bologna, late arrival
Sep 19th, 2005, 03:21 PM
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bologna, late arrival
my friend flys into bologna at 11.30pm and has to get to florence.what is the safest and easiest way to do this at that time of night?
or should she get a hotel in bologna,she is on a very tight budget.
or should she get a hotel in bologna,she is on a very tight budget.
Sep 19th, 2005, 03:46 PM
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If she is supposed to (operative phrase) land at 11:30 pm, she then has to go through customs, collect bags, get a taxi or take the bus to the central train station in town, then wait and take an hour long train to Florence. I don't even know if trains would be running that late (I assume they would be, but one never knows). She should check the schedule at www.trenitalia.com.
I'd stay in Bologna if it were me. There are some hotels near the airport. I stayed in one of them to catch an early flight, but I can't remember if it was a Sofitel, Holiday Inn, or what. I found it online. It won't be cheap but it'll be easiest. She might be able to get a deal on priceline or hotels.com.
If she'd rather get a hotel in downtown Bologna instead: I've stayed at Albergo Centrale (budget) and there was a night attendant at the desk so I assume late night check-in would be ok. Here's one of many weblinks to this hotel:
http://www.emiliaromagna.info/bologn.../index_en.html
There is an email link on the left there, and I think that's how I got in touch with them. I think I paid 70 Euro for a single w/bath.
I'd stay in Bologna if it were me. There are some hotels near the airport. I stayed in one of them to catch an early flight, but I can't remember if it was a Sofitel, Holiday Inn, or what. I found it online. It won't be cheap but it'll be easiest. She might be able to get a deal on priceline or hotels.com.
If she'd rather get a hotel in downtown Bologna instead: I've stayed at Albergo Centrale (budget) and there was a night attendant at the desk so I assume late night check-in would be ok. Here's one of many weblinks to this hotel:
http://www.emiliaromagna.info/bologn.../index_en.html
There is an email link on the left there, and I think that's how I got in touch with them. I think I paid 70 Euro for a single w/bath.
Sep 19th, 2005, 05:02 PM
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If she land in Bologna at 11.30, by the time she gets the bags and goes through customs, it will be midnight. There is a bus shuttle that connects Bologna Airport to the city centre (station) but the service ends at 11.45pm. Consider that the airport is only 6 km from Bologna, so at that point a taxi would be preferable. Be aware that at night, taxis have a higher fare (usually 20 or 30% more than the normal fare, because it's a night time transfer). I would suggest that she takes the taxi to go to Bologna centre, get a hotel near Bologna Centrale Railway station , try to get some sleep, and then take the earliest train to Florence. From Bologna to Florence the train ride is 1 hour.
Sep 20th, 2005, 10:42 AM
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One note to add to this.
Yes, I think it'd be better to stay in Bologna. While there're trains throughout the night, some of the trains stop in Florence C.M. (Campo something). This is <b>not</b> the same as the SMN station that we're all familiar with.
I thought about exploring the night life in Bologna when I was in Florence, but then I realized this little wrinkle. The railway employees were not very helpful regarding how I could get from to the CM train station. Even the hotel didn't quite know where this station is, as it wasn't marked on the map they gave me.
When you look up schedules on trenitalia, make sure that your train goes to SMN (and it does if it's during regular hours).
The earliest train leaves around 6 or 6:30 for Florence SMN, if I recall (on weekdays, anyway).
Yes, I think it'd be better to stay in Bologna. While there're trains throughout the night, some of the trains stop in Florence C.M. (Campo something). This is <b>not</b> the same as the SMN station that we're all familiar with.
I thought about exploring the night life in Bologna when I was in Florence, but then I realized this little wrinkle. The railway employees were not very helpful regarding how I could get from to the CM train station. Even the hotel didn't quite know where this station is, as it wasn't marked on the map they gave me.
When you look up schedules on trenitalia, make sure that your train goes to SMN (and it does if it's during regular hours).
The earliest train leaves around 6 or 6:30 for Florence SMN, if I recall (on weekdays, anyway).
