Genoa and Palermo

[Giantfan13]

We are doing an MSC cruise next month with stops in these two ports. I looked on Trip Advisor for some ideas as to what to do, but I prefer Cruise Critic advice so much more. 

We have never been to either of these ports so what should we do? We certainly do not want to book a ships tour, and we are getting a bit 'long in the tooth to be running around on our own all day if that's what it takes to see these ports.

What are sort of must sites to see, or should we think of getting out of town on an excursion? Ae the HoHo buses any good?

 

We have waited a bit too long to really start planning, so any advice would be appreciated.

 

Cheers

Len

[edinburgher]

15 hours ago, Giantfan13 said:

We are doing an MSC cruise next month with stops in these two ports

Of the two we only visited Palermo.  Both cities are hugely historic with interesting history and many many sightseeing opportunities without needing to go out of town.  Would probably be helpful to you to read past threads.  if you do not know how to use the SEARCH TOOL, here are results for Genoa.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/search/?q=genoa&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

 

And for Palermo

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/search/?q=palermo&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

 

Palermo has so many sights that ideally two days would be better than one and we certainly filled ours.  We found Tripadvisor extremely helpful for helping us to prioritise our wish list and other websites too, especially those with images and maps. We were a bit overambitious, and didn't visit everything we thought we might, but once we arrived at our first sight,(walked from the port) the others we visited were in quite close proximity to each other, but not especially exhausting as we had planned to do just that using online maps.

 

And do look at the ship shorex descriptions because even if you do not want to do one, they will give you highlights of what they consider to be the top sights in each.

Edited September 13, 2023 by edinburgher

[CynBeth6]

We visited Genoa. My mom was with us who is slow and needs to sit down and rest every now and then so all we had time for was the aquarium we were there most of the day and then did one circuit on the HOHO bus there is a stop near the port.

Edited September 13, 2023 by CynBeth6

[mapleleaves]

 

Visit your library and borrow a couple of travel books on Italy....Rick Steves,.Lonely Planet, Fodors, Frommers, Insight Guide,  There are many to choose from.

Nearly every town has a website to help promote tourism and local vendors. Google something like 'Genoa Tourist Information' to find it.  Do similar for Palermo.

Visitgenoa.it

Edited September 13, 2023 by mapleleaves

[Senga]

We are in our mid 70's, I use a cane.  This will give you an idea of how easy it is to DIY Genoa which we absolutely LOVED.

Left the ship at 10.  Easy access to city centre using Metro which is free 10-4 and is close to the port, easy to find/use.  Information just outside Stazione Marittima is excellent.  People with mobility issues might have a problem since escalator/elevators are under repair at San Giorgio stop.

Principe Metro

Stazione Marittima

De Ferrari Metro - FREE W/C

Piazza De Ferrari - fountain, statue, Teatro Carlo Felice

Palazzo Ducale

Church of Jesus

Market - where we purchased 2 jars of pesto €10

Piazza Dante - Porto Soprana / Casa di Colombo

San Lorenzo Cathedral

Lunch at Caffe San Lorenzo - €17; Gnocchi al pesto, Penne al pesto, Aqua

Dessert at GROM - €7,40; dark chocolate gelato,Fragola granita/gelato

San Giorgio Metro

Piazza Caricamento - Porto Antico

Palazzo Emanuele Filiberto Di Negro

Acquario Di Genova

Returned to the ship at 2:30 after seeing everything we wanted.