Genova Brignole Station — the central railway hub for the eastern side of the city

Genova Brignole is the city’s second-busiest railway station (around 60,000 travellers a day, 22 million a year) and the main hub for the Levante — eastern Genoa. It fronts Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, behind Via XX Settembre, a few minutes from the heart of the old town. Served by Frecce high-speed trains, Intercity and regional services, it is also the eastern terminus of the underground, of the Volabus airport shuttle, and of numerous city buses towards Boccadasse, Corso Italia and Nervi.

Where it is

The station takes up the south side of Piazza Giuseppe Verdi 2 — 16121 Genoa. The building, inaugurated in its present form in 1905, is a pleasing example of eclectic architecture and remains one of the visual landmarks of the centre, together with the nearby Piazza della Vittoria.

Brignole has five strategic exits: one onto Piazza Verdi (main entrance), two onto Via Canevari (one on each side), and two that lead directly onto the rail subways towards Borgo Incrociati and Piazza Raggi. The exits onto Canevari also make the station handy for anyone arriving from the Bisagno Valley.

Tracks and rail services

Brignole has 12 platforms (1 terminating + 11 through; the useful, platform-served tracks are 1 to 11; tracks 4 and 7 exist but have no platform and do not serve passenger traffic).

• Frecce: Frecciarossa and Frecciabianca to/from Milan, Turin, Rome via La Spezia
• Intercity: medium-distance services to/from Milan and Turin
• Trenitalia Regionali: lines from Alessandria, Arquata Scrivia, Busalla, Acqui Terme; routes to the Levante (Chiavari, Sestri Levante, La Spezia) and to the Ponente (western Riviera)
• Underground link with Genova Piazza Principe (opened in 1993) — two Brignole-Sotterranea tracks used by through services

Interchange with other transport

The real value of Brignole lies in the concentration of interchanges beneath the forecourt. You can switch here in a few minutes from a train to another mode of transport:

• Genoa Underground — eastern terminus of Line 1. In 15 minutes you reach Brin, passing through Sarzano/Sant’Agostino (old town), San Giorgio (Porto Antico) and Principe
• Volabus — the eastern terminus of the airport shuttle for Cristoforo Colombo airport leaves directly from Piazza Verdi. Journey time 30 minutes, ticket €6 at the kiosk or €5 online
• AMT buses: terminus of key urban lines — 15 for Quinto via Corso Italia, 17 for Nervi via Corso Europa, 31 for Boccadasse (the one most used by tourists), 36 and others
• Genova-Casella railway: in 2026 the weekday service is run by a replacement bus from a temporary terminus; the heritage panoramic train runs at weekends from the historic Piazza Manin station, reachable from Brignole by bus 34
• Taxi: the official RadioTaxi 5966 stand is in front of the main exit

Inside the station

Brignole has the services typical of a busy station: Trenitalia ticket offices, self-service machines, waiting rooms, left luggage, newsagent, bar, quick refreshments, pharmacy, toilets. Nine lifts and six escalators ensure accessibility between levels. The commercial area is open from early morning until late evening; the official portal genovabrignole.it lists up-to-date shops and services.

How to get to Brignole

• By car: Genova Est motorway exit (A12) → follow signs for the centre / Brignole. Pay-and-display parking at Stazione FS Brignole and Piccapietra nearby
• From the airport: direct Volabus (30 min, €6) or taxi (flat fare €8/person minimum 3 people, see the fare list)
• From Porto Antico / old town: underground towards Brignole, 5 stops (~10 min)
• On foot from Via XX Settembre: 5 minutes

Why you end up here

Getting off at Brignole is usually the right choice if you are heading for the eastern side of Genoa: Corso Italia, Boccadasse, Albaro, Sturla, Quinto, Nervi. If instead your destination is the old town, Via Garibaldi or the Porto Antico, it may be worth checking whether to get off at Piazza Principe, or using the underground from Brignole to reach Sarzano/Sant’Agostino or San Giorgio.

Many trains stop at both stations: check the Trenitalia timetable before booking to choose the most convenient point to alight. Hotels on the eastern side, Corso Italia and Albaro all use Brignole as their natural reference.

A history — from the customs barriers to the Belle Époque

Brignole opened in 1868 as the terminus of the Genoa-Pisa line, inaugurated to connect Liguria with Tuscany via the eastern riviera. The present building, in eclectic late nineteenth-century forms, is the result of a major rebuild completed in 1905: a monumental project that set the station in dialogue with the contemporaneous urban development of Piazza della Vittoria, a few steps away.

The 1993 extension added the underground level with two through tracks dedicated to trains that cross Genoa without stopping at surface level. This work, carried out together with the underground link between Brignole and Principe, turned the station from a terminus into a through node for regional and intercity traffic.

Where to buy train tickets

Inside the station you find:

• Trenitalia ticket offices at counters (extended daytime hours)
• Multilingual self-service machines (IT, EN, FR, DE, ES) for all types of national and regional ticket
• AMT ticket offices for bus, underground and Volabus
• The Trenitalia and Italo apps for booking Frecce and Intercity without queuing
• The AMT app for all bus/underground/Volabus tickets with QR validation

For regional trains in Liguria it is worth buying the ticket in advance on the app: you save time and often find promotional fares.

What’s nearby

Around the station lies one of the liveliest districts of Genoa. Within a few steps you find:

• Piazza della Vittoria: the great monumental 1930s square with the Arch of the Fallen and the parterre
• Via XX Settembre: the historic shopping artery, with its porticoes, the Mercato Orientale, shops and restaurants
• Corso Buenos Aires: another shopping street, linking through to Piazza della Vittoria
• Museo Giannettino Luxoro (Nervi, reachable by regional train in a few minutes)
• The Mercato Orientale: the historic food hall, 5 minutes from the station

If you have time before a train, a walk along Via XX Settembre is always a good idea for a snack, a focaccia stop, or a quick lunch at the Mercato Orientale.

Quick FAQs

Brignole or Principe, which is closer to the old town?
They are practically equidistant by underground (4-5 stops). On foot Principe is closer to the Porto Antico and Via Garibaldi; Brignole is closer to Via XX Settembre and Piazza De Ferrari.

Does the Frecciarossa also stop at Brignole?
Yes, many Trenitalia Frecce stop at both Principe and Brignole. Always check the timetable, as some stop at only one of the two.

Can I get to the airport from here?
Yes, on the Volabus straight from Piazza Verdi (€6 at the kiosk, €5 online, 30 minutes’ journey). Alternatively regional train to Genova Sestri Ponente-Aeroporto + shuttle.

Where can I leave my luggage if I want to see the city before my train?
Left luggage is inside the station, with extended hours.

Practical information

• Address: Piazza Giuseppe Verdi 2, 16121 Genoa
• Operator: RFI / Trenitalia
• Platforms: 12 (of which 11 active + 1 terminating)
• Traffic: ~60,000 travellers/day
• Interchanges: Brignole underground, Volabus, AMT buses (15, 17, 31, 36 and others), taxi
• Websites: genovabrignole.it · trenitalia.com
• Apps: Trenitalia, AMT