just love genova myself and have spent a bit of time there - they have a left luggage office at both stations - both stations are really safe - just a few beggars - ignore them

course, you know, watch out of pickpockets

both stations are way more salubrious than Termini in Roma - i myself wouldn't head for the centro storico to have a look - not quite enough time - but it is perfectly safe

the old part of town is just round the corner????

not from Brignole it is not - a good twenty minutes walk away

is it really that close to Principe?

both of these places are not more than 5 minutes to walk from the main train station (NOT from Brignole!)
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/1ffe4/24bec/2/
BUT
1) it is in the old part of town with tiny streets, bad smells & lots of stray-cats (the types with 2 legs as well as with 4 legs)
2) you need to speak at least some italian

ok i have my map out and i have pinpointed principe - and now I have found where Maria's is - quite near Piazza ferarri - and it would take me at leasst 10 minutes - maybe 15 or 20 to walk there - even if i didn't get lost

No charm? Not sure whether that's the general concensus of travellers, but I think it's rather unfair. And I wouldn't describe the inhabitants as grim - I've known some lovely Genoese people!

It's certainly seedy in many spots at night, but during the day I would have thought the usual precautions apply, no more. Certainly, I've been numerous times and always felt safe - during the day. There are some areas that are down at heel (this isn't an Italian city in the mould of Florence for example), but then it is a working port and that's what they tend to be like.

Reasons to venture into the town? There is some lovely architecture in the city, made more interesting by the fact that a lot of it is a bit grubby with peeling plaster, etc. There are palm trees which give the city a nice lush feel, and I remember walking into one palazzo off the street and finding a fountain filled with koy carp - it's definitely a city of warren-like streets and hidden surprises. If you have time to get down to the port area itself, that is worth seeing too. There are boats and ships of all descriptions, and this area is one that has been done up.

Some of the palazzi I mentioned above are part of a Unesco heritage site:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1211

Two hours will give you enough time for a good wander if you make sure you head off in the general direction of the centre. And you should try either focaccia di recco or farinata, the two big Genoese fast food items. They're sold to take away in shops.

yeah - i love genova - it's gritty, it's great

>>>>>>And I wouldn't describe the inhabitants as grim<<<<<<

Obviously, 'grim' is a sweeping generalization based on a superficial experience similar to what the OP is planning---we had a day to kill between trains and nothing much planned. By and large, passersby seemed very frowny, and most people we spoke to were either blankly indifferent or brusque to the point of hostility (and I do speak functional Italian). I don't hold it against them, as I live in the rudest city in North America. Exceptions were the friendly junkies who were grateful to be given cigarettes by strangers who weren't afraid of them and who got very chatty with us, and an anxious man who was postive we had to be lost if we were walking around such a place, and wanted to drag us back to the station.

I checked and it's more like 1 hour 40 min. So its a chickpea flatbread I think. Thanks for the info.

dnwitte - I can see why you weren't too keen! To be honest, I've heard a few people (including a Genoese friend who never wants to live there again) say less than complimentary things about people from that city, but I felt I had to stand up for the nice ones :)

TrainedPoorly - yes, that's it. More appetising than it sounds, although I prefer foccaccia di recco, a sort of cheese-filled flat bread that's nothing like other foccaccia. VERY good.