Bologna - where to stay and how to get around

I opted to stay across the street from the train station in 2015 because I had a too-heavy suitcase and was planning daytrips. It's not a bad neighborhood, but it's commercial and not particularly attractive. I'd try for a hotel that's a few blocks away in the direction of the historic district. Reviews (try booking.com) often comment on the area around a hotel.

I walked between my hotel and the historic district several times, never using buses, so I can't comment on how viable buses would be with luggage. Certainly buses during rush hours (and Italy has four because of the long lunch break) would be more crowded. "A number of large bags" sounds dicey to me. If you're not within walking distance of the train station, I'd suggest a taxi upon arrival (and I am not one to use taxis).

One good bit of news is that as I recall, the walk to the historic core and within that area is quite flat. Most of the historic streets are arcaded, so if you get caught in bad weather, you'll be under cover most of the time.

I really enjoyed Bologna. I hope one of your planned side trips is to Ravenna, which is very special. And also flat.

Francis, We stayed half-way between the main square and the train station, so we had a ten to fifteen-minute walk in each direction. We too went to Ravenna, Florence, and Padua on day trips. At the end of our stay, my husband had hurt his back so we flagged a cab to the train station, which is what I suggest you do if you have luggage.

I stayed in Albrego Centrale around the corner from the main square and famous fountain of Neptune. Across the central square is the visitor info center and the main cathedral. It was perfect location and I could walk everywhere. I took the bus from the train station to the center of town to get to my hotel.
It was very nice and has nice reviews on Tripadvisor.

I stayed in 2 places in Bologna, one good and one not so.

The good one, and really, for what we did we should have stayed there the whole time, was the Mercure across the street from the station. We looked out fro a tiny balcony on a little park which glistened in the moonlight on the snow, had very good buffet breakfast, and was 2 minutes from both the station and the last/first stop for the airport buses.

The other was midway between there and the two towers. I won't name it because I know it has better rooms and others have enjoyed staying at such a cute place. Just believe a listing if it says it either has no windows or the window (in our case a horizontal Velux) provides a view of the stars.

We used Bologna to bookend a week in Roma, and made nearly daily train trips to various surrounding towns and cities. It was easy for us to walk through the University and along the arcaded streets to the centre (a bit more hassle if you have a kiddie wink with you) and the buses were very little help because most of the centre is one way so finding the stops ad making use of the short distances (now longer because of the one ways) was not productive..

For us returning to the Mercure for the second half would have made much more sense.

I was in Bologna for almost a week in 2015, and really enjoyed walking around the city. However, if I recall correctly, many of the porticos and other sidewalks in the central district have a few steps at each end. This feature will make walking around much more challenging if your toddler is in a stroller. If you plan to be out and about in Bologna in the evenings, I would recommend staying in the central district near the places you want to go, and taking a cab to and from the train station. I concur with other commenters that relying on city buses with luggage and a toddler would be a challenge.

Bologna is one of the few cities where buses still run through the historic center. You probably won't need them, though.

Make sure your place has an elevator. A taxi from the train station is inexpensive, so I would do that for arrival and departure, although the taxi has to observe the one-way pattern and it may seem like you are going the long way.

There are perhaps two steps at the crossings of streets, but many of the streets have curb cuts, so a stroller will not be a big issue.

Like Bets, I stayed about 1/2 way between the center and the station, easy to take a day trip, come back to the room for a bit, then out to dinner in Bologna. Splurge on the short taxi rides to/from the station with your luggage. You'll have no trouble with a stroller on the train.

I spent a month in Bologna this past fall. It is easy to get a taxi to the main Piazza or to walk along Via Indipendenza which is the main street leading to the Piazza Maggiore. There are steps before a lot of the porticoes (I am a runner so I remember this). Bologna is easy to make day trips to Ravenna and Florence (I did both). Train station can be a little confusing with the main part and the east and west sections. Buses run throughout the city center and you can bring luggage, I rented an apartment about a ten minute walk from the train station.

I stayed in the center, at the Commercianti, a great place if you have the budget. The breakfast spread is one of the most fabulous I've ever seen: http://en.art-hotel-commercianti.com/

We took a taxi to and from the station when we were going with luggage, and the bus for the rest of our trips. I was there years ago, so I don't know if it's changed, but at the time, bus service between the center and the station was frequent and easy.

It's definitely too far to walk enjoyably from the center to the station. Getting around Bologna does involve a fair amount of walking, so you may want to take some taxis even within the city, particularly for three of you when one or more is tired.

I like Hotel Metropolitan, have also stayed at Hotel Nuovo Porto and Centrale.

francis,

I stayed at the Holiday Hotel in Bologna as I preferred to be within walking distance of the main sights. I probably could have walked from the station but opted for a Taxi instead. The Paradise Hotel is also in the same area.

It was an easy walk from the hotel to the large Duomo and the main part of town, and there were some great restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel (not surprising for La Grassa). The piazza by the Duomo is also where the HO/HO Bus tours depart from, and I quite enjoyed seeing the city from those.