# Bologna by train from Rome: the San Luca portico, lunch at Diana, Palazzo Pepoli and the Clock Tower High-speed train from Termini, a tourist-train ride up to San Luca and the walk down beneath the 666 arches, tortellini at Diana, the city museum and the terraces of the Clock Tower. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/itineraries/rome-bologna-train-sunday-san-luca-portico-diana · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 07:30 · Salida: 2 h 15 by train (High-speed train from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale) - 15 min on foot (Along Via Indipendenza to Piazza Maggiore) - 10:15 · San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary (Take the San Luca Express from Piazza Maggiore, €15 return, and walk down the arches to Porta Saragozza) · Bologna Welcome, From €15 per person, return - 30 min on foot - 13:15 · Ristorante Diana (Tortellini in broth and boiled-meat trolley · booking · on Sunday only at midday) · Ristorante Diana, €€€ - 12 min on foot - 15:15 · Museum of the History of Bologna in the Palazzo Pepoli (€10 with audioguide in Spanish · free up to age 12) · Bologna Welcome, From €10 per adult - 6 min on foot - 17:00 · Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Its Terraces (€10 with booking · the last climb is at 18:20) · Bologna Welcome, From €10 per adult - 18:15 · Vuelta: 15 min on foot (To the station along Via Indipendenza) - 2 h 15 by train (At Roma Termini around 21:00, depending on the train) Bologna is a little over two hours from Rome by high-speed train, so it fits into a day without a car. This plan is designed for a Sunday: you climb to the sanctuary of San Luca in the morning, eat at the city's classic, which that day opens only at lunchtime, and in the afternoon see the history of Bologna in a museum and the whole city from the Clock Tower. Most of the day you walk under porticoes, so rain does not spoil it. ## The day, hour by hour 7:30 · Train from Termini. Take a Frecciarossa or an Italo to Bologna Centrale. In about two hours and a quarter you are there. From the station, walk down Via Indipendenza: in twenty minutes you reach Piazza Maggiore. 10:15 · San Luca. From Piazza Maggiore leaves the San Luca Express, the tourist train that goes up to the sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, with a Spanish audioguide. The ticket costs €15 return, €8 for ages 6 to 10. Up top, look at the basilica and the view over the plain. Then walk down the portico, the longest in the world: 666 arches and almost 4 km to Porta Saragozza, first downhill and then on the flat. The descent takes about an hour. On Sunday mornings you will see many Bolognese going up. 13:15 · Lunch at Ristorante Diana. From Porta Saragozza head back to the centre and continue to Via Volturno, next to Via Indipendenza. Diana dates from 1909: tortellini in broth, green lasagne and the roast and boiled-meat trolleys. On Sunday it is open at lunchtime only; book on its website. 15:15 · Museum of the History of Bologna. In Palazzo Pepoli, on Via Castiglione, next to the two towers. The history of the city from the Etruscans to today, with displays and projections. €10, a Spanish audioguide on your phone and free up to age 12. Allow an hour and a half. 17:00 · The Clock Tower. Return to Piazza Maggiore and climb to the terraces of Palazzo d'Accursio, above the red rooftops and San Petronio. With the Asinelli tower closed, it is the way to see Bologna from above. €10, booked through Bologna Welcome; the last climb of the afternoon is at 18:20. 18:15 · Return. Twenty minutes on foot to the station and the train to Rome. At Termini at about nine in the evening. ## With children They like the tourist train and the tower terrace, although children under 8 do not go up to the highest one. The Palazzo Pepoli museum is free up to age 12. If they are little, do San Luca on the train in both directions. ## Cómo llegar ### Without a car It is the way for this plan: high-speed from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale and the rest on foot, with the San Luca Express for the climb. ### By car About four hours from Rome on the A1 motorway: not worth it for a day. If you go by car, the centre is a limited-traffic zone: park outside the old town. ## Consejos ### Book two things The table at Diana and the time slot for the Clock Tower. ### Go up by train and walk down Walking up is tiring; the descent under the arches is the pretty part. ### Check the last train Before the tower, check the return times. ## Un consejo más ### If it rains The San Luca portico is covered from start to finish, and the rest of the day is indoors. ## Cuándo no ir Monday: Diana is closed and the other visits change their hours. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does the train from Rome to Bologna take? About two hours and a quarter by high-speed train, Frecciarossa or Italo. ### Can you climb both towers? No. The Asinelli tower is closed for the Garisenda works; go up the Clock Tower. ### How much does the San Luca Express cost? €15 return, €8 for ages 6 to 10 and €3 for under-5s. ### Is Diana open on Sunday? Yes, at lunchtime. It is closed in the evening and on Monday.