Italy's red-brick food capital of endless porticoes, leaning medieval towers and the oldest university in the Western world.
Bologna works best as a 2-day city break. Bologna, nicknamed La Grassa, the fat, and La Rossa, the red, is Italy's food capital and one of its most underrated city breaks. The compact red-brick centre packs in nearly 40km of UNESCO-listed porticoes, the leaning Two Towers and the huge unfinished basilica of San Petronio on Piazza Maggiore. Just off the square, the medieval Quadrilatero market lanes are where mortadella, tortellini and tagliatelle al ragu were born, sold from stalls that have traded for centuries. The oldest university in the Western world keeps the streets young, cheap and lively in term, and the fast-train station puts Modena, Ferrara and Parma within easy reach for a day trip. This guide splits two or three days so you get the towers and Piazza Maggiore, the food and the university quarter, and the long San Luca portico or a day trip out, without wasting time.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
May · Jun · Sep
Mid budget
105 EUR/day
Airport
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport sits about 6km northwest of the centre
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Historic five-star · Centro Storico
The city's grand old five-star just off Via dell'Indipendenza, with opulent frescoed rooms and a formal restaurant. It is a two-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore and the towers, so you pay for both the address and the old-world polish.
from ~300 EUR/night
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Couples€€Central design boutique · Centro Storico
A stylish boutique hotel in a 1930s Viennese-Secession building on quiet Piazza Galileo, steps from Piazza Maggiore. Rooms are calm and design-led, and the central-yet-tucked-away location keeps the night noise down.
from ~150 EUR/night
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First visit€€Rooftop-terrace hotel · Santo Stefano
A friendly mid-range hotel just south of Piazza Maggiore in the calm Santo Stefano quarter. Its rooftop terrace has a small hot tub looking out over the red rooftops, a rare touch at this price.
from ~120 EUR/night
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Budget€Design hostel · Bolognina and the Station
A bright, design-led hostel near the station with both dorms and private rooms. It is a sociable and cheap base a short walk or monorail ride from the centre, handy for early trains and the airport.
from ~30 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Bologna began as Etruscan Felsina and then Roman Bononia, a road town on the Via Aemilia, and grew into one of the wealthiest and most independent communes of medieval Italy. In 1088 it founded the oldest university in the Western world, drawing law students from across Europe and giving the city its enduring student character. Rival families raised dozens of tall defensive towers, of which the leaning Asinelli and Garisenda still stand, and the city lined its streets with the porticoes, now nearly 40km of them, that shelter walkers to this day. Long a papal city and later, after unification, a stronghold of the Italian left, Bologna kept its red-brick medieval core largely intact through the centuries and the wars.
Bologna is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two full days is enough for the heart of Bologna. The centre is compact and walkable under its porticoes, so Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio, the climb up the Asinelli tower, the Quadrilatero market, the Archiginnasio, Santo Stefano and the university quarter all fit without a rush.
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3
days
Three days is the relaxed amount for Bologna: the same walkable centre and food as the two-day trip, with the pace eased off and a third day for a fast-train day trip or the modern-art museum. Days one and two take Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio, the booked Asinelli tower climb, the Quadrilatero, the Archiginnasio and Santo Stefano, then the university quarter, the little canal window and the long portico up to San Luca.
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Bologna has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Centro Storico
First visit
The historic core wraps around Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers and the porticoed lanes, with every headline sight a few minutes on foot.
Il Quadrilatero
First visit
This is the medieval market grid just off Piazza Maggiore, a dense knot of food stalls, delis, cheese shops and wine bars that has fed the city since the Middle Ages.
University Quarter (Zamboni)
Nightlife
The student district runs along Via Zamboni under long porticoes, past the university buildings, the Pinacoteca and a run of cheap eats and bars.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Bologna on a budget: same trip, around 55 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
2 days is the sweet spot for Bologna. The centre is compact and walkable under its porticoes, so Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio, the climb up the Asinelli tower, the Quadrilatero market, the Archiginnasio, Santo Stefano and the university quarter all fit without a rush
The best months are May, June, September. Think twice about July / August: Hot and sticky at around 31C, when the humidity sits heavy over the valley and many locals leave for the coast or the hills. Plan the towers and the markets for the morning, keep the afternoons for shaded porticoes and museums, and eat late.
Bologna sits around the European average. Plan roughly 55 EUR per day on a tight budget, 105 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 200 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Centro Storico is the safest first-visit base. The historic core wraps around Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers and the porticoed lanes, with every headline sight a few minutes on foot. It is handsome, walkable and central, all warm brick and covered arcades, and it puts you in the middle of the food and the evening buzz. Base here on a first, short trip when you want the towers, the basilica and the markets on your doorstep.
Yes. Bologna has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport sits about 6km northwest of the centre, and the transfer is quick. The Marconi Express monorail runs from the terminal to Bologna Centrale station in about 7 minutes for around 11 EUR one way, with a return costing less, and it leaves every few minutes through the day. A taxi is a fixed fare of roughly 22 to 25 EUR to the centre, so agree it is the flat rate before you set off. From Bologna Centrale, Piazza Maggiore is a 15-minute walk straight down Via dell'Indipendenza, or a short hop on a city bus if you are loaded with bags.
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport sits about 6km northwest of the centre, and the transfer is quick. The Marconi Express monorail runs from the terminal to Bologna Centrale station in about 7 minutes for around 11 EUR one way, with a return costing less, and it leaves every few minutes through the day. A taxi is a fixed fare of roughly 22 to 25 EUR to the centre, so agree it is the flat rate before you set off. From Bologna Centrale, Piazza Maggiore is a 15-minute walk straight down Via dell'Indipendenza, or a short hop on a city bus if you are loaded with bags. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Bologna is best known for Tagliatelle al ragu, The Two Towers, Porticoes, Oldest university, Mortadella, Piazza Maggiore. Bologna began as Etruscan Felsina and then Roman Bononia, a road town on the Via Aemilia, and grew into one of the wealthiest and most independent communes of medieval Italy.