# Bologna

Capital of Emilia-Romagna and home to a university founded in 1088, considered the oldest in continuous operation in Europe. Its arcades, which add up to dozens of kilometres, have been a World Heritage Site since 2021.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## How do you get there from Spain?

Fly to Guglielmo Marconi airport, on the outskirts, with direct flights from several Spanish cities. Bologna's central station is also a high-speed hub: Florence, Milan and Venice are a short train ride away, so it combines well with any of them.

## How do you get around the city?

On foot. The historic centre is compact and covered by arcades, so you walk under cover in rain or sun. From Piazza Maggiore to Porta Saragozza, where the San Luca portico begins, is a walk. To get up to the sanctuary without tiring yourself there's the San Luca Express tourist train, which leaves from Piazza Maggiore itself.

## What do you need to book in advance?

The Asinelli Tower, the city's symbol, is closed to the public until further notice because of the consolidation works on the Garisenda, its twin tower. To see Bologna from above, book the Clock Tower. The Archiginnasio requires online booking, and Lucio Dalla's house has limited places. Everything is bought on the Bologna Welcome website or at its office in Piazza Maggiore.

## Where to eat and sleep?

For eating, three levels. The Osteria dell'Orsa, in the university district, opens every day from 12:30 to 23:00 and is the cheapest for sitting down to pasta. Da Cesari, next to Piazza Maggiore, has been a family-run eatery since 1955; it closes on Sundays. And the Ristorante Diana, from 1909, is the classic of roast and boiled meat trolleys, open on Sunday lunchtime.

For sleeping, all in the centre and within walking distance of the station: the Dopa Hostel, a small hostel with private rooms; the Albergo delle Drapperie, a former inn in the Quadrilatero with breakfast included; and the Grand Hotel Majestic, the five-star on Via Indipendenza.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Florence (a 80.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary** (1 h 15 · 3.8 km · Anyone who can walk for an hour; steps on the final stretch · On your own · free): A continuous portico built between 1674 and 1721 linking the city with its sanctuary. Rain or shine, you are under cover the whole way.
What it is and why climb it
Bologna is the city of porticoes, and since 2021 UNESCO has recognised them as World Heritage. The San Luca one is the longest: 3,796 metres from the city wall to the sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, on top of the Colle della Guardia, at about 280 metres above sea level. It was designed by Gian Giacomo Monti, and every year the procession carrying the icon of the Virgin to the city goes up and down it.
Walking up is how the Bolognese go to the sanctuary, whether to pray, to train or out of Sunday habit. On the way you find the fifteen chapels of the mysteries of the rosary and, at the end, a wide view of the city and the plain, with the hills of the Apennines around.
Who it suits
Anyone who can walk for an hour. The first kilometre and a half is flat and the final slope, although steep, has landings and steps. It works with children who walk well and with dogs. With a pushchair, the flat stretch is easy, but the climb is complicated by steps: in that case, go up on the tourist train.
If you have knee problems, walk up and come down by train: the descent on steps puts more strain on them than the climb.
The sanctuary
The present basilica dates from the 18th century, the work of Carlo Francesco Dotti, who began the reconstruction in 1723. Inside is venerated a Byzantine icon of the Virgin and Child, 65 × 57 cm, covered since 1625 by a silver sheet that leaves only the faces visible. Every year the icon is carried down in procession to the city and returns to its sanctuary; the celebrations fall on the Sunday after the Ascension: if you coincide, you will see the portico full of the faithful.
When to go
All year. The portico protects you from rain and sun, so it is a good plan even on a grey day, although the views from the top are better with a clear sky. In summer go up early: the slope is hot. On Sunday mornings many Bolognese are walking up; on weekdays it is quieter.
What it costs
Nothing, if you go up and down on foot. The San Luca Express, the tourist train that leaves from Piazza Maggiore and runs up beside the portico, costs €15 return per person, €8 for ages 6 to 10 and €3 for under-5s. It has an audio guide in ten languages, Spanish included. The ticket is not refundable and gives you a place on the first available train on the chosen day.
If it rains
It is one of the few walks that improve in the rain: you are under cover from start to finish. All you lose is the view from the sanctuary.
- **Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University** (40 min · All ages · Desde 10 € per person): Since 1838 the palace has been the municipal library, but the visit is to the university of old: corridors and staircases with thousands of painted coats of arms of students and professors, the Stabat Mater lecture hall and the theatre where dissections were carried out in front of the students.
What it is and why go
The University of Bologna is one of the oldest in Europe, but for centuries it had no single home: classes were spread across different places in the city. The Archiginnasio, built in 1562 and 1563 next to the basilica of San Petronio, brought all the teaching under one roof for the first time. Jurists on one side, artists and doctors on the other.
What impresses as you walk in are the walls. Corridors, staircases and lecture halls are covered with painted coats of arms and memorial plaques of students and professors from all over Europe: it is the largest collection of painted heraldry on walls in the world. And in the centre, the Anatomical Theatre of 1637, a wooden room with tiers in a circle around the marble table where dissections were carried out before the students.
Who it suits
Anyone curious about history, science or medicine, and teenagers, whom the anatomical theatre usually leaves silent. Children up to 12 get in free. It is a short visit, 40 minutes with the audio guide, easy to fit between other things in the centre.
If you are looking for a big museum with collections, this is not one: it is a building and its history. The library, moreover, cannot be visited.
Audio guide or guided tour
Audio guide (€10). It lasts about 40 minutes and is in Italian, English, French, Spanish and German. It works with your own phone and headphones, through an app with videos and images. You go in Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30, every ten minutes.
Guided tour (€12). It lasts 1 h 15 min, only in Italian or English, and is the only way to see the chapel of Santa Maria dei Bulgari and the Cubiculum Artistarum. From 1 March, Monday to Saturday, there are Italian slots at 11:30, 15:30 and 16:40, and English at 10:20, 14:20, 16:00 and 17:10.
If you do not get by in English or Italian, choose the audio guide: in Spanish you understand much more.
What it costs
The audio guide costs €10 (€8 reduced for young people aged 13 to 18 and students with a card). The guided tour, €12 (€10 reduced for young people aged 13 to 18, university students and over-65s). Children up to 12 and people with disabilities, with one companion, enter free. The booking can be cancelled with a full refund up to 24 hours beforehand.
When to go
It opens Monday to Saturday; on Sunday there are no visits. The first slots of the morning are usually the quietest. Because the Stabat Mater Hall and the rooms on the guided tour are used for other activities, they may sometimes be closed: the website itself warns of this.
Accessibility and rules
People with reduced mobility enter by Via de' Foscherari 2. The guided tour is accessible only in the first-floor part, and the guide waits for you at the entrance to the Anatomical Theatre. Animals, bulky bags, rucksacks and bicycles are not allowed.
If it rains
You arrive from Piazza Maggiore without getting wet, under the porticoes. It is a good visit for a rainy day: combine it with the basilica of San Petronio, next door, and a coffee under the porticoes.
- **Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Its Terraces** (40 min · All ages; upper terrace from age 8 · Desde 10 € per adult): What it is
The Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio) crowns the Palazzo d'Accursio, Bologna's town hall, in Piazza Maggiore. You climb through the palace's courtyards and staircases, pass through the Sala Farnese and beside the mechanism that drives the clock, and come out on two panoramic terraces above the red roofs of the centre, the basilica of San Petronio and the medieval towers. With the Asinelli tower closed for the consolidation works on the Garisenda, it is the simplest way to see Bologna from above.
The ticket also includes the Municipal Art Collections, in the same palace: paintings, art objects, furniture, porcelain and textiles from the Middle Ages to today.
What the climb is like
There is no lift: the whole route is on foot, up stairs. To access the highest terrace you must sign a liability form on the spot. Children under 8 cannot go up to that upper terrace, even accompanied. The tower visit lasts about 40 minutes and the collections about an hour more.
Closed shoes or sandals fastened at the heel are required: you cannot go up in flip-flops, heels or loose shoes. Rucksacks, bulky bags and animals of any size are not allowed.
Opening hours

Clock Tower: every day, with entry on the hour, at twenty past and at twenty to. From 7 September 2026 to 28 February 2027, the first entry is at 10:00 and the last at 18:20; on 24 and 31 December the last is at 16:20, and it is closed on 25 December.
Municipal Art Collections: Tuesday and Thursday from 14:00 to 19:00, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00, and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 18:30. Closed on Mondays (except public holidays), 1 May and 25 December. Last entry half an hour before.

The tower and collections have different hours; the ticket is valid for seven days, so you can see each part on a different day.
Prices

General: €10.
Reduced: €7 for ages 4 to 11, over-65s, university students and Card Cultura holders.
Free: children aged 0 to 3, people with disabilities and their companion, and holders of the Bologna Welcome Card Easy and Plus.

The audio guide is on your phone, in Spanish, Italian, English and French: bring headphones.
Booking
Booking is compulsory, on the Bologna Welcome website. Arrive five minutes before your time: if you are late you do not get in and are not refunded. It can be cancelled or changed free of charge up to 24 hours before. After 19:00, entry is through the side door under the portico.
With children
Children like seeing the clock mechanism and stepping out onto the terraces, but remember that under-8s do not go up to the upper terrace and minors must be with an adult. With a pushchair it is not possible.
Combine it with
You are in Piazza Maggiore, the starting point of the guided walk through the centre. A step away, the Archiginnasio and its anatomical theatre, and five minutes away, the Museum of the History of Bologna.
- **Guided Walk Through the Medieval Centre, from Piazza Maggiore to Santo Stefano** (2 h · All ages; free for under-12s · Desde 18 € per person): What it is
Discover Bologna is the official guided walk through the historic centre run by Bologna Welcome, the city's tourist office. In two hours, with a qualified guide and a radio-guide system, you walk through the medieval heart of Bologna from Piazza Maggiore to the two towers. It is especially useful on your first day: it gives you the city's map in your head and tells you where to come back to at leisure.
The route
Bologna Welcome publishes this itinerary, which may change if a place is closed:

Piazza Maggiore. The central square, surrounded by the Palazzo d'Accursio, the Palazzo del Podestà and the basilica.
Basilica of San Petronio. You go in: the visit is included in the price.
Piazza Galvani. Next to the Archiginnasio, the old seat of the university.
Corte Isolani. A covered passage between palaces linking Strada Maggiore with Piazza Santo Stefano.
Strada Maggiore. One of the great arcaded streets of the centre.
Piazza Santo Stefano. The square in front of the Santo Stefano group of churches.
Piazza della Mercanzia. With the former seat of the merchants' court.
The two towers. The Asinelli and the Garisenda, seen from the outside.

Times and Spanish
There are departures every day in Italian and English. In Spanish, only on Saturdays:

From 21 September 2026 to 28 February 2027: Saturdays at 15:30.
From 15 June to 20 September: Saturdays at 16:30.
From 2 March to 14 June: Saturdays at 15:30.

In Italian and English, from 21 September 2026 to 10 January 2027 there are departures from Monday to Wednesday at 10:30 (Italian only), on Thursdays at 15:00 and from Friday to Sunday at 10:30 and 15:00. From 11 January to 28 February 2027 they are reduced to Thursday at 15:00 (Italian only), Friday at 15:00 and the weekend at 10:30 and 15:00. Check the exact calendar when booking.
Price and booking

General: €18.
Reduced: €15 with the Card Cultura and for companions of people with disabilities.
Free: under-12s, people with disabilities and holders of the Bologna Welcome Card.

It includes the guide, entry to San Petronio and the radio guide with disposable headphones (you can use your own wired ones, not Bluetooth). You book on the Bologna Welcome website; it can be cancelled or changed up to 24 hours before. Free tickets for people with disabilities are requested by email or at the information point in Piazza Maggiore.
Meeting point
The Bologna Welcome Info Point, at Piazza Maggiore 1/e. Arrive at least ten minutes early.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes and clothes suitable for entering a church: Bologna Welcome asks for modest dress in places of worship. Under the porticoes you walk in the shade and sheltered from the rain, so the walk can be done in almost any weather.
With children and accessibility
Children under 12 do not pay. Two hours of explanations can feel long to the smallest, although they like the squares and the towers. Bologna Welcome says the service is accessible to people with disabilities; ask for details by email when booking.
After the walk
Taking part gives you a reduced price on the guided visit to the Archiginnasio and its anatomical theatre. From Piazza Maggiore you can go up the Clock Tower, and a stone's throw from the towers is the Museum of the History of Bologna. If you have an afternoon free, walk under the San Luca portico to the sanctuary.
- **Museum of the History of Bologna in the Palazzo Pepoli** (1 h 30 · Families; free up to age 12 · Desde 10 € per adult): What it is
The Museum of the History of Bologna occupies the Palazzo Pepoli, a medieval palace of the family that ruled the city in the 14th century, on Via Castiglione, a few steps from the two towers. It tells the history of Bologna in chronological order, from the Etruscans to today, with interactive displays, objects and projections. It is a good place to begin your visit to the city: you leave with the order of the city's history in your head.
What you see
The route moves in chronological order. The first room, Etruscan Bologna, reconstructs a street of Felsina, the Etruscan name of the city; from there you pass through the Roman city, the medieval one, that of the university and the modern one until you reach Bologna today.
The museum combines original pieces, interactive displays and projections, so it works whether you like to read calmly or prefer to see and listen.
Opening hours
It opens on Mondays and from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 19:00. It is closed on Tuesdays. Allow an hour and a half for the full visit.
Prices

General: €10.
Reduced, €7: over-65s and adult groups of ten or more.
Reduced, €5: ages 13 to 18, university students with a card and residents of Bologna.
Free: under-12s, people with disabilities and one companion, holders of the Bologna Welcome Card and the Card Cultura, and tour guides.

The audio guide is included and is in Spanish, as well as Italian, English and French. It works on your phone, so bring headphones.
Booking
Bologna Welcome, which sells the tickets, recommends booking ahead. The ticket is valid only for the day and time chosen, but can be changed or cancelled up to 24 hours before. Groups and schools book by email.
Getting there
The entrance is at Via Castiglione 10, about five minutes' walk from Piazza Maggiore and two from the two towers. Bologna's centre is a restricted traffic zone: come on foot or by bus.
With children
It is one of the easiest museums in the city with children: they enter free up to age 12 and the interactive displays keep them engaged. With teenagers, the ages 13 to 18 fare is €5.
Accessibility
The museum is accessible for people with reduced mobility for the most part, except the uneven floor of the first room, which may be difficult. For deaf people there are introductory panels and graphics, although they require an intermediate level of language. There is a lift.
Rules
You cannot enter the rooms with rucksacks or large bags: there is a cloakroom. Animals do not enter the museum, except guide dogs, although they can stay in the covered courtyard.
Combine it with
On leaving you have the two towers and Piazza Santo Stefano, covered by the guided walk through the centre. To see the city from above, go up the Clock Tower, in Piazza Maggiore, and to continue with the history of the university, visit the Archiginnasio and its anatomical theatre.
- **Lucio Dalla's House on Via D'Azeglio** (1 h · Adults and teenagers who know his music · Desde 18 € per person): What it is
Lucio Dalla (1943–2012) was one of Italy's best-loved singer-songwriters, author of songs such as Caruso or Piazza Grande, and a Bolognese to the end. He lived and worked in a flat on Via D'Azeglio, in the very centre, which is visited today just as he left it: his objects, his paintings and sculptures, the mementoes of his friends and of the famous guests who passed through. The guided visit, Ci vediamo da Lucio ("See you at Lucio's"), is organised by Bologna Welcome, the city's tourist office.
In an hour the guide tells of his relationship with Bologna, how his songs were born and recorded and his other side as actor, director and lover of painting, cinema, theatre, photography and poetry.
Times and season
Visits are on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays:

Monday: 11:00 and 12:00.
Friday: 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00.
Saturday: 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00.

There are special slots on some public holidays, such as 4 March (Dalla's birthday), 25 April, 1 May, 2 June, 4 October, 1 November or 8 December. In summer there is a break: no visits from 28 June to 3 September. Check the exact dates in the booking calendar.
Price and booking

General: €18.
Reduced: €15 for ages 6 to 11, companions of people with disabilities and holders of the Bologna Welcome Card or the Card Cultura.
Free: children under 6 and people with disabilities, up to five per visit, by asking beforehand by email from Bologna Welcome.

Booking is compulsory and named: you must give the name of all participants. Tickets are not refunded or changed to another date; only the name can be changed, up to 48 hours before. They are bought on the Bologna Welcome website.
Language
The visit is in Italian only. If you like his music and follow some Italian, you will understand it without trouble: the guide talks about songs you know and objects in front of you. If you speak no Italian at all, consider whether it is worth it for you.
Meeting point and rules
You meet at Piazza dei Celestini, next to the church of San Giovanni Battista, a few steps from Via D'Azeglio. Arrive 15 minutes early: if you are late you are not let in and are not refunded.
Inside you must switch off your phone and you cannot take photos or videos, touch the objects or bring in food, drink or animals. There are no toilets or cloakroom: leave large bags at the hotel.
Accessibility
The house is on the first floor of a historic building with no lift. If you have reduced mobility, write to Bologna Welcome beforehand to see whether the visit is possible.
Who it is for
For those who know and love his music, mostly adults and teenagers. With small children it makes little sense: it is an hour of explanations in a flat full of objects you cannot touch.
Combine it with
Via D'Azeglio leads off Piazza Maggiore, where the guided walk through the centre begins and where the Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio stands. The Piazza Grande of his song is Piazza Maggiore itself.

## Dónde comer
- **Osteria dell'Orsa** (Restaurant, Bologna, €). Qué pedir: tagliatelle al ragù or tortellini, a cured meat board to share and the wine from the Imola hills; ask at the bar about the dishes of the day
- **Ristorante Da Cesari** (Restaurant, Bologna, €€). Qué pedir: tortellini in veal broth, tagliatelle or gramignone verde with sausage ragù, and for a main course scaloppina alla petroniana with roast potatoes
- **Ristorante Diana** (Restaurant, Bologna, €€€). Qué pedir: tortellini in broth or green lasagne, then the boiled-meat trolley or the roast trolley, and crème caramel or the house ice cream
- **Osteria del Sole** (Bar, Bologna, €). Qué pedir: a glass of the house wine and whatever you have bought in the shops on Via Pescherie Vecchie or Via Drapperie
- **Enoteca Italiana, on Via Marsala** (Bar, Bologna, €€). Qué pedir: a glass recommended by the house with a board of mortadella, culaccia and cheeses

## By plane: Direct flight to Bologna and the Marconi Express into the centre
Bologna is one of the easiest Italian cities from Spain: Guglielmo Marconi airport has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Seville and the Canary Islands, and is about 8 km from the centre. An elevated train, the Marconi Express, drops you at the central station in about seven minutes. You do not need a car: the city is covered on foot and Florence, Milan and Venice are a short high-speed train ride away.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Dopa Hostel** (Hostel, desde 22 € / bed): A small hostel in the university district
Dopa Hostel is at Via Irnerio, 41, in a yellow building in the university district, north of the centre. From the central station it is about ten minutes on foot, and Piazza Maggiore and the two towers are a short walk away. It is a small hostel of seven rooms, which prides itself on being 99% handmade: wooden pods for the bunk beds, walls with tree-trunk slices and furniture made for the place.
Rooms
There are three private rooms and four dormitories:

Woodland, a private suite for one or two people, the only one with its own bathroom.
Edge, a private triple, and Harbor, a private for four with two bunk beds.
Mixed dormitories of 4, 6 and 8 beds, and a 6-bed dormitory for women only.

Apart from the suite, the rooms share a large bathroom. Each bed has a curtain, reading light, socket, its own locker and a hanger. Bed linen is included.
What the price includes
Breakfast is included, from 8:00 to 10:00: coffee, tea, milk, yogurt, juice, bread, toast, jams, Nutella, honey, fruit and something savoury that changes each day. You have an equipped kitchen, wifi, two computers, a printer and free luggage storage. Laundry is paid separately and they rent bikes by the hour or by the day.
The website gives indicative prices: €22 to €30 per bed in a dormitory and €45 to €70 for a private room, with breakfast, though they rise a lot in high season. When you book you pay a 2% deposit; the rest on arrival.
Getting there
From the airport, the Marconi Express to the central station and then on foot along Via Indipendenza and Via Irnerio; from the station, buses 36 or 37 also go, three stops. There is no parking: on Via Irnerio itself you park on the street, paid Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00.
Check-in is from 12:00 to 23:00 and check-out before 10:00. Reception is open from 8:00 to 23:00. There is no curfew if you leave a deposit for the key.
- **Albergo delle Drapperie** (Small hotel): An inn on the drapers' street
Albergo delle Drapperie is at Via Drapperie, 5, in the Quadrilatero, the market district behind Piazza Maggiore. The street takes its name from the drapers, the cloth and wool merchants who had their shops here. Today these are narrow streets of food shops and bars. Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio are two minutes away, and the two towers and the Archiginnasio five.
The building was already an inn with rooms for travellers in the second half of the 19th century. It was restored from 2004 and is run by the Caruba family: Umberto and Rita, and their children Guglielmo and Letizia.
The rooms
There are 21 and no two are alike. Many have frescoed ceilings and classic furniture with an Art Nouveau air; the junior suite has exposed wooden beams. There are small singles for solo travellers, standard doubles looking onto the inner courtyard or the streets of the Quadrilatero, twins with two beds and junior suites for two or three people. All have a bathroom with shower, air conditioning, television, minibar, safe and wifi, and are non-smoking.
Continental breakfast is included, from 7:30 to 10:30. Reception is open from 7:00 to 24:00, with a night porter. The building has four floors, with a lift from the first floor up. You can leave your bags in the luggage store and order an airport transfer, which is paid separately.
Getting there
From the central station it is about fifteen minutes on foot down Via Indipendenza; from the airport, the Marconi Express to the station and then on foot or by taxi. By car, the centre is a limited-traffic zone and the hotel has no parking: the website refers you to the underground car park at Piazza VIII Agosto.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 11:00. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before, except on non-refundable rates.
- **Grand Hotel Majestic “già Baglioni”** (Hotel): A palace on Via Indipendenza
The Grand Hotel Majestic “già Baglioni” is at Via dell'Indipendenza, 8, the arcaded street that runs down from the station to Piazza Maggiore, five minutes' walk from the square. It occupies an 18th-century palace and has operated as a hotel since 1912. It is a five-star luxury hotel and has been a member of The Leading Hotels of the World since 1990.
It has 106 rooms decorated in Venetian style, with stucco and silk walls, or in 19th-century French style. They range from classic and superior rooms to suites, among them a royal suite dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, with two bedrooms, and an Art Deco suite on the fifth floor, with a terrace and private lift. All have fibre wifi, television, safe and minibar. There are adapted rooms, with walk-in showers.
Eating and drinking without going out
The restaurant I Carracci, which also has an entrance on Via Manzoni, 2, sits beneath a vault frescoed by the Carracci school, the Bolognese painters of the 16th century. There are also the Cafè Marinetti, in Deco style with a Carrara marble floor, the Enoteca Morandi, in the historic cellar, and the hotel's terraces, where they serve aperitifs. Breakfast is taken in a room that opens onto the winter garden.
Getting there
From the central station it is about 900 metres: on foot, by bus A or by taxi. From the airport, about 8 km away, the Marconi Express drops you at the station in a few minutes. By car you need to be careful: the hotel is in a limited-traffic zone. Do not put the hotel's address into the satnav, because that street is pedestrianised: the hotel says to enter via Via Marconi, go to Via Galliera 23 and continue along Via Manzoni to the end, where the valet is waiting. The guarded garage costs €55 to €70 a night, depending on the car, and must be reserved. It has a charging point for electric cars.
The main entrance has two flights of steps, with a stairlift and a platform at the back, with the help of staff.

## Car-free: Car-free: train, Marconi Express and arcades
Bologna is easy without a car. You arrive by plane or high-speed train at the central station, the centre is covered on foot beneath the arcades and the Sanctuary of San Luca has its own tourist train. The car only causes problems: the centre is a limited-traffic zone and hotels send you to underground car parks or paid garages.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–250 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Dopa Hostel** (Hostel, desde 22 € / bed): A small hostel in the university district
Dopa Hostel is at Via Irnerio, 41, in a yellow building in the university district, north of the centre. From the central station it is about ten minutes on foot, and Piazza Maggiore and the two towers are a short walk away. It is a small hostel of seven rooms, which prides itself on being 99% handmade: wooden pods for the bunk beds, walls with tree-trunk slices and furniture made for the place.
Rooms
There are three private rooms and four dormitories:

Woodland, a private suite for one or two people, the only one with its own bathroom.
Edge, a private triple, and Harbor, a private for four with two bunk beds.
Mixed dormitories of 4, 6 and 8 beds, and a 6-bed dormitory for women only.

Apart from the suite, the rooms share a large bathroom. Each bed has a curtain, reading light, socket, its own locker and a hanger. Bed linen is included.
What the price includes
Breakfast is included, from 8:00 to 10:00: coffee, tea, milk, yogurt, juice, bread, toast, jams, Nutella, honey, fruit and something savoury that changes each day. You have an equipped kitchen, wifi, two computers, a printer and free luggage storage. Laundry is paid separately and they rent bikes by the hour or by the day.
The website gives indicative prices: €22 to €30 per bed in a dormitory and €45 to €70 for a private room, with breakfast, though they rise a lot in high season. When you book you pay a 2% deposit; the rest on arrival.
Getting there
From the airport, the Marconi Express to the central station and then on foot along Via Indipendenza and Via Irnerio; from the station, buses 36 or 37 also go, three stops. There is no parking: on Via Irnerio itself you park on the street, paid Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00.
Check-in is from 12:00 to 23:00 and check-out before 10:00. Reception is open from 8:00 to 23:00. There is no curfew if you leave a deposit for the key.
- **Albergo delle Drapperie** (Small hotel): An inn on the drapers' street
Albergo delle Drapperie is at Via Drapperie, 5, in the Quadrilatero, the market district behind Piazza Maggiore. The street takes its name from the drapers, the cloth and wool merchants who had their shops here. Today these are narrow streets of food shops and bars. Piazza Maggiore and San Petronio are two minutes away, and the two towers and the Archiginnasio five.
The building was already an inn with rooms for travellers in the second half of the 19th century. It was restored from 2004 and is run by the Caruba family: Umberto and Rita, and their children Guglielmo and Letizia.
The rooms
There are 21 and no two are alike. Many have frescoed ceilings and classic furniture with an Art Nouveau air; the junior suite has exposed wooden beams. There are small singles for solo travellers, standard doubles looking onto the inner courtyard or the streets of the Quadrilatero, twins with two beds and junior suites for two or three people. All have a bathroom with shower, air conditioning, television, minibar, safe and wifi, and are non-smoking.
Continental breakfast is included, from 7:30 to 10:30. Reception is open from 7:00 to 24:00, with a night porter. The building has four floors, with a lift from the first floor up. You can leave your bags in the luggage store and order an airport transfer, which is paid separately.
Getting there
From the central station it is about fifteen minutes on foot down Via Indipendenza; from the airport, the Marconi Express to the station and then on foot or by taxi. By car, the centre is a limited-traffic zone and the hotel has no parking: the website refers you to the underground car park at Piazza VIII Agosto.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 11:00. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before, except on non-refundable rates.
- **Grand Hotel Majestic “già Baglioni”** (Hotel): A palace on Via Indipendenza
The Grand Hotel Majestic “già Baglioni” is at Via dell'Indipendenza, 8, the arcaded street that runs down from the station to Piazza Maggiore, five minutes' walk from the square. It occupies an 18th-century palace and has operated as a hotel since 1912. It is a five-star luxury hotel and has been a member of The Leading Hotels of the World since 1990.
It has 106 rooms decorated in Venetian style, with stucco and silk walls, or in 19th-century French style. They range from classic and superior rooms to suites, among them a royal suite dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, with two bedrooms, and an Art Deco suite on the fifth floor, with a terrace and private lift. All have fibre wifi, television, safe and minibar. There are adapted rooms, with walk-in showers.
Eating and drinking without going out
The restaurant I Carracci, which also has an entrance on Via Manzoni, 2, sits beneath a vault frescoed by the Carracci school, the Bolognese painters of the 16th century. There are also the Cafè Marinetti, in Deco style with a Carrara marble floor, the Enoteca Morandi, in the historic cellar, and the hotel's terraces, where they serve aperitifs. Breakfast is taken in a room that opens onto the winter garden.
Getting there
From the central station it is about 900 metres: on foot, by bus A or by taxi. From the airport, about 8 km away, the Marconi Express drops you at the station in a few minutes. By car you need to be careful: the hotel is in a limited-traffic zone. Do not put the hotel's address into the satnav, because that street is pedestrianised: the hotel says to enter via Via Marconi, go to Via Galliera 23 and continue along Via Manzoni to the end, where the valet is waiting. The guarded garage costs €55 to €70 a night, depending on the car, and must be reserved. It has a charging point for electric cars.
The main entrance has two flights of steps, with a stairlift and a platform at the back, with the help of staff.

## As a family: A Covered City on a Child's Scale

Bologna is easy with children: the centre is flat, compact and under porticoes, so there is shade in summer and a roof when it rains. Visits are short and almost all have a child fare or are free for the little ones.

### What works best
The San Luca portico, with the tourist train for the way back

The Clock Tower, with terraces over Piazza Maggiore, free up to age 3

The History Museum in the Palazzo Pepoli, free up to age 12

The Archiginnasio, 40 minutes with an audio guide in Spanish

### Where to sleep
Near Piazza Maggiore, to do everything on foot

Next to the station, if you are combining with other cities by train

### Where to eat
Tagliatelle al ragù and tortellini in any trattoria

Mortadella and bread for a picnic under the porticoes

### Keep in mind
The Asinelli tower is closed: do not promise the climb

The climb to San Luca has steps: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

In August the heat is fierce and some visits pause

### Qué hacer as a family
- San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary
- Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University
- Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Its Terraces
- Guided Walk Through the Medieval Centre, from Piazza Maggiore to Santo Stefano
- Museum of the History of Bologna in the Palazzo Pepoli

## Consejos

### Look at the Bologna Welcome Card
It includes several visits run by the tourist office, such as the San Luca Express or the Clock Tower. Compare it with what you're going to do.

### Take the guided walk on your first day
In two hours you have the city's map in your head and you get into San Petronio.

### Walk up to San Luca and come down by train
The climb under the arches is the lovely part; the descent drags.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Can you climb both towers?
No. The Asinelli Tower has been closed since October 2023 because of the Garisenda works, and there's no reopening date.

### How many days do I need?
Two nights: one day for the centre, the Archiginnasio and the Clock Tower, and half a day for the San Luca portico.

### Is it a good city with children?
Yes. The arcades give shade and shelter, the Palazzo Pepoli History Museum is free up to age 12 and they enjoy the tourist train to San Luca.

### Are there tours in Spanish?
Yes: the guided walk round the centre has Spanish-language sessions, and the audio guides at the Archiginnasio, the Clock Tower and the Palazzo Pepoli include Spanish.

### Do I need a car?
No. The centre is covered on foot and the car is only a problem because of the limited traffic zones.