The Best Things to Do in Bologna

Bologna, Italy – the city that most would call the food capital of Italy!

My husband and I got to sneak away (without the kids) to Italy for our 10 year anniversary. This was foodie heaven for me with all the made from scratch dishes and fresh pasta. I can’t wait to go back!

Here are some of the best things to do in Bologna, Italy:

1. Climb the Asinelli Tower
2. Watch the Sunset from a Rooftop Bar
3. Explore Piazza Maggiore
4. Eat your way through Via Degli Orefici
5. Mercato di Mezzo
6. Santo Stefano Church
7. Biblioteca comunale dell’Archiginnasio
8. Walk the Porticoes at night
9. Explore a Local Market or Grocery Store
10. Wine Tasting in the Hills of Bologna
11. Get Lost

Jump to the Food!

TIP: Before traveling to Italy, I recommend reading the first part of my other blog post for some basic but very important things to know before visiting Italy!

For information on Parking/Transportation, see the bottom of this post.

Things to do in Bologna:

1. Climb the Asinelli Tower

For stunning panoramic views of Bologna, I recommend climbing the Asinelli Tower. This is the taller of the Two Towers in Bologna. It stands roughly 320 feet tall (or 97 meters).

You must buy tickets in advance for a specific time. Here is the website to purchase tickets. They cost around 5 Euro.

If you are claustrophobic, just a heads up, the first part of the climb is very narrow and closed in. But it does open up a bit after you get past the tight winding staircase. I found out here that I now have a bit of claustrophobia.

2. Watch the Sunset from a Rooftop Bar

My husband and I enjoyed sitting on the rooftop of Hotel Touring for an aperitivo and watching the sun set.

Aperitivo (or aperitif) is a pre-meal drink to ‘open up the appetite’ before dinner. Often times when you order a drink during this time, it comes with a little snack (crackers, nuts, chips, small sandwiches).

This rooftop bar was my favorite spot in Bologna! The view was stunning and it was so peaceful up there.

I suggest calling ahead to make reservations. You do not have to be a guest of the hotel to visit the rooftop bar.

3. Explore Piazza Maggiore

Piazza Maggiore is Bologna’s main square. It is one of the oldest and largest in Italy. This is where you can find the Bascilica di San Petronio.

Here is some more information on this square and others to visit while in Bologna.

4. Eat your way through Via Degli Orefici

Via Degli Orefici is a street in Bologna (within the historic city center) that is packed full of delicious restaurants.

I recommend wandering around this area and popping into any place that looks good!

I enjoyed having some wine and charcuterie at Simoni in this area.

5. Mercato di Mezzo

Mercato Di Mezzo is an indoor food market/ food court where you can find meats, cheeses, wine, pasta, and more!

The ground floor (level 0) has multiple food vendors and open seating. The first floor has a pizzeria and the second floor has a brewery. In Europe, the ground floor is level 0 (unlike in America where ground floor is level 1).

Mercato Di Mezzo is a great place to sit and have an aperitivo. If you don’t know what an aperitivo is, read this.

6. Santo Stefano Church

This website offers some more details on the Basilica of Santo Stefano.

7. Biblioteca comunale dell’Archiginnasio

The Biblioteca comunale dell’Archiginnasio is a public library in Bologna.

We did not go in the library. We just looked around the courtyard which was absolutely stunning.

8. Walk the Porticoes at night

The porticoes are pretty during the day as well, but at night they are all lit up and it’s less busy so you can soak in the pretty architecture.

And the nice thing.. if it’s raining, you could get by without an umbrella.

9. Explore a Local Market or Grocery Store

I love wandering around a small market or grocery store in a new town to see what the local produce and food options are.

I think it’s fun to buy a few local products to try something new!

10. Wine Tasting in ‘the Hills’ of Bologna

We did not have time to visit any wineries, but next time we visit it will be at the top of our list.

I found this wine tour in the hills of Bologna that looked like fun!

11. Get Lost

We had fun just wandering down streets within the city center of Bologna. So many pretty buildings and sites.

You never know what you will find! We also stumbled upon an outdoor market with lots of food vendors. It was a highlight for sure.

Things to do NEAR Bologna:

If you are visiting Bologna, these places below are also worth visiting since they are so close!

Food Tour near Parma

We went on this awesome 6 hour food tour through Parma Tours. We visited a Parmesan Reggiano plant, a Prosciutto plant, and Balsamic Vinegar production facility.

Here is the link to the tour that we did. We loved it!

Day Trip to Venice

Venice is roughly a 2-3 hour train ride from Bologna. We only did a day trip to Venice, but I highly recommend spending more than just 1 day here. I think 2-3 days would be perfect.

We did a food tour in Venice which was a great way to pack a lot in a little amount of time.

Places to Eat in Bologna

Here is my post on The Best Places to Eat in Bologna.

Where to Stay

We stayed at Hotel Touring in the city centre of Bologna. We loved the location and the hotel itself was great! Breakfast was included and they had a nice selection.

The staff here was so accommodating from scheduling our taxis to giving us restaurant recommendations.

We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to visit within the city center. We did take a taxi a couple times to the train station (when we went to Venice and Parma). Although walking to the train station is do-able from Hotel Touring.

My favorite part of this hotel was definitely the rooftop bar. The views of the city are amazing from up here.

They also have a hot tub that you can reserve (for additional fee). It is tucked off to the side on the rooftop giving it some decent privacy.

Parking/Transportation

For this trip to Bologna, we flew into Milan and traveled by train to Bologna.

Parking within the city centre of Bologna is tricky. There are a lot of traffic restricted areas and special permits are needed to drive in certain parts.

I highly recommend just traveling by train and walking/taking tax as needed. Keep in mind an international drivers permit is needed to drive in Italy (at least for US visitors). This can be obtained from AAA. Here is a website with some helpful info regarding IDP’s.

One benefit of renting a car would be to travel to smaller towns or explore the countryside of Italy. Traveling by train is way less stressful in my opinion.

We typically buy train tickets in advance (online) if we are traveling a decent distance (ex: Milan to Bologna, Bologna to Venice). If you are just traveling from one town to next (or just a few away), typically you can just buy a ticket the day of.

Rule of thumb with train tickets: If your ticket does not have a date & time on it, be sure to validate your ticket right before boarding the train (this puts a time/date stamp on your ticket). If you get caught without a validated ticket, there will be fines (and they do come around on the train checking tickets).

Other Posts You Might Like:

• The Best Places to Eat in Bologna
• 8 Popular Foods Bologna is Known For
• The Ultimate 15 Day Italy Vacation
• How to Spend 3 Days in Florence, Italy
• How to Spend 3 Days in Rome, Italy

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