Bologna for 6 nights - why or why not!. What fellow travelers did like or didn’t like

We stayed in Bologna for ten nights doing exactly what you are planning and for the same reasons. You may want to add Padua to your list of day trips. Additionally, there is plenty to see and eat in Bologna itself.

Perhaps three or four years ago we spent about a week there. We used it as a base for day-trips to Modena, Ravenna and two others I forget (perhaps Ferrara was one?).

But we were also spending time in Bologna itself of course. Food is fantastic there, of course, and there are some interesting sights. It's not up with Rome or Venice in terms of things to see, to be honest, but nor is it another dull seaside village like in the CT.

We enjoyed the trip greatly. Because we were making some day-trips by train, we used an hotel about halfway between the railway station and the central square.

I guess the area outside the very centre might be described as "gritty" compared to a boring white-picket-fence neighbourhood, but it wasn't in any way disturbing - just students and graffiti - and it had a nice lived-in feel.

It's hard for me to opine because I didn't find Athens gritty; Naples, yes, Athens, no :-) I really liked the atmosphere in the historic center of Bologna. My room was about half-way between that and the train station, which was perfect for me. The area I stayed in was quiet and residential, not scenic, but not at all unpleasant.

I would rank Bologna's sights as 2nd and 3rd tier. Standing out in my memory are the tour of the University and walking through the Jewish ghetto. Bologna is very convenient for day trips with lots of restaurant options for those late relaxing dinners after a long day of sightseeing.

I don't think Bologna is gritty.

It does make a lot of sense to use Bologna as a cheaper and less busy base to explore places on the northeast side of the Apennines. Even Firenze is close, though, just 37min by high-speed train, so a day-trip to Pisa or Lucca is still feasible.

Yes, Florence. We did it as a day trip because I had specific sights I wanted to see without getting caught up in the tourist frenzy. (I had been there 40+ years ago one November and had stayed at a convent so didn’t look forward to the current craziness I had read about.)

The high-speed train was only 30 minutes each way, 80% through tunnels, and we took two Walks of Italy tours, a morning one and an afternoon one, with time for a full restaurant meal in between. It was a lasar sharp trip, fine for me but less satisfying for my husband who burned out toward the end of the day.

We too stayed in Bologna half way between the Cathedral and the train station, in an apartment I would never recommend.

Love Bologna. Food is fantastic. Great night life because of the university there. Some things we enjoyed: walking the many arched streets, climbing to top of one of the towers for great pics of town, San Petrino church, Neptune's fountain, and again with the food. It is fantastic. Train access to other towns is great.

You may want to do a search for my trip report: Birthday Trip to Bologna. We spent 7 days there last March and would go back for more any day.