I have been there for quite a while until quite recently, so the info should be solid.
Locations summer
In general the locations in summer are nice and have a good layout for pick up. But as always, girls are not particularly beautiful and hard to get. And many venues are out of the city.
I think Genova have very well been the most difficult terrain I have ever been in (together with Zurich). I love many things about Italy and the city, and the girls there make nice girlfriends and great mothers. But they are hard to get: girls go out in mixed groups, there is often not enough or even absolutely no nightlife, and there are few good looking girls. The girls are focused on relationships. Even if they have lots of fun with you in the club and good connection, they might not want to meet you again or even give you the number. Groups don’t mix, so even when making friends with a group of Italian girls, they won’t introduce you to new girls. On the positive side, a Genovese girl would never tell you “Fuck off” when you open her, which can happen in some other European countries, she would be always nice, but often it would stay at this chit-chat level, which is in the end a huge waste of time. I had friends from all over the world, everybody was complaining about picking up Genovese girls. But once they are your girlfriend, it’s nice.
Locations summer
In general the locations in summer are nice and have a good layout for pick up. But as always, girls are not particularly beautiful and hard to get. And many venues are out of the city.
- Monday: Rocce di Pinamare? I heard it’s a megaparty in summer (but the info was already a bit old, and I have never been there). Far away.
- Tuesday: Soleluna in Albisola is good. Alternative: Pippy Island (but it opens only in July or so). For both you need a car to go there.
- Wednesday: Banano Tsuami on Wednesday is my absolute favorite. They have Erasmus parties there and the atmosphere is usually more relaxed than in other places, but still sometimes I found not a single girl that attracted me looks wise. Banano starts around midnight. Before you could go to Piazza del Erbe and the Vicoli (small streets) surrounding it, which are full of people, but it will be less easy to meet girls, cause people hang out in big groups. Orizzonte would be a higher class alternative, but less chance to hook up. Covo di Nord Est is usually a high end place, but Wednesdays there are very young people, too young for me. For both Orizzonte and Covo you need a car to go there.
- Thursday: Sporting – nice, but very difficult to get in (only guaranteed if you go already for dinner). Alternatives: Mako, Marina (which are a bit out of the center, but still in the city), Albicocca (a bit posh, even further from the center), Mydas (in Varazze, you need a car). I also heard about a place called Mulino, never been there.
- Friday: Start at Piazza del Erbe (but people hang out in groups), then Banano Tsunami or Golden Beach in Albisola (you need a car to go to Albisola). It all ends in Milk, where people start going really late, like at 2am. Alternatives are Sol Levante and Covo di Nord Est, but they are posh (especially the Covo), and you need a car to go there. People in Mako will be (too) young, in the Sporting they will be also young, in the Albikokka they will be very young. Pippy Island is often quite empty, and you need a car to go there, but sometimes it is very nice. Luna Rossa is far away, but it is big and could be a nice alternative.
- Saturday: You can start your night again in Piazza del Erbe and the Vicoli, but there will be far less people than on Friday. Your best option is the Golden Beach in Albisola (you need a car to go there). Alternatives are Sol Levante and Covo di Nord Est, but they are posh (especially the Covo), and you also need a car to go there. People in Mako will be (too) young. Luna Rossa is far away, but it is big and could be a nice alternative. Places I havent really checked out: Atlantide, Planet, Baronde.
- Sunday: Ostras, far away.
- Wednesday: first Piazza del Erbe and Vicoli, than Milk. An alternative is the Fellini, were mainly students go on Wednesdays. Sound Village is loud, hard, rock.
- Thursday: Time, Albicoca, Scandinavian. In the Scandinaviaon the people will be younger than in the other two locations (the other nights also there the people are over 30).
- Friday: first Piazza del Erbe and Vicoli, then Mako, afterwards Milk. Alternatives are Alborada (in Celle Ligure, only Fridays in winter, people are around 30), Sol Levante or Luna Rossa. The Erasmus people usually have a party somewhere on Friday.
- Saturday: Prana Fashion club in Albisola, Mako, Sol Levante, Luna Rossa (young but many), Paips in Nervi (only sometimes good, often very young). In the end I have no real favorite.
- http://www.zenatonight.it – event calendar.
- A good place to start the evening is with an aperetivo (free food), for example in the “storico” in piazza ferrari.
- Chandra Bar in Nervi – in general bars in Nervi along the cast are nice in summer! I can’t remember the names ...
- Erasmus is big in the city, look at http://www.esngenova.it/it/events
- Piazza del Erbe: there are many small bars in the streets around (the streets are all called Vicoli), e.g. Grigua, Beautiful Looser, Big Lebowski, Kitchen Mon Amour ...
- Luna Rossa: weekends, both summer and winter, Saturday can be quite young, quite far away, but it’s a huge club
- Sound Village in Via Venti Settembre: rock, often loud
- Fellini: sometimes student parties on Wednesday, open also on the weekends, but not particularly good; maybe ok in Winter, as there are so few alternatives
- Clan: Friday and Saturday, a bit posh, small
- Estrella: only Latin American people, open in the weekends, at Terminal Tragetti, surprisingly few hot girls
- Orizzonte: Wednesdays, Saturdays (or was it Fridays?), in Varazze, people are rather old, in Winter only inside is open and it is quite loud
- Pippy Island: weekends in Summer, Cogoleto – actually quite good
- Kascia: summer. Fridays >30, Saturdays <18. Music too loud, packed with people, no place to isolate.
- Sol Levante: weekends, summer and winter, posh, Sestri Levante
- Covo di Nord Est: even more posh than Sol Levante
- A guy on CS about salsa parties: on saturday, estoril cafe Corso Italia 7 D - 16145 Genova, http://www.estorilcafe.it/; on Tuesday and friday, caribe club corso italia 3 genova (under pizzeria Puntavagno), http://www.contattolatino.it/
I think Genova have very well been the most difficult terrain I have ever been in (together with Zurich). I love many things about Italy and the city, and the girls there make nice girlfriends and great mothers. But they are hard to get: girls go out in mixed groups, there is often not enough or even absolutely no nightlife, and there are few good looking girls. The girls are focused on relationships. Even if they have lots of fun with you in the club and good connection, they might not want to meet you again or even give you the number. Groups don’t mix, so even when making friends with a group of Italian girls, they won’t introduce you to new girls. On the positive side, a Genovese girl would never tell you “Fuck off” when you open her, which can happen in some other European countries, she would be always nice, but often it would stay at this chit-chat level, which is in the end a huge waste of time. I had friends from all over the world, everybody was complaining about picking up Genovese girls. But once they are your girlfriend, it’s nice.
I just posted in the forum my experiences in most of the cities I have been to!