Our most recommended things to do in Bologna

Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

1. Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

Take a classic walking tour through the streets of the Bologna city center. With this guided tour, discover the history of Bologna and its major cultural attractions. Make stops at the Asinelli tower, Neptune fountain, and the Basilica of San Petronio. Meet your guide and walk through the city streets admiring the architecture and discovering the most-famous cultural attraction. See the towers of Bologna and marvel at their height and significance. Then, stroll through the Quadrilatero Market, and learn important historical facts. Make a wish at the Neptune fountain and see if it comes true. Then, gaze at the Basilica of San Petronio, as your guide shares its story and welcomes you into the city of Bologna.

Bologna: Torre degli Asinelli Entrance Ticket & Food Tasting

2. Bologna: Torre degli Asinelli Entrance Ticket & Food Tasting

Take in the incredible views from the tallest leaning medieval tower in the world, built between 1109 and 1119. The panoramic view from the Torre degli Asinelli will take your breath away.  After the tower visit, enjoy a food tasting of Bologna's typical products in the city center.

From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

3. From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

The Basilica of San Luca is one of the symbols of the city of Bologna. Situated on the Monte Guardia, the Sanctuary connects to the city center through the longest continuous portico in the world, made up of 666 arcades. At the meeting point, you'll receive a map and a timetable of the return train, which is available every 45 minutes. You’ll also receive a voucher for the food tasting.  This tour departs every day and will help you discover the city from aboard the San Luca Express train, where the audio guides, available in 8 languages, will tell you about the city until your arrival at the Basilica of San Luca. Here, you can visit the Basilica at your own pace and decide what time to return by consulting the schedules on the map. On board, you will find a member of staff who'll welcome you and provide any information you may require. When you return, you will get to taste typical products in one of the historical markets.

Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

4. Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

Discover Bologna in comfort via an open top bus, enabling you to admire and photograph all the major attractions of the city.  Upon arriving at the meeting point, staff will welcome you onboard. Choose from an audioguide available in 10 different languages to learn more about the specific landmarks as well as the general history of the city. You will then journey across the city, capturing views of some of the most famous points of interest. Hop on and off at your leisure at some popular spots such as: • Basilica San Petronio • Palazzo dei Notai • Palazzo Comunale • Palazzo di Re Enzo • Palazzo del Podestà, • Tower of Asinelli and Garisenda • Museo Civico Archeologico • Archiginnasio • Palazzo Bevilacqua • Porta Saragozza • Palazzo Bentivoglio • Fontana del Nettuno • Teatro Comunale. After the tour, enjoy a food tour in a historical market in Bologna, where you will try local delicacies.

Bologna: Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and City Tour

5. Bologna: Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and City Tour

Get to know Bologna at your own pace on this interactive scavenger hunt walking tour that is played on your phone. Decipher riddles, interact with the most important attractions of the city, and unlock interesting facts and legends. Enjoy an ideal outdoor activity for first time visitors, couples, groups, families, and children which can be used as a great team-building activity. Solve puzzles outside of ten Bologna attractions. Use clues at each attraction to find your next destination. Enjoy the challenge of using logic, imagination, observation, and team spirit to complete the game. Feel the satisfaction of solving each riddle. At each stop, learn about the attraction and solve a location-based riddle that can only be solved if you reach the specific location. Use logic, imagination, observation, and team spirit to unlock the correct code and reveal the next destination of the city sightseeing game. Have the freedom to pause or resume the tour whenever you want. Admire the city at your own pace. Uncover interesting information and facts about the city. Snap as many pictures as you want.  You can start playing anytime, the schedule is indicative. Start your tour at Towers of Bologna. Visit the Biblioteca Salaborsa with its unique archives. Photograph the municipal complex of Palazzo d'Accursio and the chapel and admire the Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita with its original Gothic style and lifelike sculptures. Then head to the Salina Palace and Osteria Le Sette Chiese for some unbeatable photo opportunities. Admire the beautiful Piazza Minghetti and the interior of Basilica di San Domenico. The small but miraculous Oratorio dello Spirito Santo is well worth your time, and the icing on the cake is the Church of the Holy Savior.

Bologna: 3-Hour Secret Food Tour

6. Bologna: 3-Hour Secret Food Tour

Head to the Quadrilatero area, the vibrant heart of Bologna, to start your 3-hour food tour. Step off the beaten paths, discover unexpected sights and hear amazing stories about the origins and traditions of the city. We'll start with a traditional welcoming sweet. Then, we'll visit one of the oldest Salumeria of the city to sample a selection of local charcuterie. You'll enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and many more regional cold cuts. Next we'll visit a pasta shop for a demonstration and taste of fresh, handmade pasta made just for us. At the Quadrilatero, we'll sip different types of 8,12,25 year old balsamic vinegar from Modena. We'll stop in Bologna's oldest tavern for a glass of the best local wine. You'll end on a sweet note, with a traditional artisanal gelato. As with all our tours, there's our delicious Secret Dish.

Bologna: Marconi Airport Bus Transfer to/from Florence City

7. Bologna: Marconi Airport Bus Transfer to/from Florence City

Avoid the hassle of public transport before or after your airplane journey. Sit back and relax aboard an air-conditioned Appennino Shuttle with extra legroom as you are taken to the airport or Piazzale Montelungo in Florence city center. Benefit from helpful staff who will assist you. Choose a 1-way shuttle service to or from the airport. Be greeted by staff who will wait for you to board the bus. Hop on board and have your luggage safely stowed away. Relax on a modern air-conditioned bus and enjoy the view of the Tuscany region. Arrive at Bologna airport or Florence city center.

Bologna: City Center Guided Wine Walking Tour

8. Bologna: City Center Guided Wine Walking Tour

Discover Bologna beyond its architecture and renowned food with a walking tour of the city, focusing on the city's lesser-known wine scene. Taste different varieties, learn from a certified local sommelier and explore the hidden spots of the city. Embark on a tour of some of the best wineries in the city center, guided by a real local wine expert. Learn about the Colli Bolognesi wine region as you explore. Move from an enoteca to an osteria, where you'll have the chance to taste real wines from the Colli Bolognesi area and the Emilia Romagna wine region. All the wines will be explained and all of your curiosity satisfied. Depending on the length of tour selected, enjoy 2 to 5 different wines produces in the region. If you choose the 3-hour or the 2,5-hour tour, you will also enjoy a traditional snack in the oldest tavern in town. A complete food and wine pairing is offered in the private option: Secret enoteca experience.

Bologna: Guided Traditional Food Tour

9. Bologna: Guided Traditional Food Tour

Learn all of the secrets of traditional Italian food culture and items from the Bologna region on this guided food tour. Your food local expert will navigate you through the life in Bologna behind the dishes and their preparation. Experience Bologna from an unusual perspective. Learn why Bologna is known as the wise for containing the second oldest university in Europe, the red because of the red roofs of its houses, and the rich for its food offerings and flavor. Discover the secrets behind Italian gastronomy in the Emilia-Romagna region as a reference due to its historical ties with food and Bologna as a hotspot for Italian culinary excellence. The following are a few dishes that you may try during the tour: - Fresh pasta like Ragù alla Bolognese Tagliatelle topped with local Parmesan Cheese. One, if not, the, quintessential first dish in Bologna. More versatile than the famous Lasagna, this dish will welcome you into Bologna while still leaving some space in your stomach for the following stops. In alternative you may be served Tortellini, served in broth, as the tradition commands, which is equally as typical. - A platter of mixed Pizza with Gourmet toppings - try a delicious platter of mixed gourmet pizza in a local market, pizza is hands down the most requested and loved food in Italy and in Bologna it may be topped with delicious local ingredients. - Cotoletta alla Bolognese in the modern version of meatballs. An original version of a traditional dish in Bologna, the Boltoletta is a new way to taste the Cotoletta alla Bolognese. A veal meat served with a rich sauce made with cream and parmesan cheese and topped with smoked ham. The traditional recipe requires that the meat is fried, then served in meat broth. Finally, it is briefly baked in the oven and served covered in melted cheese and ham. - The best artisanal Italian ice cream in Bologna with delicious flavours or alternatively Torta degli Addobbi: a rice cake with very ancient origins; it was prepared in Bologna, already around 1400, on the occasion of Corpus Domini, the end of May; a time when balconies and windows were festively decorated with coloured drapes and this cake cut into diamond shapes was offered to relatives and friends! - Espresso or a Macchiato (very different from the American Macchiato) is the inevitable conclusion of every Italian proper meal. Espresso will be offered in a local coffee shop.

Bologna: Self-Guided Food Tasting Tour with Vouchers

10. Bologna: Self-Guided Food Tasting Tour with Vouchers

Discover the secrets of the city’s cuisine with a food tasting tour of Bologna. With a map and a set of vouchers for local food samples, taste your way through the city at your own pace. Enjoy a self-guided food tour, wander the narrow streets of the old town, take breaks for photos, and explore the points of interest suggested by the map. Collect tastings of local and traditional food along the way. Try handmade chocolates, delicious ice cream, and the famous Tigellone with typical ragù sauce, while adults will also receive a glass of wine, a coffee, and a parmesan sample. Each voucher says what it includes and where to use it, and you can scan the QR code to follow the path on google maps.

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What are the best day trips and excursions from Bologna?

The best day trips and excursions from Bologna are:

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What people are saying about Bologna

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 1,954 reviews

This is such an affordable way to see a city. The tour was interesting, hit so many major spots. The directions are actually so clear and easy to follow you rarely need to look at the map, if ever. Would definitely recommend as a great way of seeing so much of the city and learning more than you would just read in a guide book!

Stella was fantastic as our guide. Her insight and knowledge of Bologna was exactly what we needed as we had just arrived. The tour gave us a great understanding of the area, and places to revisit once the tour was over. Thanks Stella- we had a great time

My family and I had an amazing g experience with Gabriele. We learned the secrets of Bolognese cuisine as well as tasting some of the most famous delicacies. Highly recommend!

Wow! I never knew there was so much unique and interesting history living side-by-side in Bologna! Alberto really made this city come to life in stories!

Professional full of critical information -to the point- for more than 3ours walking tour!