Bologna

Introduction

Twin Medieval Towers of Bologna

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Bologna is a city in northern Italy and is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, a region in the Po Valley. The city has about 400,000 inhabitants and is one of the wealthiest cities in the country, at the same time offering splended culture and Italian cuisine to curious travellers who go beyond the general route.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Bologna's historical city centre is one of the biggest in Europe (after Venice) and there are dozens of buildings dating back to the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings styles.

• Medieval defensive towers / Twin Medieval Towers
• The oldest university in the western world
• Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
• The basilica of San Petronio, one of the biggest in the world
• San Pietro Cathedral
• Santo Stefano basilica and sanctuary
• San Domenico basilica and sanctuary
• Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca
• Arcades (porticos) like the Portico of San Luca

Events and Festivals

Weather

Bologna's climate is nice, with generally warm summers from late May to September when temperatures are usually between 25 °C and 30 °C and nights are roughly 10 °C colder than that. It can get pretty hot though on some day in July and August and combined with the European crowds this may not be the best time to visit. Winters last from December to March with temperatures well below zero during the day but around freezing in the coldest months (December and January). Summers are driest although winters don't see that much of rain (or the odd snow flock) either. Most of the precipitation falls during the early spring (March-early May) and late autumn (October-November) months. A good time to plan your visit would be late May, early June or the month of September, avoiding hot or cold weather, rain and crowds alltogether.

Getting There

By Plane

Bologna Airport (BLQ) offers numerous flights throughout Europe and is one of the fastest growing airports in the country. Lowcost airlines like Ryanair serve cities like London, Oslo, Madrid, Brussels, Frankfurt, Valencia, Paris and Birmingham, among other smaller cities.
Many other airlines have domestic or international flights, including to Rome, Reykjavik, Athens, Prague, Vienna, Dublin, Geneva, Berlin, Cologne, Lisbon and Casablanca.
The Aerobus BLQ shuttle service goes to the Railway Station from the airport, taking about 20 minutes. There are also direct buses going to Modena and Siena from the airport.

By Train

For train tickets to many Italian cities and international connections as well, check both the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) and
the Trenitalia websites for schedules and prices.

By Car

By Bus

Ferrara has regular bus connections, taking about 1 hours. For most other regional or domestic cities, trains are a far better option.
Eurolines connects Bologna directly with several European cities, though again, trains and planes are a far better option and hardly more expensive, if not cheaper!

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Post Italiane is the national postal services of Italy and has quite an efficient network of postal offices and reliable postal services. Standard letters and postcards (up to 20 grams) cost €0.39 to send within Europe and the Mediterranean countries outside Europe and €0.41 to all other destinations throughout the country. Up to 50 grams, prices start at €0.52 for Europe, €0.62 for other areas. Packages start at €1.55 within Europe, and around €2.50 for other countries. Post office business hours in Italy are from 8:30am to 2:00pm from Monday to Friday, with closing times at Saturday and the last day of the month at 12 noon.