Bologna
How to get around Bologna
Understanding Bologna's transport network
Bologna is the easiest major Italian city to get around, for a reason no other city can copy: the historic centre carries 38 kilometres of porticoes, so almost the whole of it can be walked under cover. Walking is not the virtuous option here, it is simply the best one, and an umbrella is close to optional.
For anything beyond the centre, buses are run by TPER on the Area Urbana fare:
- Single ticket — €2,30, valid 75 minutes from validation, or until you get off the bus.
- Day ticket — €9, valid 24 hours from validation.
- CityPass carnet of ten — €1,90 a ride, each trip valid 75 minutes. The cheapest option by a clear margin.
- Bought on board — €2,50, and only from the self-service machine on urban lines.
Validate as you board, and again at every change of bus, either by putting the ticket in the validator or by scanning the QR code. This catches people out, because the obligation repeats on each connecting bus rather than applying once per journey.
Arriving, which is the city's real strength
Bologna is Italy's principal rail junction, so for most visitors arriving is simply a matter of getting off a train they were on anyway. From the airport, the Marconi Express monorail runs to Bologna Centrale in 7 minutes, from 5:40 to midnight, with bus line Q covering the hours between 0:00 and 5:40.
The one thing worth doing in advance is buying that ticket online. The Web fare is €8,20 one way and €15,00 return; the flexible Flex fare bought at the machine is €12,80 and €23,30. A family ticket covering up to two adults and three children aged 5 to 16 is €18,00 one way on the Web fare.
Verified against TPER — Trasporto Passeggeri Emilia-Romagna, October 2026.
Connections from Bologna
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bologna and Modena | Train | ~25 min typical, not a timetable | Excellent day-trip connection. Bologna works well as a base for Modena. |
| Bologna and Parma | Train | ~1 hr typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Bologna works well as a base for Parma. |
| Bologna and Ravenna | Train | ~1 hr 20 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Bologna works well as a base for Ravenna. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.
Walking, and why the porticoes change the calculation
Bologna's centre is compact — the walk from Piazza Maggiore to the Two Towers is a few minutes, and to the university quarter not much more — but the distances are not the point. The point is that more than 38 kilometres of the centre's pavement is arcaded, which means a walking itinerary here survives weather that would force a visitor indoors anywhere else in Italy. Plan on foot first and treat transport as the exception.
The one serious walk is the Portico di San Luca, which climbs out of the city to the sanctuary on the ridge under 666 arches over nearly four kilometres. It is covered the whole way, it is free, and it is the most characteristic thing the city has. Allow a morning, and remember it is a genuine climb.
Buses in practice
TPER runs the urban network on the Area Urbana fare. A single is €2,30 for 75 minutes from validation or until you leave the bus; the day ticket is €9 for 24 hours; a CityPass carnet of ten rides costs €1,90 each, which is the cheapest way to travel and the thing to buy if you expect more than three journeys.
Two rules matter. Buying on board costs €2,50 and is only possible from the self-service machine on urban lines, so buy before boarding. And you must validate at the start of the journey and again at every subsequent change of bus, by inserting the ticket in the validator or scanning the QR code — a single validation does not cover a connection.
The airport link
The Marconi Express is a monorail, not a bus, running from Bologna Airport via Lazzaretto to Bologna Centrale in 7 minutes, entirely under cover and electric. It operates from 5:40 to midnight; between 0:00 and 5:40 bus line Q covers the same route. It is operated by Marconi Express S.p.A. under concession from the Comune di Bologna, with TPER among its shareholders.
Fares reward planning: €8,20 one way and €15,00 return on the Web fare, against €12,80 and €23,30 for the flexible ticket; a carnet of ten rides is €70. There are family fares for up to two adults and three children aged 5–16, and group fares from ten people. The short hop between Bologna Centrale and Lazzaretto alone is €2,30.
Driving
There is no reason to drive in Bologna. The centre is arcaded, compact and restricted, the city is the best-connected rail destination in Italy, and the airport is seven minutes from the main station by monorail. A car is a cost rather than a convenience here.