The best time to visit Bologna

The best months for Bologna are spring and early autumn. The city sits on the Emilian plain, far from the sea that would soften the temperatures, so summer is humid and warm. Over sixty-two kilometres of porticoes keep the way dry in every month, so rain rarely changes a day's plan.

Month by month

If you only pick one month — September. Temperature is the mean over the whole day (not the daily high), and a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain; averages for 2021–2024.

Spring and early autumn in this table hold daytime temperatures between sixteen and twenty degrees — warm enough for the whole loop around the square, cool enough for the climb to San Luca without stopping for shade. Summer passes twenty-five degrees and carries the humidity that a nearby sea softens in other Italian cities, and here there isn't one.

2 daysThe same plan hour by hour, in any of these months:Bologna in 2 days →

Why rain matters less here

Bologna has over sixty-two kilometres of covered pavement, UNESCO-listed since 2021, so most of the centre is seen under a roof whatever the weather outside. The one long stretch in the open is the San Luca portico, which is itself covered the whole way up the hill.

July and August are the hottest months in the table, and since the city lies far from the sea, the humidity stays higher than on the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian coast. The Quadrilatero and the square are then busiest in the morning and evening, and the middle of the day moves more slowly.

Day tripsWhen day trips by train are most pleasant, outside the hottest months:Day trips from Bologna →

Outside spring and early autumn, the day runs in the same order as the itinerary, just with less time spent standing in the open — at the Torre dell'Orologio, say, or by the canal window.

Where to stayWhether the price of a night depends on the month:Where to stay in Bologna →

FoodWhat to eat and where:What to eat in Bologna →

BudgetWhether the season changes these prices:What Bologna costs →

Hidden gemsWhat the guides skip:The Bologna you miss: a canal window and seven churches in one →