Day trip to Parma or Bologna

Don’t waste time traveling.
There is more than enough to see/do in Milano.

We spent 6 days in Milano and are returning to spend 4 more there this October.
We love Bologna. Have spent 10 nights there and are returning for 5 more this November.
If you must do a day trip, then Modena and visit the Ferrari museum. A very enjoyable day trip for us from Bologna.

Both of these are nice cities to visit. For me personally, there's a lot more to see and do in Bologna- towers, churches, the Quadrilatero, etc. But Parma is beautiful, it has the big cathedral, and the food (like everywhere in Italy) is amazing. I even remember seeing a (chilled) vending machine with Parmigiano Reggiano. If you want to visit Emilia Romagna, Modena, as mentioned above, is also a good option, and again has amazing food.

I would choose Bologna. If it’s raining, Bologna has covered porticos. And there are many wonderful places and restaurants to explore in Bologna’s historical center.

Hi,
Davebarnes, thank you for the information. Maybe I should search the site for things to do in Milan. Maybe I can find "things to do" in four days.

Cat VH and Becky, Thank you for the information. We're looking forward to maybe exploring a bit and visiting one of those Parmigiano Reggiano places in Parma. In Bologna, we saw online that they have a lot of beautiful places to visit.

Traveling by train is easy from Milano Centrale. Load the Trenitalia app, and you can just purchase a ticket without standing in line.

I have stayed in 46 cities in Italy, and the Parma Cathedral interior is still one of my favorites - gorgeous & meaningful!

Another option one hour by train is Cremona in case you like violins. It’s Stradivari’s town, and they have a wonderful museum there, plus concerts on the weekend. The Piazza Duomo is lovely, and its duomo interior is also very nice with beautiful frescoes that remind me some of Parma’s. I dislike heights, but I can climb the clock tower there because the center core is a wall - not an open drop.

Enjoy your time!

Thank you Jean for the information.

Having done both as day trips from Milan, I'd lean toward Bologna if you can only choose one!

The high-speed train gets you there in just over an hour. Bologna offers an incredible food scene and those gorgeous covered porticoes that keep you dry if the weather turns iffy.

My wife and I spent a day wandering the medieval center. We climbed the Asinelli Tower for amazing views and enjoyed a long lunch at a traditional osteria near Piazza Maggiore.

Parma is lovely and more compact, but Bologna felt like we discovered something special that many tourists just breeze past.

If you go, I'd suggest catching an early train out and heading back late. We left Milan around 8am and got back around 9pm, which gave us a full day without feeling rushed.

Thank you, LuxuryNomad1987. My wife and I will probably do the same, leave early and take our time exploring around...