The best time to visit Ravenna
Ravenna sits on the Po plain, a few kilometres from the sea: summer is hot and humid, and in winter the monuments keep shorter hours.
- Best
- late spring, early autumn
- Summer
- Hot and humid
- Winter
- Damp
Best time: late spring, early autumn. Ravenna sits on the plain, a few kilometres from the sea, and summer is hot and humid.
By season
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.
Late spring and early autumn are milder than summer, so the two-day plan through the centre and out to Classe can be walked without stopping for the heat. The order of the day is the same in every month. Only the comfort of walking changes, and in winter the opening hours.
2 daysThe two-day plan, hour by hour:Ravenna in 2 days →Midday is for a break
If you do come in summer, spend midday in the shade and walk in the morning and late afternoon. The heat is bearable then, so the same two-day plan stays workable.
The Ravenna Festival
Summer has its own reason to come: the basilicas and the city's open spaces host the Ravenna Festival, a programme of classical music and opera running several weeks. Anyone who wants a concert in a basilica times the stay for that stretch.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the best time to visit Ravenna?
Late spring and early autumn, when it is milder than summer and the cold of winter has not arrived yet. In winter the monuments keep shorter hours, San Vitale 8 Mar–2 Nov: 9–19 (last entry 18.30); 3 Nov–6 Mar: 10–17.
Is Ravenna on the sea?
No, the city sits a few kilometres from the coast, so the sea is a trip: Cervia is about 20 min by train.
Ready for Ravenna?
Where to next
Ravenna in 2 days
→The first day keeps the centre and its six mosaics in one walking loop, the second goes out to a basilica…
Bologna · 69 km
→Sixty-two kilometres of covered pavement, and students since 1088
How well does Ravenna suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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