Bologna and Day Trips

Speaking to Ravenna and Ferrara. We were in both last fall.

Ravenna is famous for the mosaics and they are spectacular. In Rick Steves’ Italy Guide book he has a terrific self-guided tour of the sites. Note that some of the sites (2, I think) you have to reserved a timed entry, so spend a little time figuring out your plan of attack. It is a full day, we had a wait for our train back to Ferrara and stumbled into this bakery which was delightful. https://panificiopasticceria3sorelle.it/

We spent quite some time in Ferrara. We walked the walls, toured the old city with a private guide https://www.getyourguide.com/ferrara-l1139/ferrara-guided-walking-tour-of-the-historic-old-town-t1395832/?ranking_uuid=81b7ba8b-0599-4d6d-819c-766302f03953&q=Sightseeing%2C+Ferrara which enhanced our understanding a great deal. The food is phenomenal! We absolutely loved https://www.trattoriadanoemi.it/en/. Reservations highly recommended.

I'm doing something similar in October. Check the trenitalia website. It's probably a good idea to buy tickets a day or two in advance to avoid getting stuck in a line just before departure in the morning. I will probably just take my chances with return tickets, not really knowing in advance how soon or late I'll want to leave.

I highly recommend downloading the Trenitalia app on your phone. When we took daytrips, I didn't buy our tickets until we were literally in the taxi heading to the train station. It was so easy. And I am a planner; I like to book most things in advance. But for some of our daytrips, we didn't know what time we would leave in the morning until day of, and we didn't know what time we would return. So to give us some flexibility, I didn't book tickets in advance. To travel from Bologna to Ravenna, for example, I booked our regional train tickets while in the taxi. But I only booked one-way tickets. Then after visiting all the mosaic sites, and having a late lunch, we booked our tickets for the return to Bologna. Keep in mind we took regional trains for all of our daytrips.

I agree with kmkwoo about not needing to book train tickets in advance for your day trips from Bologna for several reasons. First, the trains you will take are regional trains that don't sell out and don't require reserved seats and are always the same price, so there is no advantage in advance purchase. Second, there are often scheduled rail strikes in September that may or may not actually happen. I ended up shifting which days I stayed in Bologna versus daytrips depending on the strikes (in October 2024). Third, some of the main Ravenna mosaic sites sometimes get sold out, so it is good to secure those tickets before deciding which day for Ravenna. Fourth, as kmkwoo said, it is nice to have the flexibility to linger ina town or leave earlier depending what you feel like doing at the moment. However, if you do prefer to buy your tickets in advance, if you use the Trenitailia app, you can always change the departure time anytime before the train you booked has departed.

I found the Bologna Welcome Card worthwhile when staying for a week. It is good for 15 days. I thought the guided walking tour covered by the card was a good place to start. Because of my interest in ceramics, I especially enjoyed the Etruscan collection at the archeological museum in Bologna and also a day trip to Faenza. Other attractions in Bologna that stood out for me include the seven churches complex, the Bologna National Art Gallery (Raphael, Giotto, Titian among others), and the Basilica of Sant Dominico (early Michelanageo sculpture).

No need to buy train tickets in advance for any of those cities. If you have the app you can buy when you get to the station if you want. I've been to all of them this year since I am not far from Bologna. Same for the return. In the summer or holiday weekends the Bologna to Ravenna is packed with travelers but in September you should be good. Ravenna - the churches- I would buy the ticket online in advance because 2 of the sites have timed entry and they are strict on the entry time. Ferrara frequently has good exhibits at the museum- we saw Warhol this year there. Have a great time!

Adding to the chorus of folks saying to download the Trenitalia app and purchase your regional tickets day-of...

We once attempted to buy our tickets on the train, but were not able to because it was less than 5 minutes from departure. We ended up buying the next train, which was the same price. The conductor didn't bat an eye.

I expect you probably already plan to visit the Enzo Ferrari museum in Modena, but if not, please reconsider. I'm in no way a Ferrari aficionado, and neither is my wife, but we had a great time there. Very interesting family stories.

In Parma, the Teatro Regio is a must IMO. When we were there a tenor was serenading the populace from a balcony on an adjoining building, and his voice was magnificent. I really enjoy free concerts like that.

Thanks for all the tips. I have been looking and may have missed it but is there a way to buy a pass for all five places? Thanks again.

This is the site to buy Mosaics tickets https://www.ravennamosaici.it/en/entrance-time-and-prices/.