My college son is studying in Florence and will traveling alone round trip from Bologna to Barcelona bc the options from Florence Airport to Barco were CRAZY expensive. Getting him to Bologna is no problem, but on his return, he doesn't land unitl 11:20 pm. The last train out of Bologna is at 10:08. Cabs and ubers are upwards of $400. Only option i an find it a 12:30 am Appenino Bus Shuttle. I understand he has to go from BLG airport to the Central Station by cab bc the shuttles don't run after 11pm. Do cabs run this late there? Most importantly, at this hour, is this a safe option, both late night cabs and shuttle bus? Has anyone done this before? Please advise this worried mom!
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
The Appennino Shuttle leaves from Bologna's airport at 00:30
https://www.appenninoshuttle.it/?lingua=2#
If he misses it... well I spent half of my Sunday nights sleeping in Bologna station during my college years and I'm still alive.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Bus Baltour is showing one at 12:50
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16209 posts
The Appennino bus shuttle departs from the airport and the last one departs 30 min past midnight. That should do it. The alternative is to sleep at the station or at the airport till morning, Also checking into a hotel in Bologna would be an alternative, but that would easily set you back at least 80€.
What was the price difference between flying from FLR (I presume with Vueling) and BLQ? Sometimes people get all focused on airfare prices but then totally ignore the time and ground transportation cost involved in using far away airports.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
Worried Mom,
Kids have been getting into a pickle since the beginning of time...but I would expect a college aged young adult to be able to figure this out and use some resourcefulness (sans parental interference). My Dad in particular gave me too many soft landings which just prolonged the growing up process...seriously, your son will be fine even if he has to sleep at the airport. Let him work this out all on his own.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10744 posts
Dear Worried Mom, Now that you have the answers, I hope you let your son do the rest. I know that parents are much more in touch with their offspring today than previous generations, but it can be too much information for the parents sometimes, leading them to worry needlessly.
Unless your son has some special needs that make him dependent on you, I don't know why he's not planning his own trip instead of you "getting him" somewhere. And yes, I've been in your shoes when my kids studies overseas. I had no idea where they were traveling half the time. I lived overseas in the days of air mail, so my parents had to deal with the separation.
If he's old enough to go to school away from home, he's old enough for you to give yourself a break.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for the replies that answered my question directly. For those questioning my parenting approach, I can assure you that both my son and daughter, that both studied abroad, do everything on their own: finances, applications, travel, housing etc, etc. My son was under a lot of pressure with long distance interviews and asked if I could help him, which rarely happens. I asked this group as a safe place to get answers because this is new to me.
Appreciate the helpful answers.
Posted by
Western Canada
3586 posts
I don't think anyone else suggested him staying overnight in Bologna and getting the train the next morning?
I'm sure there are plenty of inexpensive options for places to stay near the train station.
That way there will be no rush, and no panic.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Looks like there's some pretty cheap lodging near the train station in Bologna. Try googling "Bologna hostel."