Genoa: 42 listed palaces, most of them private

Genoa's World Heritage listing of 2006 covers 42 palaces picked from the more than 100¹ still standing in the old town, and only a handful of them open their doors on an ordinary day.

What the 42 actually are

The site called Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli was inscribed in 2006 and names 42 Renaissance and Baroque palaces, lined along via Garibaldi, via Balbi, via Cairoli, via Lomellini and via San Luca.

They were built as private houses that the Republic drafted into a public duty: hosting visiting dignitaries by lot. Most are still private, or hold offices and a bank or two. The ones open on a stable basis are Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Doria-Tursi, Palazzo Spinola and Palazzo Reale. Read Genoa lodged guests by lottery and the Rolli.

Three palaces on one ticket

The Musei di Strada Nuova combine Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria-Tursi, over 75 rooms together, on a single ticket at €14 full and €9 reduced that also admits you to the Museo di Sant'Agostino. Prices in euros.

Between April 20 and September 30, 2026 the hours are 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (19:00 on Italian signs), and on Mondays only Palazzo Rosso opens. They close on December 25. Doria-Tursi is also the city hall, so parts of it work as offices while you walk through.

The aquarium, measured

The building holds 12,000³ square meters of exhibition space, 400³ animal species and 200³ plant species, on Ponte Spinola in the Porto Antico. The parking in the same area has 167³ spaces.

That size means three hours minimum, and it is the busiest indoor attraction in Liguria on a wet day in August. Going at opening or in the last two hours is the difference between watching the tanks and watching the backs of other people.

Four prices for the same visit

An adult pays €26 for a fixed date ticket bought online, €34 at the ticket desk, and €38 for the Open Flexi that lets you turn up on any day. Children aged 4 to 12 start at €16, over 65s, military and disabled visitors at €20, and children up to 3 go free (2026).

The AcquarioVillage package is €51, the Biosfera €6 and the Bigo panoramic lift €6. The gap between €26 and €34 is entirely about committing to a date, which is worth doing if your plans are firm.

The Lanterna: 77 meters, on foot only

The lighthouse stands 77 meters tall, the tallest in the Mediterranean, in the shape it took in 1543⁵ on foundations laid in 1128⁵, and its light carries 50 km out to sea. Inside, 172⁵ steps reach the first terrace and 365⁵ the summit.

You get there along an 800⁵ meter pedestrian walkway from the Dinegro metro station, or on bus line 1. There is no road access for visitors, which keeps the crowds down and rules the place out if stairs are a problem. See the Lanterna and Liguria.

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