A Week On The Italian Riviera With Genoa As Base

Genoa is a coastal city in Liguria, north-west Italy, on the Ligurian Sea, and it sits almost exactly midway along the arc of coast that the rest of the world calls the Italian Riviera. Camogli lies about 18 km to the east in a straight line, Portofino about 25, the Cinque Terre about 67, Nice and Monaco about 141 to the west. A single room in the city therefore serves an entire week of seaside day trips by train and boat, with the old town, the UNESCO Palazzi dei Rolli and the Aquarium filling the days in between. This itinerary spreads seven days across that arc, with every fare, distance and opening detail taken from the operator and city pages that publish them.

Why Does Genoa Work As A Base For An Italian Riviera Itinerary?

Genoa works as a base because the entire Riviera di Levante lies within a short train or boat ride of its two main stations, the city itself holds a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Aquarium and one of the largest medieval historic centres in Europe, and the western Riviera runs west from the same tracks toward Savona, Nice and Monaco. Nothing on this route requires a car, and the coastal railway stops within walking distance of nearly every village named below.

Since Genoa anchors the whole week, book a hotel room here.

The city's position is the whole argument. Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole anchor a coastal railway that runs east through Nervi, Recco, Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Sestri Levante and on to the Cinque Terre, and west through Pegli, Varazze, Savona and on toward France. The straight-line distances tell the story: Nervi about 9 km, Recco about 17, Camogli about 18, San Fruttuoso about 22, Santa Margherita Ligure about 24, Portofino and Rapallo about 25. Portofino itself has no railway station, which is why the boat and bus legs in this itinerary matter as much as the trains.

The city days hold their own against the coast. The old town covers 113 hectares of caruggi, the narrow lanes that the comune's own tourism pages describe as one of the largest medieval historic centres in Europe. The Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli entered the UNESCO list in 2006 with 42 palaces. The Aquarium of Genoa, opened in 1992, sells fixed-date adult tickets from 26.00 EUR and opens 365 days a year. A week here splits naturally into two or three city days and four or five coastal ones.

How Do You Get Around On This Italian Riviera Itinerary?

You get around on AMT city transport and Trenitalia regional trains, plus seasonal boats on the coast: an AMT ticket costs 2.00 EUR and is valid 110 minutes on the whole urban network, a Met Daily 24-hour ticket costs 10.00 EUR and adds Volabus, the airport bus, AMT line 782 to Portofino and the Genoa-Casella railway, and regional trains run east and west along the coast from Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole. Boats fill the gaps where the railway does not reach.

The AMT fare table is simple and it is worth learning on day one. The ordinary ticket, 2.00 EUR, covers 110 minutes anywhere on the urban network including the metro, the eight-station line that runs 7 km from Brin to Brignole. An integrated AMT plus Trenitalia ticket costs 2.20 EUR. A carnet of eleven tickets costs 20.00 EUR, and a five-hour ticket 5.00 EUR. The lifts and the Sant'Anna funicular charge 1.20 EUR a ride. The Zecca-Righi funicular and the Castelletto Levante lift run daily from 06:40 to 24:00, and the lift from Piazza Portello to the Spianata Castelletto covers a 57 m rise to the city's best-known terrace.

The Met Daily at 10.00 EUR matters for two specific legs of this itinerary. Volabus, the airport bus that links Genova Cristoforo Colombo airport with Principe, De Ferrari and Brignole in about 30 minutes, has no single fare of its own: the Met Daily is the ticket. Line 782 from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino is also included, which pairs the train east with the bus around the headland on the Portofino day. The airport taxi is a fixed 25 EUR per car to the centre, 30 EUR for more than four people, plus 2 EUR at night and on holidays.

What Do Days One And Two In Genoa Cover?

Day one covers the old town, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Musei di Strada Nuova on Via Garibaldi, and day two covers the Porto Antico, the Aquarium and the Galata Museo del Mare, with the Zecca-Righi funicular or the Spianata Castelletto lift at the end of either day for the panorama over the whole arc of coast this itinerary travels. Both days walk, with no transport beyond a single AMT ticket at most.

Start inside the caruggi. The old town's 113 hectares sit between the port and Via XX Settembre, and Piazza De Ferrari, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Casa di Colombo, where Columbus lived between 1455 and 1470, all sit within the same walking mesh. The Museo del Tesoro di San Lorenzo, beside the cathedral, opens Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:00, closed Sunday.

Via Garibaldi, the core of the Strade Nuove, holds the Musei di Strada Nuova: Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria-Tursi. In the winter timetable, 28 September 2026 to 18 April 2027, they open daily 10:00 to 18:30, with one exception worth planning around: on Mondays only Palazzo Rosso can be visited. The combined ticket with the Museo di Sant'Agostino costs 14 EUR full and 9 EUR reduced. Palazzo Doria-Tursi holds the violin called Il Cannone, built in Cremona in 1743 by Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri and associated with Paganini. A guided option exists at Rolli palaces and Via Garibaldi, and the two-day Genoa itinerary expands this half of the week in detail.

Day two moves to the water. The Porto Antico, redeveloped by Renzo Piano for the 1992 Columbus Expo, holds the Aquarium, the Biosfera and the Bigo panoramic lift. The Aquarium's own ticket page lists fixed-date adult tickets from 26.00 EUR, children 4 to 12 from 16.00 EUR, under-4s free, and the combined Aquarium, Biosfera and Bigo ticket from 37.00 EUR for an adult; prices are dynamic, so the date chosen changes the figure. The Galata Museo del Mare, 12,000 m2 over five levels and 31 rooms, opens 10:00 to 19:00. Check its own site and the Lanterna's page for current details on the lighthouse, whose tower is billed as the tallest lighthouse in the Mediterranean.

If the week falls in mid-October, two events reshape day two. The Rolli Days ran 16 to 18 October 2026, opening Rolli palaces that are otherwise private, with booking required. The Festival della Scienza ran 22 October to 1 November 2026 with around 250 events. The Salone Nautico, the Genoa International Boat Show, filled 1 to 6 October 2026 and returns 30 September to 5 October 2027 for its 67th edition.

What Does Day Three Cover: Boccadasse, Nervi And The Eastern Edge Of Genoa?

Day three stays inside the city but feels coastal: Corso Italia, the seaside promenade, and Boccadasse, the former fishermen's village about 4 km from Piazza De Ferrari, sit at the end of it, and Nervi, about 9 km east, adds the roughly 2 km Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi cliff walk and the Parchi di Nervi with their 92,000 m2 of gardens. One AMT ticket or one regional train stop covers each leg.

Boccadasse keeps its gozzi, the small wooden fishing boats, drawn up on a pebble beach between coloured houses, and the ARPAL 2026 bathing-water class for Boccadasse is reported as poor, so treat the bay as a place to look at rather than swim. The swim news is better at Nervi, whose class is reported as good. Corso Italia, about 2.5 km long, links the Foce district to Boccadasse past the beach establishments, and the walk or the bus along it is the simplest way to reach the village.

Nervi rewards a half day. The Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi runs about 2 km from the harbour at Nervi to Capolungo along the cliff top, and the Parchi di Nervi cover 9.2 hectares between Via Aurelia and the sea, with a rose garden holding more than 200 varieties and around 100 botanical species. Trains stop at Genoa Nervi station beside the promenade, and the parks of Nervi guide covers the museums in the park's villas. The one-day Genoa itinerary compresses all of this for anyone short on time.

How Do You Do Camogli, San Fruttuoso And Portofino In One Day?

Take the train from Genova Brignole or Principe to Camogli, about 18 km east, then the Golfo Paradiso boat: the Two Gulfs tour departs Genoa Porto Antico at 11:00 and Camogli at 11:45 on listed dates and runs about 30 minutes each from Camogli to San Fruttuoso and San Fruttuoso to Portofino, with full-day fares reported around 29 EUR and half-day 21 to 26 EUR. Camogli to San Fruttuoso boats run year round.

This is the day the whole week is built around, and it works two ways. The organised way is the Two Gulfs tour, which leaves the Calata Mandraccio at Porto Antico and calls at Nervi, Recco, Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino on its listed 2026 dates from March onward. The independent way is the train to Camogli and the local boat onward. Either way, San Fruttuoso is the fixed point: a hamlet with a FAI-owned abbey reached almost only by sea or on foot, where admission costs 10 EUR full, 5 EUR for ages 6 to 18 and students to 25, free under 5, with a family ticket at 26.00 EUR. The abbey opens January and February daily except non-holiday Mondays 10:00 to 15:45, March 10:00 to 15:45, April and May 10:00 to 16:45, and June to mid-September 10:00 to 17:45.

Portofino ends the day. The village is a limited-traffic zone, and non-resident drivers use the paid car park, whose rates should be checked on the official site, which is one reason the boat arrival is the better plan. Camogli is the food stop to plan for: focaccia di Recco has held IGP status since 2015 and, by regulation, is produced only in Recco, Camogli, Sori and Avegno, and Recco itself is only about 17 km from Genoa if the appetite calls for the source.

For a day built around the hardest stretch of coast without any of the logistics, a private boat excursion with a guide runs from Genoa to Portofino, and the related tour below covers it: Check availability. The Portofino boat tour guide on this site describes what the excursion includes.

What Does Day Five Look Like In Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo And The Tigullio?

Day five takes the regional train about 24 km east to Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo, both about 25 km from Piazza De Ferrari in a straight line, then moves between them and Portofino on the Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio boats: line 1 runs Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino and San Fruttuoso, line 4 links Santa Margherita and Rapallo to the Cinque Terre, and the Santa Margherita to Portofino return is reported around 20 EUR. AMT bus 782 also serves Portofino and is included in the Met Daily.

The Tigullio gulf is the Riviera's softest day, built for alternating boat and bench. Santa Margherita Ligure holds the grand hotels and the seafront promenade; Rapallo, the same distance east, holds the cable car harbourfront and a flatter, working town centre. Line 2 of the Tigullio service runs from Sestri Levante through Lavagna and Chiavari toward Portofino and San Fruttuoso, so the day can extend along the coast as far as Sestri Levante, about 40 km from Genoa, and its Baia del Silenzio. Reported Tigullio fares include 47 EUR for the Super Cinque Terre return from Santa Margherita or Rapallo, which doubles as a preview of day six.

If the sea is rough, the Met Daily covers bus 782 from Santa Margherita to Portofino, and the same 10.00 EUR ticket covers the whole day's AMT travel including the return through the eastern suburbs. The Santa Margherita Ligure guide and the Rapallo guide break the two towns down stop by stop, and the walking tour pages on this site handle guided options if the do-it-yourself version feels heavy.

How Do You Spend Day Six On The Cinque Terre?

Take a regional train from Genova Piazza Principe toward La Spezia, about 67 km of coast away in a straight line, buy a Cinque Terre Treno Card, then walk or ride between the five villages: the Treno Card costs 22.00 to 35.00 EUR for one adult day by date band in the 2026 high season, covers the trains and the Sentiero Azzurro trails, and includes the reopened Via dell'Amore, whose time slot must be booked separately.

The card's own price table is the planning tool. One adult day runs 22.00, 29.50 or 35.00 EUR depending on the date band between 14 March and 1 November 2026, with low-season one-day rates of 17.30 EUR from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027. Two days run 36.50 to 61.00 EUR, three days 49.00 to 81.00 EUR. The Trekking Card, trails only, is reported at 10 EUR a day standard and 15 EUR on peak days. The Via dell'Amore, the Riomaggiore to Manarola path, is open 29 March to 24 October 2026 from 09:00 to 21:00 with last entry 20:30, and from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027 from 09:00 to 18:00 with last entry 17:30, always with a booked slot.

Trains from Genoa reach Monterosso on regional services, and the villages connect by the same coastal railway, so the day becomes a chain of short hops with walking between. Portovenere, about 82 km from Genoa in a straight line, sits at the gulf's far corner and pairs with the Cinque Terre by seasonal boat; the Portovenere guide covers it. The Cinque Terre guide on this site carries the full card table and trail detail, and the Genoa or La Spezia comparison addresses the base question directly if anyone is tempted to move hotels for this one day. Do not: the train makes it unnecessary.

What Are The Options For Day Seven: The Western Riviera, Nice And Monaco?

Day seven runs west: by train through Pegli, about 10 km, to Varazze, Savona, Noli and Finale Ligure on the Riviera di Ponente, or onward with a change at Ventimiglia to Nice and Monaco, about 141 km from Genoa in a straight line, a rail journey reported around three to four hours in total. The western towns need only regional tickets bought on the day, and the French leg needs nothing more than a passport check at the border.

The western half of the Riviera gets less attention than the east, which on a seven-day plan makes it the change of rhythm the final day wants. Varazze and Finale Ligure hold the sandy beaches the rocky Levante lacks; Noli keeps a medieval centre behind its seafront; Savona is the working port town between them. All sit on the same coastal line out of Principe, and the Varazze guide and the Nice and Monaco guide plan both versions of the day. Car hire is an alternative for a loop inland, and the Genoa car rental guide sets out the ZTL limited-traffic rules that make a car more hindrance than help inside the city itself.

If the flight home leaves from Genova Cristoforo Colombo, the airport is only about 7 km west of Piazza De Ferrari and Volabus reaches it from Principe, De Ferrari and Brignole in about 30 minutes on the 10.00 EUR Met Daily. Visitors should check the official site for current routes and further connections.

What Does A Week On The Italian Riviera Cost In Genoa Itself?

The fixed, published costs of the city half of this week are modest: an AMT ticket at 2.00 EUR for 110 minutes, the Met Daily at 10.00 EUR, the Genoa Museum Card at 24 EUR for 24 hours or 45 EUR for 48 hours covering 28 city museums, and Aquarium entry from 26.00 EUR adult, with a tourist tax of 2.50 EUR per person per night at a 2-star hotel.

The Museum Card deserves its own sentence: the 2026 rates are 24 EUR for 24 hours and 45 EUR for 48 hours, the card covers 28 city museums, 19 municipal and 9 others, and only the card variants that include buses cover urban transport, never Volabus, Navebus or trains. Plan it for days one and two, when the municipal museums cluster. The tourist tax scales with the room: the comune's own tariff page sets 2.00 EUR per person per night at 1-star hotels, 2.50 EUR at 2-star, 4.00 EUR at B&Bs and holiday rooms, and 2.00 EUR at hostels and campsites, with the 3, 4 and 5-star rates reported at 3, 4 and 5 EUR.

Climate sets the packing list. The official 1971-2000 normals for Genoa Sestri, the Aeronautica Militare station at the airport, give a July mean high of 27.3 C and a January mean high of 11.5 C, with October the month carrying the highest rain total at 171.3 mm and July the lowest at 24.2 mm. May and September sit at 20.5 C and 24.4 C mean highs with 72.4 mm and 136.4 mm of rain respectively, which is why this itinerary keeps indoor options, the museums, the Aquarium and the Galata, evenly spread rather than banked at one end.

Which Version Of This Italian Riviera Itinerary Fits A Shorter Week?

With five days, keep both Genoa city days, the Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino boat day and the Cinque Terre, and fold the Tigullio into the Portofino day by train, since Santa Margherita Ligure is only about 24 km out and boats and bus 782 link it to Portofino directly. With four days, drop the western Riviera and the Tigullio, and let the Aquarium absorb the rain-risk afternoon, since it opens 365 days a year.

The compression follows the geography rather than preference. The eastern Riviera stacks: Nervi is a train stop on the way to Camogli, Camogli is the boat departure for San Fruttuoso, Portofino sits on the far side of the same headland as Santa Margherita Ligure, and the Cinque Terre line runs through the Tigullio stations. A traveller with three days can run old town, boat day and Cinque Terre, which is the shape of the three-day Genoa itinerary, and a cruise passenger with one day is on the cruise port day plan, which starts from the Stazioni Marittime terminals at Ponte dei Mille where the port's figures record 2.4 million cruise passengers a year.

Families should weight the split differently. The Genoa with kids itinerary builds around the Aquarium and the old town's lanes, and rain has its own plan at Genoa in the rain, where the museums, the Ducale's exhibition calendar, currently running World Press Photo to 8 December 2026 and the Renoir, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec and Cézanne show from 15 October 2026, and the covered caruggi carry a full day. Whatever the length, the base does not move: the whole design of an Genoa Travel Guide week is that the trains and boats do the travelling and the hotel room does not.

Common Questions About An Italian Riviera Itinerary

A week on the Italian Riviera from a Genoa base ends where it began, on the seafront the trains never leave for long: seven days, one room, and a coastline that runs from the caruggi to the French border on a 2.00 EUR ticket at a time.