flying to genova
Genova has its own airport named Cristoforo Colombo Genova Airport, with the IATA code of GOA (http://www.genovaairport.com/). However, the flight frequency is sparse here. So, the alternate point of destination can be the Milan Airport, which is ~200 kms from Genova (http://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en). Roughly it takes around 3.5 hours (drive) to travel from Milan to Genova
at GENOVA (AIRPORT)
at MILAN AIRPORT
at GENOVA (AIRPORT)
- After getting out of the airplane you will be led to the Immigration clearance
- After the immigration clearance collect your bags and go to the Customs clearance
- Once you step out with all your bags in place, here is a volvo bus service ( VOLABUS ) from Genova airport. Check here for the Volabus timings : http://www.airport.genova.it/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=136&lang=en
- Inquire beforehand as to which is the closest stop among these Sampierdarena, Principe and Bringole from the place of your stay.
- The bus fare is 6 Euros (it includes 60 minutes of travel time in AMT public transportation.
- There is direct TAXI service available. Most of the taxi drivers understand only Italian. (You can call to 0105966, for an English speaking taxi drivers).
at MILAN AIRPORT
- Milan has three airports: Malpensa [MXP], Linate [LIN], and Orio al Serio (AKA Bergamo) [BGY].
- Malpensa is the biggest airport in the Milan area and is located approx. 50 km NW of Milan, just a few km. South of Lake Maggiore. It has two terminals. T1 is used by all airlines, except Easyjet, which uses T2.
- Depending upon the time of your arrival, you may experience sudden climate change once you step out of the airport. Have a small umbrella, pulover/jackets, mufflers, gloves handy in your luggage.
- From Milan (to Genova) you can take a flight, a train, a bus or a hired car.
- To take a train to Genova, (which we generally do) you will have to come to the Milan Central Railway Station (Milano Centrale) which is about (50mins) from Milan airport.
- There are plenty of buses and trains that take you from the airport to the Milan Railway Station. The shuttle service (bus) will cost you about 5-10 euros. Don't buy a ticket in advance at any of the ticket outlets in the airport or online, they may offer "discount" prices but the best price is the one you buy from a ticket seller standing at the door of the bus. The ticket seller will only take cash, for the last 3 years the price for a single journey has been as low as 5 euros and as high as 10 euros.
- Once you reach the railway station, you can purchase your tickets for the regional trains at this station, either at the convenient multilingual ticket machines, or at a ticket window. There are no reservations on regional trains, so the ticket is good on any regional train on that route, for the next several months. Before boarding the train, you have to stamp it in the little yellow machine near the track, which commits you to using it within the next few hours.
- Get a ticket to Genova for either of these stops, Sampierdarena, Principe and Bringole, depending on the place of your stay.
- If you wish to book your train ticket online (http://www.trenitalia.com/) (from Milan to Genova) consider 'the baggage claim time' and 'the travel time between airport and the railway station'.
- The last train from Milan to Genova is at 21.10. If you miss this train you will have to stay the night in Milan. So, Please check your arrival time to Milan while booking.
once in genova
Once you get off the station, you will need to take either a bus or a taxi to reach your place of stay. If you take the bus, which is AMT transportation (http://www.amt.genova.it/), the common ticket is 1.5 Euros for 100 minutes of travel. It may get a little difficult for the first timer to figure the system and reach the destination with all the bags. You may prefer a taxi service for the same.
Kindly check the sub-page ( In Genova ) to know what needs to be done in the first week after arrival.