Bologna 7 Day Itinerary

Before you plan a climb up the Asinelli Tower, know that it has been closed since late 2023 over structural safety concerns tied to its leaning neighbor, the Garisenda Tower, and that closure has dragged into 2026 without a confirmed reopening date. That single fact should reshape the itinerary you build for Bologna more than any other, because half the older guides still send visitors to a tower they cannot actually climb right now.

Day 1: Arrival and City Center

Bologna earned its old nickname La Grassa, the Fat One, for good reason, and it is worth arriving hungry rather than jet-lagged and picky. Settle into a hotel near the historic center, walking distance to Piazza Maggiore, and spend the first evening simply walking the arcaded streets rather than front-loading sightseeing. Bologna’s porticoes, over 62 kilometers of them across the city, were collectively named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021, and they are the reason this city is walkable in a downpour when most Italian cities are not. For dinner, order tagliatelle al ragu rather than asking for spaghetti bolognese, a dish that does not actually exist here and will mark you as a tourist to any server in the city. Buses run efficiently if you need them, but the center is compact enough that most first-time visitors end up walking everywhere anyway.

Day 2: Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers

Start with a proper Bolognese breakfast, cornetto and espresso standing at a bar counter rather than seated, which is both cheaper and more authentic. Piazza Maggiore anchors the day: the Basilica di San Petronio is enormous, still unfinished after nearly 650 years since construction began, with its facade abruptly cutting off in plain brick partway up, a visible reminder that the original design called for something considerably grander than what the Church ultimately funded. The Palazzo della Mercanzia and the Archiginnasio, the university’s original anatomical theater, are both worth an hour each, and the Archiginnasio’s wooden anatomy theater, rebuilt after WWII bomb damage using surviving fragments, is a genuinely striking small museum most visitors skip entirely.

At the Due Torri, the Asinelli Tower remains closed for structural work as of mid 2026, so do not plan your day around climbing it. The shorter, more dramatically leaning Garisenda Tower next to it is the one actually under safety restriction and is fenced off at ground level. Neither disappointment should ruin the visit, since the towers are still striking to view from the piazza below, and the closure has, if anything, made this corner of the city quieter than the crowds it used to draw pre-2023. Have lunch at a traditional osteria near the market district and spend the afternoon in the Quadrilatero, the old merchants’ quarter, where food shops selling mortadella, parmesan wedges, and fresh pasta operate exactly as they did a century ago, minus the tourist volume they now also absorb.

Day 3: Food Tour and the Markets

Bologna’s food culture rewards structure on at least one day, so book a proper food tour rather than trying to freelance your way through the Quadrilatero’s dozens of shops. A good guide will walk you through why mortadella from a proper Bologna producer bears almost no resemblance to supermarket bologna elsewhere, how tortellini in brodo differs from tortelloni, and why the ragu here is built slowly with soffritto and a splash of milk rather than the tomato-heavy versions served abroad. Mercato delle Erbe and Mercato di Mezzo are both worth browsing even outside a formal tour, and both have stand-up counters where you can eat a plate of cured meats and cheese for less than a sit-down restaurant would charge for the same quality. Spend the evening back in the Quadrilatero for dinner on your own, since by day three you will have a much better sense of which specific shop’s mortadella or which osteria’s tortellini actually earned its reputation.

Day 4: The University and San Luca

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest university in the world still operating continuously, and Palazzo Poggi, its old anatomical and scientific museum, has genuinely unusual collections including wax anatomical models and antique globes that reward an unhurried visit. In the afternoon, walk the Portico di San Luca, the longest portico in the world at roughly 3.8 kilometers and 666 arches, built between 1674 and 1793 originally to shelter a religious icon carried up to the sanctuary during an annual procession. The walk from the city center to the Basilica di San Luca on the hill takes something like 75 to 105 minutes uphill at a normal pace, and it is genuinely worth doing on foot rather than by shuttle bus at least one way, since the covered arcade means you can do it rain or shine without needing better weather gear than an ordinary pair of shoes. The view from the basilica over the Emilian plain is the payoff, and it is considerably less crowded than most hilltop viewpoints in Italy precisely because reaching it takes real effort.

Day 5: Day Trip to Modena

Modena is a straightforward 20 to 30 minute direct train ride from Bologna Centrale, with trains running roughly every half hour throughout the day, cheap enough that there is no reason to book a private transfer. The city’s Duomo, a UNESCO-listed Romanesque cathedral with its leaning Ghirlandina bell tower, anchors Piazza Grande and is worth the visit for the medieval stone reliefs alone. On cars, be precise about which Ferrari museum you are visiting, since there are two and they are different: the Museo Enzo Ferrari sits in Modena itself and focuses on the man and the early history of the marque, while the larger Ferrari Museum in Maranello, a separate town about 20 kilometers away, focuses on the cars and racing history, with entry running somewhere around 27 to 32 euros depending on season, and a combined ticket covering both sites available if you plan to see both within 48 hours. If your day trip time is limited, the Modena museum alone plus the Duomo is a fuller day than trying to squeeze in Maranello too. For lunch, order tortellini in brodo again here, since Modena and Bologna each claim the dish with minor variations, and comparing the two in the same week is one of the small pleasures of this region. Finish with a proper balsamic vinegar tasting at a traditional acetaia if you can arrange one in advance, since the genuinely aged Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena bears almost no relationship to the syrupy supermarket product sold under the same name.

Day 6: Day Trip to Ravenna

Ravenna requires a change of train and takes roughly two and a half hours each way from Bologna Centrale, noticeably longer than the Modena hop, so leave early and treat it as a full day rather than a half day excursion. The payoff is real: Ravenna’s Byzantine mosaics, at the Basilica di San Vitale, the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, the Neonian Baptistery, and the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, are among the best-preserved 5th and 6th century mosaic work anywhere in the world, predating most of what survives in Istanbul itself. A combined ticket covering several of these sites is available and worth buying rather than paying separately at each door. Eat lunch in Ravenna rather than rushing back, since the town has its own distinct, less rich Romagnol food tradition worth sampling on its own terms before the train back to Bologna for a farewell dinner somewhere properly Emilian.

Day 7: Departure

Have a final espresso standing at the bar, settle the hotel bill, and allow real time for the taxi or bus ride to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, which sits only about six kilometers from the center and connects by a dedicated Marconi Express monorail that takes roughly seven minutes and beats sitting in traffic during the morning rush. One last practical note worth carrying home: if the Asinelli Tower has reopened by the time you read this, booking is mandatory and must be done at least 24 hours ahead through the official Bologna Welcome site, since walk-up entry is no longer how the climb works even once it does reopen.