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Best cities around Bologna
Hi
IŽll be in Bologna the next 3 months... Can you sugest the best cities to travel from here, for a two, orthree days tour?? Siena,Modena, Luca, Genova, Assisi??? Katia, |
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Yes practically any place in Italy above Rome would be a fairly short train ride or drive away - get a guidebook and read up on what interests you - for train info check out www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts (especially online European Planning & Railn Guide Italy section).
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Parma, Ravenna, Classe, Faenza, San Marino, San Leo, Urbino, Firenze, Pistoia, Lucca, Perugia, Gubbio, Volterra, Ferrara, Verona, Mantova, Cremona.....
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Even Switzerland and Germany easy reach.
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Originally Posted by StCirq
(Post 16698827)
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Originally Posted by neckervd
(Post 16698879)
Parma, Ravenna, Classe, Faenza, San Marino, San Leo, Urbino, Firenze, Pistoia, Lucca, Perugia, Gubbio, Volterra, Ferrara, Verona, Mantova, Cremona.....
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Will you have a car, Katia?
Every place neckervd wrote, plus get a good Italy guide book and see what calls out. Here's my TR--we took trains from Bologna so that might affect your decisions: Trip Report Turin, Spoleto, Bologna and Bellagio TR - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums |
Even though I have spent only 2 weeks in Bologna, I can tell you that you neither need or want a car there. there are simply loads of places to go, and they are very easy to get to by train. In fact more or less the hardest thing in travelling anywhere from Bologna was getting a bus to the station. So if your intention is to use the station a lot, consider staying reasonably close to it.
Personally I would start with some of the nearby towns and cities - Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, etc. The Blue Guide to Emilia-Romagna is very helpful with what to see, how to get there, and other practical details. You can also get trains down the Adriatic coast into Le Marche which is a nice change of scene. The other thing to remember is that there is loads to see and do in Bologna itself. A museum card valid for one year costs €25 and I managed to get my money's worth in just 2 weeks, so I should think it would be a must for you. Have a fab time! |
Originally Posted by TDudette
(Post 16700868)
Will you have a car, Katia?
Every place neckervd wrote, plus get a good Italy guide book and see what calls out. Here's my TR--we took trains from Bologna so that might affect your decisions: Trip Report Turin, Spoleto, Bologna and Bellagio TR - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums Thanks for the tips on the books !! |
Originally Posted by annhig
(Post 16700887)
Even though I have spent only 2 weeks in Bologna, I can tell you that you neither need or want a car there. there are simply loads of places to go, and they are very easy to get to by train. In fact more or less the hardest thing in travelling anywhere from Bologna was getting a bus to the station. So if your intention is to use the station a lot, consider staying reasonably close to it.
Personally I would start with some of the nearby towns and cities - Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, etc. The Blue Guide to Emilia-Romagna is very helpful with what to see, how to get there, and other practical details. You can also get trains down the Adriatic coast into Le Marche which is a nice change of scene. The other thing to remember is that there is loads to see and do in Bologna itself. A museum card valid for one year costs 25 and I managed to get my money's worth in just 2 weeks, so I should think it would be a must for you. Have a fab time! Thanks for the tips !! Katia |
Hi Katia,
I had to look up where your apartment is, it's not an area I got to in my all-too-brief stay in Bologna but with the park nearby, it should be very nice. Good it's got a bus stop for buses to the station nearby, but be warned that especially during the week, the timetable is rather a work of fiction. I was lulled into a false sense of security because the first time I went to catch a bus to the station was on a Saturday when the traffic wasn't so bad, and one came along almost straight away, but thereafter I had to wait at least 20 mins when the buses should have been every 5-10 mins at the worst. So allow plenty of time. Also, it's worth finding out where in the station your train is likely to be and allowing extra time to orient yourselves in the station the first time you go. There are no less than 4 distinct areas to the station - the main one on ground level, a secondary station also on ground level that serves local stations, called Bologna -Ouest, a level for fast trains one level down, and the FrecciaRossa platforms which are another level down again. Fortunately there are lifts, and plenty of automated ticket machines in two ticket offices. There is also a nice cafe by the left-hand ticket office that serves a very good spremuta and pastries, though for such a big station, the catering facilities seemed to be surprisingly sparse. Enjoy! |
Originally Posted by annhig
(Post 16701582)
Hi Katia,
I had to look up where your apartment is, it's not an area I got to in my all-too-brief stay in Bologna but with the park nearby, it should be very nice. Good it's got a bus stop for buses to the station nearby, but be warned that especially during the week, the timetable is rather a work of fiction. I was lulled into a false sense of security because the first time I went to catch a bus to the station was on a Saturday when the traffic wasn't so bad, and one came along almost straight away, but thereafter I had to wait at least 20 mins when the buses should have been every 5-10 mins at the worst. So allow plenty of time. Also, it's worth finding out where in the station your train is likely to be and allowing extra time to orient yourselves in the station the first time you go. There are no less than 4 distinct areas to the station - the main one on ground level, a secondary station also on ground level that serves local stations, called Bologna -Ouest, a level for fast trains one level down, and the FrecciaRossa platforms which are another level down again. Fortunately there are lifts, and plenty of automated ticket machines in two ticket offices. There is also a nice cafe by the left-hand ticket office that serves a very good spremuta and pastries, though for such a big station, the catering facilities seemed to be surprisingly sparse. Enjoy! Thnks a lot for your interest and help!! Katia |
Katia, please do share about your stay. It sounds great.
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On ground floor of Bologna train station is a memorial to dozens killed by teerrorists in a waiting room in the 1980s - the huge crack in the wall is glassed over and names of those killed posted on tablet - includes some backpacking young Americans... so so sad to see but worth a look.
Memorial In Bologna Railway Station Stock Photos & Memorial In Bologna Railway Station Stock Images - Alamy |
Originally Posted by TDudette
(Post 16702053)
Katia, please do share about your stay. It sounds great.
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Originally Posted by PalenQ
(Post 16702186)
On ground floor of Bologna train station is a memorial to dozens killed by teerrorists in a waiting room in the 1980s - the huge crack in the wall is glassed over and names of those killed posted on tablet - includes some backpacking young Americans... so so sad to see but worth a look.
Memorial In Bologna Railway Station Stock Photos & Memorial In Bologna Railway Station Stock Images - Alamy |
Sorry I didn't know about that, Pal. I was at the station several times so i would have had time to look for it.
>>Originally Posted by TDudette https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...s/viewpost.gif Katia, please do share about your stay. It sounds great.<< <<How do I do this on this forum??>> Katia, you can start what we call a "Trip Report" [which can be in as many episodes as you like, and contemporaneous or posted many years later] simply by starting a new thread in the way you started this one, but you tick the "trip report" box. It's helpful too if you post a link to it on a planning thread like this one so those of us who were following the planning of your trip can find out how it turned out. |
Yes, please do! Your trip sounds wonderful.
I am hoping to convince my husband to do a 3 month stay in Bologna next year when both of our kids are off at college. Can you share more about the apartment you rented? |
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