Genoa science festival 2026: tickets, ages and travel
Genoa's Festival della Scienza runs from Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, November 1, 2026. Choose activities by date, age and venue before buying admission: a festival ticket and a reservation for a particular session are different things. Some workshops run for only part of the festival.
The 2026 programme uses the theme *Prospettive*, or perspectives, for hands-on science, exhibitions, talks and performances. It is a citywide event rather than a single exhibition hall.
This Festival della Scienza 2026 visitor guide focuses on planning a workable day. Details were checked on October 16; activity availability can change after publication.
How festival tickets and workshop reservations work
The organizer's family booking guide says reservations are strongly recommended and cost EUR 1. They are not compulsory for ordinary family visits, but laboratories and many exhibitions use timed sessions. Confirm the admission product and reservation total before paying.
Children under ten must attend with an adult. Both need the appropriate admission and, when booking a session, corresponding reservations. Admission is free for children born after January 1, 2021; check that exact boundary rather than assuming a rounded age rule.
Activities have recommended bands such as 4-5, 6-7, 8-10 and 11-13, with further bands for older visitors. A topic that sounds appealing does not necessarily suit every sibling.
For help fitting activities together, call 010 8934340. The festival's planning service opened on October 12, and its Palazzo Ducale infopoint opens on October 22. Ask about language as well as ages: an international visitor should not assume every workshop has English delivery or interpretation.
Four programme choices with different age and date limits
These examples show why the individual listing matters. They are not a promise of remaining places.
| Activity | Published age guidance | Where and when | Main planning check |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'osso non e una pietra! | 8-10 | De Amicis library, October 22-25 | Ends before the festival's final weekend |
| Vivere in un altro corpo | 14+ | Luzzati Lab, October 24-25 | Limited opening periods, not an all-day fixed session |
| Contami una canzone | Check the activity listing | Palazzo della Borsa, October 22-November 1 | Confirm age and language before reserving |
| Quando prevedere non basta piu | 16+ | Palazzo Ducale, October 26 at 18:00 | An evening AI discussion, not a young-child workshop |
Bones and practical experiments at De Amicis
L'osso non e una pietra! uses games and demonstrations to explore bones as living tissue. The listing specifies ages 8-10 and October 22-25, with weekday hours of 09:00-16:00 and weekend hours of 10:00-19:00. Choose an available session within those periods.
The venue is Biblioteca Internazionale per Ragazzi Edmondo De Amicis, Magazzini del Cotone, module 1, second floor, in Porto Antico. Save that entrance detail rather than navigating only to the waterfront.
An immersive performance for teenagers
Vivere in un altro corpo, developed by BeAnotherLab within IIT's Corpi Aumentati project, explores perception through an immersive sensory setup. It is listed for ages 14 and over at Luzzati Lab, Vico Amandorla 3.
Published periods are October 24, 15:00-21:00, and October 25, 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. The page describes entry without a fixed start or duration, while also requiring Festival admission. That format does not mean the whole festival is free or that every visitor can enter immediately. Ask about the sensory experience before choosing it for someone who may find it uncomfortable.
Music and mathematics at Palazzo della Borsa
The university consortium's Contami una canzone listing places this workshop in Sala Grida, Palazzo della Borsa, Via XX Settembre 44, throughout October 22-November 1. Elena Pesce and Irene Buselli connect music, language and mathematical data analysis.
It could suit a visitor interested in how computers interpret songs, but verify the current age guidance and language through the linked festival activity page. Do not choose it solely because another workshop in the same building suits your child.
An evening about AI decisions at Palazzo Ducale
Quando prevedere non basta piu is Marco Muselli's discussion of decision intelligence on Monday, October 26 at 18:00. It is listed for ages 16 and over in Sala del Minor Consiglio, Palazzo Ducale, Piazza Matteotti 9.
The page recommends a EUR 1 reservation alongside Festival admission. Treat it as a separate evening choice, not an activity to keep younger children occupied after a full workshop day.
De Amicis library has different space arrangements during the festival
The city's current library notice says the reading-room tables will be unavailable throughout the festival. Children and accompanying adults can use the soft area and adjacent small tables instead.
That matters if you were relying on the library as a long seated break between bookings. Plan somewhere else for a full meal or extended rest rather than expecting its usual table arrangement.
The library lists Monday-Saturday opening of 09:00-19:00, plus 10:00-19:00 on Sunday, October 25 and Sunday, November 1. Library opening is not the timetable of every workshop inside it. Follow the activity's own dates and booked slot.
Plan a day around nearby venues, not the entire programme
For a first visit, start with one activity you particularly want, then look for a second nearby choice. Two bookings with a meal and an unhurried transfer between them leave more room for a useful conversation than a day spent racing between queues.
The Palazzo della Borsa programme includes music, gravitational-wave science, perception and bionic-hand activities. This makes it worth checking several listings at one venue before adding a journey elsewhere. Each still has its own participation conditions.
If travelling with children of different ages, put everyone's chosen sessions on one timeline. When two younger children need different activities, arrange the accompanying adults before reserving both. Leave a gap after the first session for finding the next room, using the toilet and getting something to eat.
Before booking an unfamiliar venue, ask about the step-free entrance, lift availability, accessible toilets and stroller storage. A building's inclusion in the festival is not evidence that every room or sensory experience meets your needs.
For a longer trip, use our Italy with kids guide for country-level family planning. Keep the festival day focused on Genoa rather than trying to add a distant excursion between timed activities.
Getting from Genoa Airport and the railway stations
AMT's current Volabus guidance connects Genoa Airport with Piazza Principe and Brignole stations through the city centre. It lists a journey of about 30 minutes; allow extra time for traffic, waiting and the final walk.
The airport service requires a Met Daily 24-hour ticket, with the operator also listing eligible annual passes. Check the current price and conditions before purchasing. AMT lists sales through its app, online, airport machines and onboard contactless payment, among other channels.
From the airport, the listed central stops include Principe, Via XX Settembre/Piazza De Ferrari and Brignole. Choose the stop for your accommodation or first venue rather than automatically staying on until the terminus. The stop pattern is directional, so check the return journey separately.
Do not use an ordinary city-ticket price as the airport-bus fare. AMT's SMS-ticket rules exclude Volabus from that ordinary ticket. A festival admission ticket is not proof of included local transport either.
Rail arrivals should check the precise station on their train booking, then plan the onward route to the activity address. Avoid reserving a workshop immediately after a scheduled intercity arrival. Check the return connection before adding an evening talk.
Useful apps, saved tickets and mobile data
The official AMT app supports searches for routes, stops and timetables, ticket purchases and service notices. Enable notifications for the modes you expect to use, especially if a lift or funicular forms part of your plan.
AMT lists card and digital-wallet ticket purchasing. Its separate telephone-credit option is limited to TIM, Vodafone and Wind3. Having internet access is not the same as having an eligible Italian carrier billing account; choose a supported payment method rather than relying on SMS purchase.
Save activity confirmations, addresses and your accommodation details before leaving Wi-Fi. Keep a short backup list of activities in the same area, and agree on a meeting point if your group splits. Check weather and operator notices before setting out; an indoor booking still involves a journey between buildings.
If your home plan does not include suitable Italy roaming, OpenSim Italy plans provide a defined data allowance for checking a changed booking, navigating to the correct entrance and messaging your group away from hotel Wi-Fi. On October 16, the public catalog listed 5 GB for 30 days at USD 4.76, with top-up available for that plan. Recheck the selected plan before purchase. Existing included roaming may be simpler if it already meets your needs.
Use the travel data calculator, check phone compatibility and review installation timing. Mobile data does not include festival admission, transport tickets or guaranteed activity availability.
Sources and updates before your visit
OpenSim editorial team checked the linked festival, university, city-library, chamber and AMT sources on October 16, 2026. The activity examples reflect their published dates and conditions, not live inventory. Use the individual listing and your confirmation for the final arrival instructions.
Update this page for material 2026 changes to activity dates, reservations, venue access, library arrangements or transport rules. Genoa's separate Science Comes to Town programme in 2027 is not an extension of these October and November festival dates.
*Photograph: Ettorre (gregorio), April 7, 2016, via Wikimedia Commons_lato_piazza_Matteotti_aprile_2016.jpg), CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and compressed; the adapted photograph remains under that license. It shows Palazzo Ducale in 2016, not the 2026 festival.*
