millie2112

My husband and I are doing a driving holiday through France and Italy at the end of ugust.
We will be heading towards Bologna from Rapallo, and I would like to stay in Bologna for about 4-5 days.
This is to give us a base where we can do some laundry and park the car for a bit.
From here we would also like to do day trips to Florence and Venice (i know it is not enough time, but my husband is not too keen, so this is the only way I can get to do this).

I would love some ideas about where to stay. I have looked at so many places but nothing jumps out. Ideally I would love an apartment , but I need parking.

can anyone help with this, or does someone have other ideas where we could base ourselves to do the day trips to Florence and Venice.

i should add that after Bologna we are heading back north and driving to the Italian Lakes.

Michael

This was a while back, but we stayed at the B&B Miramonte. It is within walking distance of a parking lot on the edge of Bologna, and within waling distance of Bologna's center.

jamikins

We stayed here last year and are going back this year http://www.anticaresidenzadazeglio.it/

Fantastic b&b and they have parking for €10 a night. Plus they are just inside the ring road which makes it easy to drive in and out. Bologna's historic centre has lots of permit only driving zones so you need to be really careful!

Enjoy!

Byrd

Several years agp we stayed at Hotel Internazionale and liked it very much.

Have a great trip!

Byrd

capxxx

We've enjoyed the Hotel Paradise -- its very quiet, in the pedestrian section. And they do have a (two bedroom) family apartment that might work for you. (Though it is in the no-car zone, you can drive your car in to unload the luggage-- give the hotel your license number and they can call the police to have your ticket erased. And they'll show you a place to park the car.)

I've also stayed at the lovely Hotel Porta San Mamolo, just inside the ring road to the south. It is a longer walk to town center but has a really charming breakfast area in a garden.

capxxx

(I didn't have a car when I stayed at Porta San Mamolo, so don't know what they have to offer. )

Rastaguytoday

Or you could stay at one of the charming towns near Bologna, such as Modena or Parma....

Mimar

And Modena (actually Maranello) has the Ferrari museum if that might attract your husband.

The day trips you're planning, to Florence and Venice, should be done by train so you'll probably want to stay close to a train station. It's a shame you'll only be daytripping to Venice and Florence. You'll see them at their worst in the most crowded time of day and year. See if you can convince you husband to leave the car parked and spend 1 night in Venice. It's so different in the early morning and at night when the daytrippers have left. (Say it will be your birthday gift or anniversary gift. Venice is so romantic. And with rising sea levels it may be harder and harder to visit.)

HappyTrvlr

We liked Hotel Novecento very near the main plaza and the Cathedral. There is a public parking garage next to the hotel and I believe a laundry on the street to the rear. We walked everywhere, including to dinners at night.
The hotel is a member of the Bologna Art Hotels group.

nvl325

we stayed at Aemilia Hotel Bologna, Via Zaccherini Alvisi, 16, 40138 Bologna and enjoyed it very much. Not sure about parking- call them or look at website. Just outside the wall, 15 to 20 minute walk to main plaza. Nice breakfast, nice people, good price. I found it on tripadvisor.

Day trip to Ravenna to see the mosaics! Easy to do via train.

Midnightsun

Like HappyTrvlr we stayed at the Hotel Novecento. We enjoyed the location, although it wasn't easy to navigate the historic center when we first arrived. However, once we found our way there, parking was convenient, and the location just off Piazza Maggiore is terrific. We liked the fact that they offered prosecco and cheese in the late afternoon each day, a nice touch after exploring the city. In fact we liked it well enough to book a few days there once again this summer.

Mimar's suggestion about rain travel to Venice and Florence is a good one, but I would agree that mid-day travel to each of those locations can be very frustrating because of the crowds. Two day trips that would be more manageable (and could easily be done by car) from Bologna would be Ravenna, with its beautiful mosaics, and the UNESCO World Heritage site Ferrara, a lovely walled city. Both are about an hour from Bologna, will likely be much less crowded than the bigger cities, and are small enough so that you can get some sense of having seen the highlights in a day trip.

danon

Train from Bologna to Florence takes 45 min, to Modena or Ferrara less than 30.

millie2112

thank you very much everyone. will look at all the suggestions.
agree that we will not be seeing Venice and Florence at their best - but I can't be so close and not have a look. last time we were there was in 1987 (before children).