Car Hire in Genoa - Getting to Genoa

Genoa is located in northwestern Italy on the shore of the Ligurian Sea, and has a large harbour with the main railway station on its doorstep. Alitalia and other carriers fly into the Aeroporto Internazionale di Genova Cristoforo Colombo, located six kilometres west of the city centre near the town of Sestri Ponente.

Volabus runs from the airport to Stazione Brignole train station, east of the centre. The bus also makes a stop at Piazza Acquaverde (Stazione Principe), the harbour train station. Tickets can be bought on the bus.

The autostrada A12 southeast from Genoa links up with the autostrada network for all northern and southern destinations; Rome is a six-hour drive from Genoa. From Milan, Genoa is 150kms or roughly two hours to the south. Nice is 2 hours, 30 minutes through tunnels west on the A10.

Genoa has good rail connections to the rest of Italy. It lies only 1 hour, 30 minutes from Milan; 3 hours from Florence; and 1 hour, 30 minutes from the French border. Genoa has two major train stations: Stazione Principe and Stazione Brignole.

Chances are you'll arrive at the Principe, Piazza Acquaverde, nearest to the harbour and the old part of the city. The Brignole, on Piazza Verde, lies in the heart of the modern city. Trains and municipally-operated buses run between the two stations.

The main bus station in Genoa is at Piazza Principe. Several bus lines provide connections between the city and towns along the Ligurian coast, along the French Riviera, and elsewhere in Italy. Diana Tours operates a bus service between Nice’s airport (France) and Genoa.

Grimaldi Lines has overnight ferries similar to cruise ships. From Barcelona, the ferry takes 18 hours, while the ferry from Palermo in Sicily takes 20 hours. Tirrenia Navigazione ferries leave from various ports around the Mediterranean. The most popular route is a 13-hour trip via Sardinia.