Discover Local Genova: What to Do Around Mercure Genova San Biagio

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Genova, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Genova in 5 picks

Porto Antico

Renzo Piano's redesign of the old port opened the waterfront back up to the city, and it now anchors Genoa's Aquarium (the largest in Italy), the Bigo panoramic lift, and the porticoes of Sottoripa where fried-fish stalls have operated for generations. Walk it in the late afternoon when the light off the water is best.

The caruggi and Via del Campo

The historic center's caruggi, narrow alleyways that predate cars entirely, form one of the largest medieval old towns in Europe. Via del Campo is one of the most storied, name-checked in Genoese song, and it's where you'll find old-school delis, savory pie shops, and the occasional artisan workshop that's been in the same family for decades.

Boccadasse

This former fishing village, tucked between Corso Italia and Capo Santa Chiara, is still lined with pastel houses and small fishing boats pulled up on a pebble beach. It's the spot locals actually go for sunset, not just where the postcards are shot.

Via Garibaldi and the Palazzi dei Rolli

This UNESCO-listed street of 16th-century palaces once hosted visiting dignitaries in rotation, and several are now open as museums, including Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco. The frescoed courtyards alone are worth ducking into even if you skip the paid galleries.

Sciamadde and farinata

A sciamadda is a small, often family-run eatery specializing in farinata, a thin savory chickpea-flour pancake baked in a wood-fired oven and eaten standing up, cut into wedges. Look for a genuinely blackened wood oven in the window; that's usually the tell for the real thing over a tourist imitation.

Where to eat
Trofie al pesto is the dish to order here, since Genoa is where basil pesto actually comes from, made properly with a mortar and pestle, Ligurian olive oil, and pine nuts. In the caruggi, look for a trattoria with a short, handwritten menu over anything with photos of the food. Focaccia (fugassa locally) from a proper forno makes a good breakfast, often sold by weight for a couple of euros a slice, and it's worth trying the version with a thin layer of stracchino cheese pressed inside. Stockfish and salt cod dishes also turn up often, a holdover from Genoa's centuries as a maritime trading power.
A city stacked on hills
Genoa doesn't sprawl flat the way most Italian cities do; it climbs, which is why public elevators and funiculars (like the one to Castelletto or the Zecca-Righi line) are a normal part of getting around rather than a novelty. The caruggi themselves are steep and shaded, built centuries before anyone thought about cars, and locals still navigate by landmark rather than by street name in the deepest parts of the old town.
Right outside your hotel
Mercure Genova San Biagio sits in the green hillside setting of Val Polcevera, in the Bolzaneto area near Forte Sperone, a quieter base than the seafront but with easy road access: the A7 motorway is about 2km away and it's roughly a 20-minute drive down into the historic center and Porto Antico. The Genova San Biagio train station is about a 16-minute walk from the hotel if you'd rather take the train in. It's the practical choice if you're driving in or attending something at the Genoa Fair, with free parking that's harder to find near the port.
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FAQ

No, Mercure Genova San Biagio is in Bolzaneto, in the green Val Polcevera valley, about a 20-minute drive from Porto Antico and the caruggi. It suits visitors arriving by car or attending events at the Genoa Fair more than those wanting to walk straight out into the old town.

Trofie al pesto, since this is where basil pesto originated. Order it at a trattoria in the caruggi with a short menu rather than a place aimed at passing tourists.

By car it's about 20 minutes via the A7, or you can walk roughly 16 minutes to Genova San Biagio station and take the train in, both straightforward options depending on whether you have a rental.

Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Genova, all within reach of these picks.

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Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Genova, all within reach of these picks

View hotels