Practical Information for visiting Modena

The centre is flat, small and entirely walkable — everything inside the old ring road is within twenty minutes on foot. Modena is also heavily cycled, with lanes and cheap hire.

City buses cover the outskirts and reach the station, a ten-minute walk from the centre. Much of the core is restricted to residents’ traffic.

For Maranello, a bus runs from Modena in about half an hour, and there is a shuttle between the two Ferrari museums; a car is easier but not essential.

For the acetaie and the hill villages you want a car. They are scattered across the province, most visits are by appointment, and rural bus services are built around school hours.

Modena sits on the Milan-Bologna mainline, so it is straightforward to reach: Bologna is under half an hour, Parma about thirty minutes, Milan around an hour and a half. High-speed trains stop at Bologna rather than here, so most journeys end with a short regional leg. Bologna is also the nearest airport, about forty minutes away, and the best connected in the region. The A1 and A22 motorways meet just outside the city, which makes it an easy base by road.

Modena is a safe, prosperous city with low crime. Normal care with bags near the station and the market is sufficient.

Bicycle theft is the common offence, as in most northern Italian cities. Lock a hire bike well.

Winter fog on the plain is the genuine driving hazard and can reduce visibility to a few tens of metres on the roads and motorways around the city.

The Secchia and Panaro have flooded within the last decade. It is not a visitor risk in normal conditions, but heavy prolonged rain is taken seriously locally and road closures follow.

No vaccinations or special precautions are needed and tap water is safe to drink. Pharmacies are throughout the centre with a rota for nights and holidays.

Modena has a large university hospital, and Bologna’s major facilities are half an hour away. EU and UK visitors should carry a valid EHIC or GHIC.

The practical considerations are winter air quality, which is poor during settled weather and can matter for respiratory conditions, and summer humidity, which makes the heat heavier than the temperature suggests.

The single emergency number across Italy is 112, covering police, fire and ambulance, with English-speaking operators. 118 still reaches medical services directly.

In the Apennines south of the city, mountain rescue is coordinated through the same number; give a valley and an altitude where you can.

Carabinieri and municipal police are in the centre. Consulates are in Milan or Bologna.