Bologna in 3 days

Morning

• Piazza Maggiore45 min

  Open on Piazza Maggiore with San Petronio, the Palazzo d'Accursio and Neptune's Fountain, going early while the square is quiet. Duck into the free Palazzo d'Accursio courtyard for a raised view before the day warms up.

  TipThe grand main square gathers the huge Basilica di San Petronio, the Palazzo d'Accursio town hall and, on the adjoining Piazza del Nettuno, Giambologna's muscular Neptune's Fountain. It is free and always open, best seen early before the crowds or at dusk when the brick glows; climb the free steps into the Palazzo d'Accursio courtyard for a raised look over the square.

• Basilica di San Petronio45 min

  Step into San Petronio, the giant unfinished brick basilica, and trace Cassini's brass meridian line across the floor. Entry is free, so keep it brief and make your booked tower slot.

  TipThis vast Gothic basilica on Piazza Maggiore is one of the biggest brick churches in the world, and its half-finished facade, bare stone above a marble base, was never completed. Entry to the church is free; look for the world's longest indoor meridian sundial line, a brass strip set into the floor by Cassini in 1655, and note there is a small fee and a no-photos rule inside the side chapels.

• The Two Towers (Due Torri)1h

  Climb the Asinelli tower on your pre-booked slot, 498 wooden steps and no lift, for the best rooftop panorama in the city. Morning light is kinder and the stairs less stuffy early on.

  TipThe leaning medieval Asinelli and Garisenda towers are the city's symbol, and you climb the taller Asinelli, all 498 wooden steps of it, for the rooftop panorama, as the shorter Garisenda is fenced off and closed. Entry is by timed ticket only, so book a slot online a day or two ahead; there is no lift, the stairs are steep and narrow, and morning light is best for photos over the red roofs.

Afternoon

• The Quadrilatero Market1h15

  Lunch in the Quadrilatero lanes, grazing the mortadella, cheese and fresh-pasta stalls or taking a counter seat. The market is liveliest late morning to early afternoon, and some shops shut on Thursday afternoons.

  TipThe medieval grid of Via Pescherie Vecchie and Via Drapperie packs stalls of mortadella, aged cheese, fresh tortellini and glistening fish into a few lanes just off the main square. Come mid-morning to see the stalls at their best and buy a picnic, or after 6pm for the standing aperitivo when the crowd thickens; many food shops shut on Sunday and on Thursday afternoons.

• Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre1h

  Visit the Archiginnasio nearby, its walls thick with student coats of arms, and buy the cheap ticket for the wooden Anatomical Theatre. It shuts on Sunday afternoons, so time your visit accordingly.

  TipThe old seat of the university has walls and ceilings covered in thousands of carved and painted student coats of arms, and its carved wooden Anatomical Theatre was where public dissections were staged. The courtyard and staircases are free; the Anatomical Theatre and the Stabat Mater hall need a cheap ticket, and it closes on Sunday afternoons, so come in the morning.

Evening

• Tortellini, Tagliatelle and Mortadella2h

  Have a first proper dinner of tagliatelle al ragu and tortellini in brodo at a small trattoria, with a glass of Lambrusco. Book ahead, as the best places fill and many close on Sunday evening.

  TipBologna is the birthplace of tagliatelle al ragu, never spaghetti bolognese, which locals will tell you does not exist here, along with tortellini in brodo, mortadella and fizzy red Lambrusco. Order the tagliatelle or a plate of tortellini in a small trattoria off the main lanes, and book dinner ahead at the well-known spots, as the good ones fill and many shut on Sunday evening.

Morning

• Santo Stefano (Seven Churches)1h

  Start slowly at Santo Stefano and its linked Seven Churches on the quiet triangular piazza, free to enter and about half an hour to walk through. Have a coffee on the piazza terrace afterwards, then dress modestly as it is a working religious site.

  TipThis interlinked complex of churches, chapels and courtyards on the triangular Piazza Santo Stefano is one of the quietest and oldest corners of the city, parts of it built on a Roman temple. Entry is free and it takes about half an hour to wind through the linked spaces; dress modestly as it is a working religious site, and the piazza terraces outside are a fine spot for a coffee afterwards.

• Pinacoteca Nazionale1h30

  Walk the porticoed Via Zamboni to the Pinacoteca Nazionale in the student quarter, strong on the Carracci and the Bolognese painters. It closes on Mondays; ninety minutes covers the highlights.

  TipThe national gallery in the university quarter is strong on the Bolognese school, with rooms of the Carracci, Guido Reni and Guercino, and it is rarely crowded. It closes on Mondays, so plan around that; entry is a modest fee, an hour and a half covers the highlights, and it pairs well with a walk down the porticoed Via Zamboni.

• La Finestrella (Little Window)20 min

  On the way back, find La Finestrella on Via Piella, the little window onto the hidden Moline canal. Two minutes and a short queue; go while the light is good.

  TipA small window in a wall on Via Piella opens onto the hidden Moline canal, a surviving stretch of the medieval waterways that once powered the city's silk mills before they were paved over. It is free and takes two minutes; go on a bright day for the best photo, and expect a short queue as people take turns at the tiny opening.

Afternoon

• Mercato delle Erbe1h

  Break for lunch at the covered Mercato delle Erbe, a casual counter among the produce stalls. Aim for about 1pm, and note it shuts on Sunday and on Thursday afternoons.

  TipThis covered market west of the centre mixes fruit and veg stalls with casual lunch counters and, in the evening, a run of busy bars, so it works for both a cheap sit-down lunch and an aperitivo. It shuts on Sunday and, like much of Bologna, on Thursday afternoons; come around 1pm for the lunch counters or after 7pm when the bar crowd builds.

• Portico di San Luca2h30

  Take the afternoon up the Portico di San Luca, 3.8km and 666 arches to the hilltop sanctuary and its view over the city. Walk it in about an hour, or ride the San Luca Express or bus 20 and the funicular to cut out the steepest climb.

  TipThe world's longest portico runs 3.8km and 666 arches uphill to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, which crowns the hill with a wide view over the city and the plain. The climb takes about an hour on foot and is covered the whole way, so it works in rain or heat; to skip the hardest stretch, take the San Luca Express tourist train or bus 20 plus the funicular from Meloncello.

Evening

• 1h30

  Join the aperitivo crowd in the Quadrilatero or on Piazza Santo Stefano, a glass of Pignoletto with mortadella and crescentine as the lanes fill up. It is the local start to the evening, cheap and unhurried, before a late dinner if you want one.

Morning

• Modena, Ferrara and Parma4h

  Take an early fast train to Modena for balsamic and the Ferrari museum, or to walled Renaissance Ferrara, each under an hour from Bologna Centrale. Buy the regional ticket at the station machine, pick one city rather than trying to combine them, and book any factory or museum tour ahead.

  TipFast trains put three great food cities within easy reach: Modena for balsamic vinegar and the Ferrari museum, walled Renaissance Ferrara, and Parma for ham and Parmesan. Each is 25 to 60 minutes from Bologna Centrale, so buy a regional ticket at the machine and go early; pick one per day rather than trying to combine them, and check that any factory or museum tour is booked ahead.

Afternoon

• MAMbo and the Morandi Collection2h

  If you would rather stay in town, spend the afternoon at MAMbo and its Giorgio Morandi collection in the old bread factory of the arts quarter. It closes on Mondays, and the ticket also covers the temporary shows.

  TipThe city's modern art museum, in the old bread factory of the Manifattura delle Arti, holds the collection of Bologna's own Giorgio Morandi, the painter of quiet bottles and jars. It closes on Mondays and stays open late some evenings; the ticket also opens the temporary shows, and the surrounding arts quarter is a good spot for a coffee.

Evening

• 2h

  Round off with a last Bologna dinner back in the centre, more tortellini or a tagliere of cured meats and Parmigiano with a glass of red. If you fly out tomorrow, remember the Marconi Express monorail runs the airport to Bologna Centrale in about 7 minutes, so you need little buffer.