My daughter and I are flying into Venice, landing on a Sunday morning. One option would be to spend Sunday-Tuesday in Venice, Tuesday night in Bologna, then Wed-Saturday in Florence (and then a week in Rome)
OR add another night to Venice and go straight to Florence on Wednesday. Is an overnight in Bologna worth it to check out the town and grab a meal? Traveling by train.
Thanks for the thoughts!
Is an overnight in Bologna worth it to check out the town and grab a meal? Traveling by train.
It is worth going to eat so you can say you had some of the best
https://www.2foodtrippers.com/bologna-food-guide/
https://www.vogue.com/article/bologna-food-tour-culinary-destination
I think Bologna is one of those rare towns in Italy I didn't fall in love completely. Yes of course it's nice, the piazza, the buildlings. But I think in your case, I would stay in Venice an extra day.
Right now you have 2 full days and your first day, which usally is half ruined because of jetlag.
You can take a day to see Murano-Burano and Torcello, another just to walk everywhere from west to east, get into the churches where, if you read correctly, you can stumble on a art peace by famous rennaissance artists. Visiting doge palace and the church take some time also.
The accademia museum is also a great one to see.
Been to Bologna and its rather sad unfinished cathedral.
I love Italy and Bologna is OK, but was my largest disappointment in Italy. I would not waste any time stopping there.
Nearby Ravenna is a jewel and worth a day.
Florence is amazing, as is nearby Sienna.
Another vote for using that day for Venice. Venice is amazing and so unique! We’ve stayed there three times. Bologna was our least favorite town of the 22 Italian towns we’ve stayed overnight. Nothing “wrong” with Bologna- just not a “wow” for us.
I see another posting overlapped when I was writing. Yes, try to see Siena! I would even take Tuesday & Wednesday nights to stay there and then stay in Florence Thursday- Saturday. When you arrive at the Florence train station, the bus to Siena is around the corner. We’ve been to Siena multiple times - wonderful town!
If you really want to see another place, you can take an early train from Venice, spend the day in Verona or Padua (store luggage at the train station) and arrive in Florence in the evening.
However, you are giving yourselves just one full day in Venice. You land on Sunday morning, expect it to take 2-3 hours to get to your hotel to drop your bags. You'll probably be in a sleep=deprived, jetlagged haze. Monday all day when you are still adjusting after the overnight flight and time change. Tuesday you're already on your way to another place! You should spend at least 3 nights in Venice. Along the same lines, 3 nights in Florence gives you only two full days, possibly another half day on either side. You'll be rushed to see the sights in Florence if you want a (highly recommended) day trip to Siena. So I'd stay in Venice Tuesday and consider staying in Florence until Sunday.
I enjoyed Bologna but wouldn't stop for just one night. Add Tuesday night to Venice. If you really want to make a short visit to Bologna, move a day from Rome to Florence and do it as a day trip with time allotted for a great lunch. You can sometimes pre-purchase discounted tickets on the high-speed trains between Florence and Bologna for a very low price. I've paid as little as 9.90 euro each way.
Claude C voiced my opinion perfectly! OTOH, I cannot get enough of Venice. Stay another night.
I would add another night to Venice. I do not like one night stops.
However, we loved Bologna; we have considered spending several weeks there. University towns have a special energy that we enjoy.
Thanks all! Based on the consensus here, we're adding another night in Venice. :)
