Bologna-bus from train station to city center?

jill,

Which hotel are you using? I was in Bologna a few months ago, and used a Taxi from the station.

It would help to have more information.....

Really depends on your hotel location, the train station is near the main piazza, so you may be able to walk. I think rome2rio.com can give you walking directions as well as bus and taxi info (bus links will be in Italian).

It isn't a difficult walk from the station to the centre.

There are buses but the main road from the station to the centre is one way for a part against southbound traffic from the station. There are several routes all on the same bit of route. I only used the bus to and from the airport. My memory is that it is 2 or 3 stops between the centre and the station.

Maybe a taxi for the first trip and on foot for future ones.

Which hotel?

The Bologna Central Station is on the northern edge of the historical center. If your hotel is inside the historical center there is a very high chance that you are within 20=25 min walk from it. There are also numerous buses that pass by the station (address: Via delle Medaglie D'Oro), and one would need to know your exact hotel to give you advice. Come back with the name of the hotel and we can give you specific advice.
You don't need bus timetables. I have never bothered with one in Italy's major cities. All the buses that pass by the city center have a frequency of one bus every 2 to 4 minutes, so why bother. Just wait for the next one that comes by.
For the train schedule to go to Venice (Station name: VENEZIA SANTA LUCIA) consult the Trenitalia website:
www.trenitalia.com
You can pre-purchase tickets at a discounted fare (called SUPER ECONOMY or ECONOMY) up to 120 days in advance. The full fare is called BASE. Savings on the Economy and Super Economy tickets are substantial, but they come with restrictions. They are non refundable and non changeable, therefore if you miss the specific train you book, you lose all your money. Buy discounted fares only if your are reasonably certain of your travel plans. You don't need to pre-purchase the full BASE fare. You can purchase those at the station the day you go or the day before. Tickets don't run out as there is at least two trains every hour going to Venice (each with nearly 500 seats), and they never fill up completely. At most they run out of the 2nd class (standard) seats, which are the cheapest. Even that is very rare, but in that case you can wait for the next train and they will almost certainly have tickets for 2nd class.
One more thing to consider. From Bologna to Venice there are both FRECCIAROSSA/FRECCIARGENTO trains (fancy high speed trains) and REGIONALE VELOCE trains (regional commuters). The latter are only 35 min slower (2hrs instead of 1h25 min) but are cheaper (12.50 euro instead of 32.00 euro each way at base fare). There are no discounts on Regionale trains and no pre-purchase. Just buy them at the station. Seats on regionale trains are first come first served (they are not reserved), basically like a subway. They are not crowded outside of commute hours.

Thanks so much for the info...
We have reservations at Albergo delle Drapperie
Via delle Drapperie 5, 40124 Bologna, Italy, Bologna, IT . I just used Citymaps2go, and it appears that it is a 20 minute walk. We can certainly handle that, but if the weather is not cooperating, it sounds like a bus will be easy to locate.

Roberto, thank you for the information regarding the regionale train to Venice. That would simplify things a bit!
We will arrive in Bologna on a Friday afternoon from Florence, and we have booked an all day "tour" with Italian Days Food on Saturday-they will pick us up at the hotel, so we just need to get back to the train station on Sunday to continue on to Venice.
Thanks so much for all of your continued support-we are already planning our return trip because we keep discovering things we want to see and do!

Weather is rarely a concern in Bologna, as all streets have arcades. Luggage may be, as the walk from station to city center is about 20 minutes.

Weather is rarely a concern in Bologna

Maybe not, but I remember trying to cross the street in front of the station in about 6 cm of snow. We could get - just - across to the McDonalds but then the path hadn't been cleared into the station and it was like New York after a snowfall.

The buses had chains on.

Getting around by the university was fun too.

So maybe rarely, but certainly not never.

September should have less snow.

From the station the first time, take a taxi. I don't agree that a bus from the station to the center is "so easy," especially when you are freshly arrived and don't know where you're going or what to look for. Once you have your bearings, the bus between the station and the center works fine.

We have reservations at Albergo delle Drapperie

I'm jealous! We've stayed there several times, nice place. We walked to get there from the train station; as mentioned before, lots of covered sidewalks on the way. It can be a little hard to find, the entrance is on a bit of a side street. You ring a buzzer, then walk to the 2nd floor to the reception desk. Be sure to walk thru the street nearby filled with food vendors; can't remember the name but you'll see it. We really enjoyed a dinner one nite at Trattoria Belfiore. Also have a gelatto at Gelateria Gianni, probably the best in town! The TI at nearby Piazza Maggiore has walking tours in English a few days a week; we did it and thought it was informative.

I don't think you need to pre-book your trip to Venice. I took my son from Bologna to Venice one day during our trip, and then from Bologna to Florence on another day. We just went to the train station the night before and bought our tickets for the next day. Checked out the different times the train left and arrived in time the next morning to catch the one to our liking.

Also, if you have luggage, and are not familiar with Bologna..are you saying 30 Minutes to walk, or 30 Meters to walk to your hotel?

If you are good with maps, just GoogleMap it ( I do that with all hotels before I leave for vacation) print it out and bring it with. it's pretty easy also to get lost, might be worth a few Euro to take a taxi to your hotel when you arrive, and walk back to the train station when you leave....

Don't know the specific hotel since I never stayed overnight in the city center of Bologna, only at the airport and only because Lufthansa paid (too close to my house in Florence to bother, plus have relatives in town), but the location is excellent. It's about 20 min walk from the station. If that is too much to bear with luggage, I think a taxi is a better option. Less than 10 min and you are in your room. The taxi won't cost more than 15€, everything included.

I appreciate all of the help on this forum so much!

We will be walking in Florence for 4 days prior to this stop....the sensible solution sounds like a taxi! :)
If we feel the need to walk off some gelato calories, we will walk to the train station upon departure.

John, glad to hear that you enjoyed your stays at this hotel. And thank you for the restaurant suggestion...sounds like there is not a bad meal to be had in Bologna! :)

Roberto, I would love to have your thoughts on how to best spend our time in your beloved city! We will be there 4 nights, arriving early in the day from Lucca. We have a very long list of "hope-to-see" places. Our days are usually loosely planned so we can adjust our touring easily. Do you do tours??? ;)

My first stop in Bologna was the bus ticket office just outside the train station, and upon asking, they also gave me a bus map, or you can get one at the tourist office in Piazza Maggiore. Note that the historic center is pedestrian-only on weekends, which totally changes the bus routes. See also http://www.tper.it/orari/linee. As I recall, the walking route would be pretty flat.