Please sign in to post.

Car rental agencies are closed on Sundays in Ravenna.

We will be getting off from a cruise on Sunday, June 11, 2023 and had planned to rent a car and a scenic drive to Lake Como.
As far as I know now, the port is about fifteen minutes from train. My husband is handicapped. We thought of taking a train to Bologna Airport were they are open on Sunday. However, it seems the train we found leaves Ravenna at 6 am! I am sure there is a better way. Any suggesstions on car for hire to drive us (4 adults + luggage) to Bologna? Thank you.

Posted by
11056 posts

Does the cruise line give you any information? Perhaps a driver service is available to get you to Bologna? Venice had to stop cruise ships from using their city as they are too large and the city is so fragile.

Posted by
4761 posts

What site were you looking on for trains? It's likely too early yet for June trips, but looking at a random Sunday in May, there were hourly trains from Ravenna to Bologna in the morning (on the Trenitalia site).

However, if you prefer a car and Driver, you can Google Ravenna to Bologna private transfer service. Looking at Viator, it looks like prices would be in the €400 ballpark.

Posted by
3812 posts

You found only a train departing at 6 AM because you entered a day of travel after the seasonal timetable change.

Use any Sunday in May for planning, but pick a later departure hour from the drop-down menu on trenitalia.com

The drive from Bologna to the Lake Como isn't particularly scenic, the Po River valley between Bologna and Milan is flat and industrialized. You could save time and money by train. Take an high speed train from Bologna to Milan and a local to a station by the Lake. For mysterious reasons American love Varenna-Esino.

Posted by
5955 posts

Ravenna is worth a visit for the mosaics
Why not spend at least 1 night then pick up car next am?

There are hourly trains from Ravenna to Bologna every day-as mentioned above

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you all for suggestions. I'll follow-up.

I am just frustrated that Royal Caribbean doesn't give any help. I found out from a blog about the Shuttle from Venice to Ravenna. They wouldn't help with Shuttle to Bologna after cruise - they have one, but you have to be flying using Air2Sea. We had only booked Air2Sea to Venice because of planned road trip and used 'frequent flyer' miles for return from Milan.

If RCL is making Ravenna the port for Venice, they should be able to give more information on local transportation and encourage Ravenna to have a car rental agency open on a Sunday to accommodate passengers.

Posted by
16028 posts

Elfie, I answered your question when you asked it one a different forum:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/need-help-deciding-what-to-do-northern-italy

Basically, as Dario said, the full schedule for June is not out yet, and in particular it does not yet show the regional,trains. There are hourly regional trains that go directly from Ravenna to Bologna Centrale. On the current schedule they depart at 44 or 45 minutes after each hour. We just took one last Monday. These are nice commuter trains and the one we rode had step-free access from the platform onto the train, with seats in that area and more seats up some inside stairs. The tickets were €8 each.

You will need a taxi from the cruise dock to the Ravenna train station. It is a shame that the cruise company does not help you with this.

Once you reach Bologna Centrale, you can take either a taxi or the Marconi Express monorail directly to Marconi airport. Link for the monorail is on the other thread. I think taxi would be easier to reach from the platforms for the regional trains, as Bologna Centrale can be very confusing. For a taxi, simply take the underground passageway from the arrival platform into the main station area (Piazza Medaglie d’Oro). It may be signed as “Centro” for downtown Bologna. It will be in the direction of the lower platform numbers ( towards Platform 1).

Once you exit the station by the main door, the taxi stand will be to your right. Our taxi from Centro Bologna to the airport yesterday cost €19. For 2 of us. I don’t know if a taxi for 4 would be the same.

The Marconi Express would be €11 per person, or €44.

Posted by
3812 posts

There are 19 direct trains per day from Ravenna to Bologna.

The Marconi Express would be €11 per person, or €44.

And, If I am not wrong, can be found at the opposite end of the underground passageway

Posted by
4761 posts

encourage Ravenna to have a car rental agency open on a Sunday to
accommodate passengers.

Ever been to Europe before? Sunday closures are to be expected in many, if not most, places. You seriously expect people to change their customary way of life to cater to a few entitled tourists who can't be bothered to adjust their expectations? If you want to complain, complain to RCCL about the lack of shuttle service to the Bologna airport. Or just take taxi/train as described above.

Posted by
5 posts

Yes, my expectations were too high and I apologize if I came off as "an ugly American".
My husband and I are 80 and my husband uses electric scooter. The train just seems too much with the luggage even though my daughter is travelling with us. Just trying to salvage this trip and make it as comfortable as possible for my husband.

Posted by
15679 posts

Elfie, I do think we can all agree that the cruise lines who've had to move their ships out of Venice (which was actually a good thing) could do more as far helping their clientele navigate their way to/from nearest airports, to/from the ships, etc. We recently chatted about that bit on another cruise-poster's thread about getting to Venice from Ravenna; they had no idea it was so far away. That has also been far from the first time we've seen the "How do I get from Ravenna to ____."

All that aside, I love the suggestion above to stay a night in Ravenna before heading to Lake Como. You and your travel companion might really enjoy seeing the wonderful mosaics!

https://www.turismo.ra.it/follow-your-way/unesco-monuments-ravenna/?lang=en

Editing to add: I see from a prior post that you've driven before in Europe, although not necessarily in Italy? If not, It might help to do some boning up on signage and traffic laws before you go, and don't forget to obtain an International Driver's Permit for each person who will be taking the wheel. As well, make sure everything in the car is stored out of sight and that you take your valuables with you if leaving it unattended.

Download a free "Driving in Italy" ebook here:
https://italybeyondtheobvious.com/blog/

Posted by
5955 posts

Ravenna would be a pretty easy place to be in an electric scooter
It is flat with smooth sidewalks/streets- I don’t recall any cobblestones

Posted by
16028 posts

The overnight in Ravenna is a good idea and would solve your problem; pick up your rental car on Monday. . I suggest Palazzo Bezzi, a nice modern 4-star hotel.

https://palazzobezzi.it/?lang=en

You will still need a taxi from the cruise ship to the hotel. Will the mobility scooter fir in a taxi? Maybe a van-type one? And what about in the rental car?

Posted by
642 posts

Ravenna is well worth the visit. There are some cobblestones (I was just there again Sunday) but just in a few locations. As mentioned and easy train ride from Ravenna to Bologna (they can be quite crowded at times). Regional trains do not have a lot of room for luggage so keep that in mind also. The churches with mosaics are beautiful, plus the museum on Via Roma and the Domus of the Tappeti with mosaics is also very nice. Ravenna is one of my favorite towns to visit.