Day trips from Bologna

Day trips from Bologna go by train and come back the same day, so the only question is how much time you have: half a day for Modena or Ferrara, a full day for Parma, Ravenna or Florence. Modena and Parma sit on the same line towards Milan, so one long day can take in both.

Modena — the easiest

Thirty minutes by train. The cathedral, the Ghirlandina tower and the Piazza Grande have been UNESCO-listed since 1997; the cathedral was begun in 1099. Below it is the Mercato Albinelli, a covered market opened in 1931 where you have lunch. What people really come for is aceto balsamico tradizionale — not the supermarket kind but the one aged at least twelve years through a series of barrels; tastings at an acetaia are arranged by telephone. The Enzo Ferrari museum is five minutes' walk from the station.

Parma — for one lunch and one afternoon

About an hour by train. The octagonal baptistery of pink Verona marble, begun by Benedetto Antelami in 1196, stands beside the cathedral. The Teatro Farnese is a wooden baroque hall of 1618, almost entirely destroyed by bombing on 13 May 1944 and rebuilt between 1956 and 1960 to the old designs and from the salvaged material. Parma ham and parmesan are made in the surrounding country and dairy visits run in the morning, because the cheese is made early, from the morning milk.

GuideParma up close — the Duomo, Correggio and ham at the source:Parma →

FoodWhat is eaten here and what is eaten there — the difference is real:What to eat in Bologna →

Ravenna, Ferrara and Florence

Ravenna is about an hour on a direct regional train and holds eight UNESCO-listed monuments, all for their fifth- and sixth-century mosaics. Five are covered by one Ravenna Mosaici ticket, €16: San Vitale, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Neonian Baptistery and the Archiepiscopal Museum; Sant'Apollinare in Classe, the Mausoleum of Theodoric and the Arian Baptistery are paid separately. The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is entered in a five-minute slot, booked ahead. Ferrara is thirty to fifty minutes by train, depending on the service: the Renaissance city of the Este family, UNESCO-listed since 1995, with a moated castle and nine kilometres of walls to walk or cycle. Florence is thirty-seven minutes on the fastest train, so it can be seen from Bologna in a day.

GuideRavenna up close — the mosaics of San Vitale and Galla Placidia:Ravenna →

GuideWhat in Florence is worth a day from Bologna:Florence →

How long each takes

All out and back from Bologna the same day — none of them needs a car

Hidden gemsAnd when you stay in town — here is what is left:The Bologna you miss: a canal window and seven churches in one →

What to sort out beforehand

• Fast train or regional. Frecciarossa and Italo sell tickets at variable prices, with the cheapest fares in limited numbers; the regional train to Florence has a fixed fare but takes longer.
• Acetaie and dairies are arranged in advance. These are production sites rather than museums; visits run by appointment and in the morning.
• Ravenna is not a half day. The monuments are spread across the town, Sant'Apollinare in Classe lies outside the centre, and the slots at Galla Placidia and the baptistery set the order.

2 daysWhere these trips fit alongside a plan in the city itself:Bologna in 2 days →

Where to stayNear the station is the easiest base for these trains:Where to stay in Bologna →

BudgetHow much one of these trips adds:What Bologna costs →

When to goWhen open-air trips are most pleasant:The best time to visit Bologna →