Overnight in Milano or Genova

Q: We have booked a cruise from Genova to Cape Town departing on 1st December. We intend flying via Dubai to Milano on Emirates Airways. The flight from Dubai arrives in the afternoon on the day before boarding. Can you please advise us what the best and cheapest way is to get from Milano to the cruise ship terminal in Genova? We realise we may have to stay overnight in either Milano or Genova. Can you recommend a hotel? - Peter Turner

A: Whether you stay in Milan or Genoa is up to you. However you might feel more relaxed if you stay in Genoa, which means you only need to get to the harbour for your cruise and not have to worry about the journey from Milan. Emirates flies into Malpensa Airport, which is about two hours drive from Genoa. The easiest (and most expensive) way to do it would be to book a hotel in Genoa and then get the hotel to organise private transfers for you from the airport to the hotel on your arrival and then from the hotel to the port the next day. It would probably be cheaper to hire a taxi on arrival but you may have to bargain for a good rate (www.milan-taxis.com). The cheapest way would be to catch a bus from Malpensa Airport to Genoa city centre, and then a taxi to your hotel. The airport bus service to Genoa departs at regular times from Terminal 1 - exit 4 -stop 17. The journey time is three hours, as the bus also stops at Casale Monferrato and Allessandria. If you can understand Italian, go to the www.volpibus.com website for details and reservations. Otherwise you can telephone the call centre on +39.0142.781660. For the best hotel offers check discounted websites like www.bookings.com. The best deal I could find was for the Novotel Genova Ovest, a four-star hotel only 700 metres from the cruise terminal harbour. This is a modern hotel with comfortable rooms a swimming pool and a 24-hour restaurant. The rate being quoted on www.bookings.com for a double room was 74 euros (R720). There are cheaper hotels available. If you end up staying far from the terminal, you can start checking in for your cruise early on the day of departure, so go as early as you want. There is plenty to do and see at the cruise terminal which has shops, restaurants, a movie complex, a maritime museum the largest aquarium in Europe. It is also within 10-20 minutes walking distance to the Piazza de Ferrari, where the Opera and Palace of the Doges are located; the chic shopping avenue, Via XX Settembre; and the largely pedestrian-only streets that hug the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. (9 May 2010)