Will be in Bologna in late August for 3-4 days. Any suggestions on hotels? And, more importantly, we'd like to hire a tour guide for 2 or 3 days while we are there. Any suggestions on good tour guides?
Posted by
43 posts
Here's a link to explore what I and many others in this forum have written about Bologna hotels.
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&page=2&query=Bologna+hotels
You'll find my recommendation of Albergo Garisenda. It's a family-run hotel located in the city center.
Now it's your turn to search this site for previous discussions pertaining to Bologna tour guides! 🙂
Use the Search bar at the top of the website. In your list of search results, you can "Filter by Type" to narrow the list to forum results and narrow those further by timeframe.
Posted by
NYC
66 posts
We stayed at the Art Hotel Orologio. I would stay again. Central location.
We did not use a tour guide but we did very much enjoy a long walk and talk with a Bologna Greeter. It is a free service and you can sign up online four weeks before your trip.
Enjoy Bologna. We did.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
2179 posts
We enjoyed our stay at Casa Bertagni located in the university district. It's about a 10-15 minute walk to Piazza Maggiore. There is some graffiti in this area, but I personally think that makes the neighborhood more interesting. We enjoyed this location because we were surrounded by students, not only tourists. Our room was huge; the breakfast buffet is delicious and more ample than many we've had at other places. Besides the usual suspects, there were different kinds of tarts and egg dishes. And the hotel's front desk staff are exemplary.
We didn't use a tour guide. Please make the time to visit the Basilica Santo Stefano in Piazza Santo Stefano. This is a complex of seven churches, and they are so interesting and unique. This whole neighborhood is gorgeous, and it was not as crowded as Piazza Maggiore.
We also took the little tourist train that starts in Piazza Maggiore. It was a lot of fun, and an easy way to see more of the city.
Posted by
California
9 posts
Have been there several times and strongly recommend you take a food tour with Taste Bologna. They have several options and you will be happy.
I won't recommend a hotel but if you will be there over a weekend, know that the locals spend their weekends in the city center so if noise is a consideration, think about a room not facing the street.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Vignola, MO, IT
784 posts
I recommend alyandiamo - you can find her on Instagram. She does private tours in Emilia Romagna (Bologna, Parma and Modena) and is from the area. Her name is Alice Misley - I have used her for when my friends and family come to visit.