Day trip from Florence to Bologna: the one-day plan

Is a day trip from Florence to Bologna worth it?

Yes, for most travellers who have already seen Florence's big sights. The ride is so short that travel barely eats into your day, and high-speed trains leave so often that you never plan your day around one departure. You step off at Bologna Centrale and walk into the old town.

What Bologna gives you is a different kind of Italian city. It is a lived-in university town with a university founded in 1088, long arcaded streets, and a kitchen that is the reason many people come: tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano. It feels less geared to visitors than Florence, and eating out costs no more.

The trade-off is that Bologna does not match Florence for art museums or postcard looks. Its cathedral square looks plain from the outside and the city reveals itself slowly, through its churches, the old anatomy theatre and the streets around the market. If you come for food, atmosphere and city life, the day pays off; if you want Renaissance masterpieces, Florence already has them.

Who this day trip suits

• Food lovers: the signature dishes of Bologna are the main reason to go, and lunch is part of the plan.
• Travellers who have done the Uffizi, the David and the Duomo and want a contrast to Florence.
• Anyone curious about an everyday Italian city with a large student population rather than an open-air museum.
• Budget-minded travellers: a short train ride, mostly free stops and food at Florence prices or below.
• Visitors with only one free day who want a trip without long transfers.

Go if you have seen Florence's main sights and want food, arcades and a living university city; if you have only a few days in Florence and have not yet seen the Uffizi, the David or the Duomo, stay in Florence, and if you want Tuscan scenery, choose Siena or Lucca instead.

Other day trips from Florence

• Pisa1 hPick Pisa if you want one famous ensemble, the Leaning Tower, Cathedral and Baptistery, rather than a whole city to walk through. The train takes longer than to Bologna, but the visit centres on a single square.
• Siena1 h 28 minSiena is the choice if you want a Tuscan hill town with Gothic architecture around Piazza del Campo and the Torre del Mangia. Bologna is flat and urban; Siena gives you the scenery and medieval setting Bologna lacks, at the cost of a longer ride by train or bus.
• Lucca1 h 20 minLucca suits a slower, quieter day: you walk on the city walls and around Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in a small town. Bologna is the busier, bigger city with the stronger food scene; Lucca is the gentler one.

Florence to Bologna day trip itinerary

Day plan for: Tue–Sat

Take a morning train so that you reach the two churches with a lunch closure before midday, eat in the middle of the tour and are back in Florence by early evening.

1. Morning08:55 – 09:33

   Take the direct Trenitalia train shortly before nine from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, arrive at Bologna Centrale around half past nine and walk to Piazza Maggiore.

   An early train leaves enough time for the whole tour before the afternoon, and the walk from the station sets you down right at the first stop.

2. Tour10:00 – 12:45

   Open the tour in the browser on Piazza Maggiore. The AI Tour Guide greets you and leads you to the Basilica of San Petronio, the Archiginnasio with its wooden Anatomical Theatre, the Basilica of San Domenico, the Basilica di Santo Stefano and on to the Two Towers, which you see from the street, telling their stories and asking what you want to know more about. The Archiginnasio is the one ticket worth buying: entries are timed and the audio-guided visit takes about forty minutes.

   San Domenico and Santo Stefano both close over lunch, so the morning is when you can go inside. Do not linger too long earlier on, because Santo Stefano closes soon after you arrive.

   1. 1Piazza Maggiore
   2. 2Basilica of San Petronio
   3. 3Archiginnasio
   4. 4Basilica of San Domenico
   5. 5Basilica di Santo Stefano
   6. 6Two Towers

   Start the Bologna tour

3. Lunch12:45 – 13:45

   Eat after the Two Towers and before the Finestrella di via Piella. Order tagliatelle al ragù or tortellini in brodo at a trattoria, or grab a mortadella sandwich and wander the food stalls of the Quadrilatero.

   The churches are shutting for lunch anyway, and the rest of the tour is outdoor stops that do not depend on opening hours.

4. Afternoon13:45 – 15:45

   The guide picks up where you left off: the Finestrella di via Piella, the Neptune Fountain and finally the Palazzo del Podestà, all seen from outside. With about an hour of slack before you need to leave, you can add the Clock Tower and Municipal Art Collections as an optional detour.

   These stops are quick, and the tour ends back on Piazza Maggiore, close to where you started.

   1. 7Finestrella di via Piella
   2. 8Neptune Fountain
   3. 9Palazzo del Podestà
5. Return15:45 – 17:04

   Leave the Palazzo del Podestà by a quarter to four at the latest, walk back to Bologna Centrale and take the Trenitalia train at around half past four, which arrives at Firenze Santa Maria Novella shortly after five.

   Forty minutes for the walk plus a short buffer at the station covers finding the platform without rushing.

Arrival to return departure: 6 h 54 min. Time for your visit: about 6 h.

Arrival 09:33, tour start 10:00: 25 min to walk to the start, 2 min spare.

This gives you nearly six hours in Bologna; if your train arrives late, shorten the last stops of the tour around the Neptune Fountain and the Palazzo del Podestà, which you will pass anyway near Piazza Maggiore.

A Bologna walking tour in one day

Opening hours as of 1 October 2026.

1. 
   1Stop 1

   Piazza Maggiore

   The main square of Bologna, framed by the most important buildings of the medieval city centre.

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Piazza Maggiore on Google Maps ↗

2. 
   2Stop 2

   Basilica of San Petronio

   The great basilica that dominates Piazza Maggiore and shapes the whole square.

   Hours

   Daily: 10:00–18:00 (last admission 17:50)

   Website

   basilicadisanpetronio.org ↗

   Location

   Basilica of San Petronio on Google Maps ↗

3. 
   3Stop 3

   Archiginnasio

   Once the main building of the University of Bologna, it now houses the city library and the wood-panelled Anatomical Theatre where dissections were taught.

   Hours

   Mon–Sat: 10:00–17:40
   Sun: closed

   Website

   archiginnasio.it ↗

   Price

   €10

   Location

   Archiginnasio on Google Maps ↗

4. 
   4Stop 4

   Basilica of San Domenico

   Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican order, is buried here in the Arca di San Domenico, a shrine begun by Nicola Pisano.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri: 07:00–13:00, 15:30–20:00
   Sat: 07:15–13:00, 15:30–19:30
   Sun: 07:55–12:30, 15:30–19:00

   Price

   Free

   Website

   sandomenicobologna.it ↗

   Location

   Basilica of San Domenico on Google Maps ↗

5. 
   5Stop 5

   Basilica di Santo Stefano

   Not one church but a whole complex of religious buildings joined together around courtyards.

   Hours

   Mon: 18:00–19:30
   Tue–Sat: 07:30–12:30, 14:30–19:30
   Sun: 08:30–13:00, 15:00–19:30

   Price

   Free

   Website

   santostefanobologna.it ↗

   Location

   Basilica di Santo Stefano on Google Maps ↗

6. 
   6Stop 6

   Two Towers

   Two leaning towers that have become the symbol of Bologna and the best known of its medieval towers.

   Status

   Currently closed

   Website

   bolognawelcome.com ↗

   Location

   Two Towers on Google Maps ↗

7. 
   7Stop 7

   Finestrella di via Piella

   A small window in Via Piella that is one of the quieter surprises of the walk; let the guide tell you what lies behind it.

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Finestrella di via Piella on Google Maps ↗

8. 
   8Stop 8

   Neptune Fountain

   A monumental civic fountain on Piazza del Nettuno, right next to Piazza Maggiore.

   Price

   Free

   Website

   nettuno.comune.bologna.it ↗

   Location

   Neptune Fountain on Google Maps ↗

9. 
   9Stop 9

   Palazzo del Podestà

   The medieval palace facing Piazza Maggiore, with the Voltone passage underneath that you can walk through at any time.

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Palazzo del Podestà on Google Maps ↗

Getting back from Bologna to Florence