Getting around Bologna

Bologna is a city you walk, and the three exceptions are the ones that catch visitors out: the ride in from the airport, the stretch from the station with a suitcase, and the hill to San Luca. Everything else sits under the porticoes, which work as pavement and roof at once, so a bus pass is the smaller part of the plan.

From the airport to the station

The airport train is Marconi Express, and it runs from Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi to Bologna Centrale in 7 min. A single costs €12.80 and a return costs €23.30. Trains leave up to eight times an hour between 5:40 in the morning and midnight, and in the hours between, bus Q from Tper covers the same airport to Centrale route.

The Lazzaretto stop sits between the two ends, and a contactless card or phone opens the gate. Taxis run on the meter and no fixed fare to the centre exists, so the train is the fare you can know in advance. It drops you at the station, not in the middle of town.

From the station to the square

Bologna Centrale to Piazza Maggiore is about 18 minutes on foot along Via dell’Indipendenza, and guides put it at fifteen to twenty. With a suitcase or late at night, one ride on a city bus costs €2.30, and the taxi rank is at Piazzale Medaglie d’Oro. An early train out of town is a good reason to sleep near the station. The where-to-stay page explains which side of it to pick.

City buses and tickets

Validate the ticket on every ride and again each time you change bus. A contactless card tapped on the validator of any city line costs the same as an ordinary ticket. For several rides in one day, compare the sum of single tickets with the day ticket and take the cheaper.

Tapping a contactless card on the validator costs the same as an ordinary ticket.

To San Luca

The portico that climbs to the sanctuary is 3,796 m long and has 666 arches. By bus, take the 20 to Villa Spada on Via Saragozza and change to the 58, which does not run often, so its timetable decides the rest of the afternoon.

San Luca Express leaves from Piazza Maggiore for those who prefer to be driven. The sensible split is to climb under the arches and come back down by bus, which is how the itinerary page plans the second morning.

By train and by car

Bologna Centrale is also the start of the day trips. Florence by fast train: 37 min. Modena by regional train: 30 min, with a return ticket at about €9. Neither needs a car.

A car is the one thing the old centre punishes. The ZTL is active every day from 7:00 to 20:00. A visitor's day permit at €6 has to be bought and activated before you reach the gate, since without it the fine is immediate. Hybrids with non-resident plates have lost free entry since 1 January 2026, while electric cars still enter free. The Certosa park-and-ride on viale Gandhi is free and open round the clock.

Day tripsDay trips by train from Centrale to Modena, Parma, Ravenna, Ferrara and Florence.Day trips from Bologna →

2 daysThe itinerary puts San Luca on the second morning and walks the rest.Bologna in 2 days →

Where to stayWhere to sleep, including the streets near the station.Where to stay in Bologna →

BudgetThe budget page covers everything else you spend, without transport.What Bologna costs →

When to goThe best months to come, and what the weather does to a walk under the arches.The best time to visit Bologna →

FoodWhere the walk ends, at a table.What to eat in Bologna →

Hidden gemsSmaller places worth a detour on foot.The Bologna you miss: a canal window and seven churches in one →