Genoa city center was the base for a wonderful trip. Genoa is not just one of the most important city port in Italy, is also a lovely historical town and has a lot of museums that are a must to be visited especially if you are here with your children.

 

 

In summertime you can also enjoy a day trip to do whale watching, and if you can plan at least a week you can visit le Cinque Terre famous worldwide for beaches and breathtaking landscapes.

 

 

My daughter and I decided to spend some days in Genova and Le Cinque Terre, before she started the new experience with the primary school.

 

 

We went in September which is a lovely time to stay along the sea, not too hot, not to cold or rainy and still with beautiful long days too.

 

 

We decided to have our base in Genoa city center, which is a lovely historical town too.

 

 

We arrived in Genova from Milan by train which is an easy and inexpensive way to get here, and moreover who have kids knows that they love trains.

 

 

I booked at the Hotel Nuovo Nord via Booking.com and we stayed at the 500 meters walking distance from the Genova Stazione Porto Principe which is perfect if you need to bring a suitcase and the children with you.

 

 

The hotel is in the city center and you are at a walkable distance from everything, however this hotel is very noisy because is located in one of the principal Genova’s streets, you will hear trams, buses and cars day and night, and if this is not enough at the first floor there is a Bar and a Pizzeria with neon signs that will bright your room.

 

 

To try to avoid this you can ask for a room which overlooks the back probably should be less noisy.

 

 

Anyway, I would recommend this hotel because the rooms are a bit bigger than the standard, even if the closet is quite unusual, and it has been internally refurbished quite recently in a nice way.

 

 

The bathroom has been renovated in a modern fashion style (again toilets are the pain point in Liguria region)  The breakfast is very good, is included in the rate and is served in a small room with small tables, but everything is clean, the breakfast comes with sweet and savoury food which is always replaced and how to forget the yummy taste of a fresh slice of focaccia always present.

 

 

Below a summary of our journey:

 

 

DAY ONE: Genova Galata Museo Del Mare, Nazario Sauro Submarine

 

 

DAY TWO: Genova Galeone Neptune, Acquario, Biosfera, Boat Tour “Genoa by the sea”, BIGO, Genova city center by train

 

 

DAY THREE: Le Cinque Terre Vernazza and Monterosso

 

 

Before leaving Genova we did shopping, we are girls at the end… we took a nice picture with Minnie at the Porto Antico area, then shopping and lunch to Eataly, where we enjoyed a stunning view of the Porto Antico.

 

Eataly for the ones who does not know the brand it’s not only a restaurants and a market. “It should represent the “Italian” way of indulging at the table, is the result of the extent to which Italians enjoy excellent Mediterranean cuisine combined with Italy’s food and wine culture and history, the easy reproduction of many dishes of poor origin, along with many positive influences that Italian cuisine has gained from abroad over history (for example, with tomatoes and corn coming from America). Eataly’s main goal is to demonstrate that high-quality products can be made available to everyone: easy to find and at affordable prices, but that’s not all. Eataly wants to communicate faces, production methods and stories of people and companies who make the best Italian high quality food and wine”. (from. The website).

 

 

Then we had a walk in the shopping district and we indulge ourselves in one of the famous Pasticcerie of the centre (Pasticceria San Sebastiano) lovely bignè, cappuccino and an apple juice.

 

 

Sadly we returned to our hotel that kindly allowed us to store the baggage for free, after leaving our room. Before to take the train to Milan, we bought our dinner a fantastic panino al Bar il Chiosco in front of the train station, highly recommended as here you can make your sandwich choosing between a lot of fresh food choice, we had one with Prosciutto di Parma and one with Coppa, yummy and cheap.

 

 

Please feel free to write me at info@travelatbreakfast.com if you want any help to organize your trip in Genova and Le Cinque Terre for you and your children, for your family or just for you and I will sort out an amazing programe which will make your travel unforgettable.