Genoa?

[ssmea03]

How does everyone get to Genoa? As it is only served by a small regional airport.

[alwysonvctn]

We took the train from Milan, the station is very close to the port. 

[gtaylor]

We also took the train from Milan.

 

Several hotel choices very near (walkable) the train station.

 

gary

[RudiRatlos]

There are daily fligts to Genoa from London, Amsterdam and Munich, so maybe a connecting flight may be an option for you.

If not, MSC offers airport transfer from genoa, milan, and nice (cannot be booked online, you have to call or e-mail MSC or use a TA), or as been said above, you can take the train - not only several hotels but also MSC's cruise terminal is in short walking distance from the station.

[angelsil]

We sailed out of Genoa in November.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't fly into Genoa. There aren't that many daily flights. Ours was cancelled when we arrived in Europe (Munich) and there wasn't another until the next day AFTER our boarding time because the only flight was once a day at 1pm. We naively thought arriving the day before would be enough buffer for travel issues. Our airline was singularly unhelpful with suggesting alternate routes. If I hadn't known it was possible to fly to Milan and then take the train, we would have missed the ship.

 

If I had to do it all over, I would have just flown to Milan in the first place. The train was easy, cheap, and had regular service. Milan is a big airport with tons of flights. Flying right now is a real crapshoot. We faced 3 canceled flights on our trip to Europe. It was messy and stressful. As noted, the main train station in Genoa is a 5-minute walk from the pier and there are a ton of hotels right there. We spent the night for around $60 IIRC.

[8420PR]

For me the decision is based on where I would like to spend a couple of nights before or after the cruise.  I've done:

- Fly to Milan, and then take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

- Fly to Turin, and the take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

- Fly to Pisa, and the take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

 

In Italian Genoa is called Genova, so that is the train destination you are looking for.  I have always taken regional trains, as they are cheaper and you don't need to book in advance.  If you take an intercity train you should book in advance and will get a seat reservation with the ticket.   I use the Trenitalia app to check times and book tickets.

 

There are plenty of other opportunities depending on where you want to visit before your cruise - for example Florence is easily possible (but a bit longer train journey), and there are direct EC trains to Genoa from Zurich each day.

 

Not mentioned so far is flixbus - their bus terminal (Genoa Fanti d'Italia/Principe bus station) is 50m to the cruise terminal (even closer than the train station).  I've taken a flixbus from Munich in Germany to Genoa - it took 9 hours with just one stop in Milan.  Not as comfortable as the train, but can be very cheap and convenient.    https://global.flixbus.com/bus/genoa

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by 8420PR

[ssmea03]

22 hours ago, 8420PR said:

For me the decision is based on where I would like to spend a couple of nights before or after the cruise.  I've done:

- Fly to Milan, and then take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

- Fly to Turin, and the take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

- Fly to Pisa, and the take the train to Genoa Piazza Principe station.

 

In Italian Genoa is called Genova, so that is the train destination you are looking for.  I have always taken regional trains, as they are cheaper and you don't need to book in advance.  If you take an intercity train you should book in advance and will get a seat reservation with the ticket.   I use the Trenitalia app to check times and book tickets.

 

There are plenty of other opportunities depending on where you want to visit before your cruise - for example Florence is easily possible (but a bit longer train journey), and there are direct EC trains to Genoa from Zurich each day.

 

Not mentioned so far is flixbus - their bus terminal (Genoa Fanti d'Italia/Principe bus station) is 50m to the cruise terminal (even closer than the train station).  I've taken a flixbus from Munich in Germany to Genoa - it took 9 hours with just one stop in Milan.  Not as comfortable as the train, but can be very cheap and convenient.    https://global.flixbus.com/bus/genoa

 

A lot will depend on whether we go to Scotland (from Toronto) before the cruise, or Paris after the cruise. But we are tending towards Milan rather than Nice. Is Bergamo as convenient as Malpensa? Regarding getting to the main train station for trains to Genoa?

[RudiRatlos]

Malpensa - Milan central station: 30 minutes by regional train,

Bergamo  - Milan central station: 1 hour by bus.