The Genoa Airport Volabus boards at the airport on the Arrivals level, at the stop officially called Aeroporto Arrivi. It runs into central Genoa and serves both Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole, not just one main station. From the airport, Piazza Principe comes first; Brignole is the city terminus. The trip to the centre takes about 30 minutes under normal traffic conditions, although road delays can stretch that.
The useful detail is that this is a limited-stop airport service, not an ordinary city bus. In the airport-to-centre direction, the intermediate stops are for passengers getting off. In the opposite direction, stops before the airport are for passengers getting on. That affects where you can use the bus and prevents it from functioning as a cheap hop between central Genoa stops.
Where to board at Genoa Airport
After collecting your luggage, follow signs for Arrivi and Uscita (Arrivals and Exit). The official airport stop is Aeroporto Arrivi, on the arrivals level at the passenger terminal. Stay on that level and look for AMT and Volabus signage outside rather than heading toward the car parks.
The airport also has an Airlink shuttle, so check the destination before boarding. Airlink goes only to Genova Sestri Ponente Aeroporto railway station. The direct city shuttle is the one you want for Piazza Principe, Brignole, the historic centre or the ferry-terminal area.
AMT lists the airport-to-centre stops in this order:
- Aeroporto Arrivi
- Via Milano / Terminal Traghetti
- Principe FS
- Via XX Settembre / Piazza De Ferrari
- Brignole FS, the terminus
Because the first city stop is near the ferry terminal, do not automatically get off at the first announcement simply because you see railway or port infrastructure. Wait for Principe FS if you need Genova Piazza Principe station.
Which Genoa railway station should you use?
Get off at Genova Piazza Principe for the old town and western side
Genova Piazza Principe is the first of the two major railway stations reached from the airport. It is usually the better choice for accommodation around Via Balbi, the western side of the historic centre, the Porto Antico area and Stazione Marittima.
It is also the sensible transfer point when your onward train is specifically booked from Genova Piazza Principe. On railway boards and tickets you may see the name shortened to Genova P. Principe or Genova P.P..
If your train happens to call at both Genoa stations, getting off at Principe saves you staying on the bus across the centre to Brignole. Check the actual departure station on your ticket rather than assuming that every Genoa train uses both.
Stay aboard to Genova Brignole for the eastern centre
Genova Brignole is the final stop. It is generally more convenient for hotels around Piazza della Vittoria, the eastern end of Via XX Settembre, Foce and neighbourhoods east of the historic centre.
Brignole is also useful for regional journeys continuing east toward places such as Nervi, Recco, Camogli and the Tigullio area, provided your particular train departs from Brignole. Again, use the station printed on the ticket rather than choosing purely by geography.
If you are making a rail connection, allow a sensible buffer. The shuttle uses city roads, so a timetable that appears to give you a ten-minute connection can become uncomfortable very quickly. An extra 30 minutes between the expected bus arrival and an inflexible train departure is much safer, especially with luggage. If station departure boards are unfamiliar, the Italy on Foot explanation of Italian train departure boards covers the abbreviations and destination quirks that commonly confuse first-time visitors.
The De Ferrari stops are different in each direction
This is an easy detail to miss. From the airport toward the centre, the downtown stop is listed as Via XX Settembre / Piazza De Ferrari. Going toward the airport, AMT lists Piazza De Ferrari / Metro.
Do not simply return to the exact pavement where you got off earlier. Look for the airport-bound AMT stop and check that the vehicle display shows the airport destination.
Where to board in the city for the airport
Airport-bound buses start at Piazza Verdi beside Genova Brignole, then serve De Ferrari and Piazza Principe before running to the airport.
AMT currently identifies the Principe airport connection as Staz. Principe (P.za Acquaverde). This matters because there are numerous bus stops scattered around Principe, Via Andrea Doria and the lower Stazione Marittima area. If you are leaving from the railway station, head toward Piazza Acquaverde and look specifically for the airport service rather than assuming any stop marked Principe FS is correct.
The official direction rules are:
- Toward the airport: Brignole FS, De Ferrari and Principe FS are boarding stops, followed by Aeroporto Arrivi.
- From the airport: Via Milano, Principe, Via XX Settembre/De Ferrari and Brignole are drop-off stops.
In other words, do not plan to board the centre-bound vehicle at Principe for a ride to Brignole, or use an airport-bound bus as transport from Brignole to De Ferrari.
Tickets, contactless payment and validation
As of September 2026, AMT requires a Met Daily ticket for the airport coach. The one-person 24-hour version costs €10. It is valid across the AMT urban and provincial network, including buses, metro, Genoa’s public lifts and funiculars, Navebus, the Genova-Casella railway and certain provincial services. It is not a Trenitalia railway ticket.
You can buy it from the airport AMT ticket machine, the AMT app, AMT ticket offices, automatic machines at Principe and Brignole, online, or using the ILA contactless reader on board. AMT’s current ticket and service rules are published on the official Volabus page.
If you buy through ILA, tap your contactless bank card, phone or supported wearable on the onboard reader. AMT says the ticket purchased this way becomes valid immediately. App-purchased Met Daily tickets also have immediate validity, while online tickets allow you to select their starting date and time.
A common mistake is buying an ordinary €2 AMT ticket and assuming it covers the airport coach. It does not replace the required Met Daily fare for this service.
Travelling with luggage
There is no separate luggage charge on the airport shuttle. That makes it straightforward for passengers with suitcases, but remember that you still have to move the bags between the bus stop and the railway platform yourself.
At Principe and Brignole, do not judge a connection only by the moment the bus reaches the station area. Allow time to unload your case, enter the station, check the departure board and reach the correct platform. Genoa’s stations are not enormous by Italian standards, but five minutes can disappear quickly when you are dragging a suitcase through a busy concourse.
Passengers with limited mobility should also avoid very tight onward connections. Airport and station facilities can change, so check the airport’s current transport information and your rail operator’s assistance arrangements when accessible travel is essential.
How often it runs and what to do after a late flight
The service operates every day, but departures are not at a simple fixed interval. Some gaps are noticeably longer than others, so checking only a generic statement such as “about every half hour” can leave you standing outside the terminal longer than expected.
AMT’s live timetable for 4 September 2026, for example, shows the final departure from the airport at 00:15 and the final departure from Brignole toward the airport at 23:40. Those are date-specific times, not promises for every season or day of the year. Check the timetable on the official AMT page shortly before travelling.
If your flight lands close to the last bus, allow for passport control and baggage delivery rather than using the aircraft’s scheduled touchdown time. A flight landing 40 minutes before the last departure does not give you a 40-minute connection if you still have to reach Arrivals.
Airlink is not a late-night rescue option indefinitely either. The airport currently lists it as operating between roughly 06:00 and 22:00. After the final public-transport options have gone, a taxi is the practical fallback.
When Airlink is better than the direct city bus
Airlink connects the airport with Genova Sestri Ponente Aeroporto railway station in about five minutes and normally runs much more frequently during its operating hours. It can be a better choice if you are continuing by regional train and the railway timetable produces a much faster connection than waiting for the next direct coach.
Choose the direct bus when you want Principe, Brignole or central Genoa without a train change. Choose Airlink when the next useful regional train from Sestri Ponente lines up well with your onward journey. Before stringing together several Italian connections, you can also plan your Italy route and see whether staying on the direct airport service actually saves a transfer.
Common mistakes and the quickest recovery
- You got off at Terminal Traghetti too early: you are west of Principe. Either wait for an appropriate AMT city service, walk only if your luggage and route make that sensible, or take a taxi rather than trying to board another centre-bound airport coach at an intermediate stop.
- You stayed aboard past Principe: remain on the bus if Brignole or Via XX Settembre also works for you. Otherwise use ordinary AMT transport back toward Principe rather than trying to reverse direction on the airport service.
- You are waiting at the wrong Principe stop: for the airport, look for the stop associated with Piazza Acquaverde and confirm the airport destination on the display.
- You bought a normal urban ticket: buy the required Met Daily before travelling or use the onboard ILA contactless system.
- Your flight arrives after the final departure: check Airlink only if it is still operating. Otherwise use the official taxi rank rather than waiting for a bus that has finished for the night.
- Your train connection is collapsing because of traffic: check whether the same train also calls at Brignole or another Genoa station before abandoning the journey. If not, use your rail operator’s app to review later departures while you are still on the bus.
The simplest rule is to match your stop to your actual destination: Principe for the western centre, port side and the first main railway interchange; Brignole for the eastern centre and the end of the route. At the airport, follow Arrivi, find Aeroporto Arrivi, and check the official timetable before relying on the final service of the day.