A Week of Train Trips from Bologna

In a week, based in Bologna 20 metres from the platforms, you can see seven different places without ever changing rooms: a day in the city, then Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice, Ravenna and Modena. All by train, back each evening.

At a Glance

Times shown are for the fastest services; many trains take a few minutes longer. Check the current timetable before you travel: it changes by season, by day and with works on the line.

One Week, One Base

A seven-day holiday usually means packing and unpacking the suitcase three or four times. One night here, two there, a train with the luggage, a new hotel to find every evening. From Bologna it works differently: you always sleep in the same place and only change the destination on your ticket.

From Bologna Station Suites to the platform is 20 metres. Step out of the room, cross over, and you are under the canopy. The train becomes a kind of extension of the room: you don’t “catch” it with the anxiety of someone who has to reach the station on time, you just get on. You can afford the 08:00 Frecciarossa even if you wake up at 07:30, because there is no transfer to factor in, no taxi, no safety buffer.

This also changes how you decide. You don’t have to plan everything from home weeks ahead. You wake up, look at the weather, and choose that very morning where to go. Clear sky? Verona or Venice. Strong heat? The mosaics of Ravenna are cool inside. Don’t fancy much walking? Modena is twenty minutes away. Self check-in with a code lets you come and go at any hour, so if one day you leave at dawn for Rome and get back at night, you don’t have to tell anyone or have someone wait up for you.

Bologna, in short, is not just a city to see: it is the point the whole week sets off from. It is the main hub of Italy’s high-speed network, where the Milan–Naples line crosses the Turin–Venice line, and from here you can go in almost any direction in under two hours.

The itinerary below is built precisely so you don’t have to rush: it never puts two far destinations back to back, it alternates full days with shorter ones, and it keeps the in-city day as a pause. Feel free to adapt the order to your liking — the one rule worth keeping is not to slot Rome the day after Venice.

Day 1: Bologna, Getting Your Bearings

On the first day you catch no train. It is for settling in, working out where you are and getting a feel for the city that will host you for the week.

From Via Amendola 17 the historic centre is a few minutes on foot. Bologna is best explored this way, without transport: the porticoes — which here cover dozens of kilometres and are a UNESCO World Heritage site — shelter you from the summer sun and the winter rain as you walk towards Piazza Maggiore. There you find the Basilica of San Petronio, one of the largest brick churches in Europe, with a façade left deliberately unfinished.

From there you climb the Two Towers, the city’s symbol: the Asinelli Tower, almost a hundred metres high, can be climbed (the steps are many, book your ticket). Then a wander through the Quadrilatero, the maze of alleys behind the square where the market stalls sell mortadella, fresh tortellini and parmesan. It is the right moment to taste the cooking that earned Bologna its nickname “la Grassa”, the fat one.

If you want a step-by-step itinerary for this first day, we have one dedicated to it: Bologna in a day, a walking itinerary. And if you are wondering how many days to actually devote to the city before using it as a base, read How long you need to visit Bologna.

Day 2: Florence in ~37 Minutes

The first trip is also the easiest. The fastest service puts Bologna and Florence about 37 minutes apart: less time than many commuters spend on city transport. The trains arrive at Florence Santa Maria Novella, the central station, a short walk from the Duomo.

In a full day you see the heart of the Renaissance: Brunelleschi’s dome and the Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and, if you have the energy, the Oltrarno with Palazzo Pitti. The Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia (where the David is) need to be booked online in advance, especially in high season.

Florence deserves a well-organised full day, so we have given it a guide with hour-by-hour timing and advice on how to fit the museums in without losing time: Florence in a day from Bologna by train.

Day 3: Rome in ~2h

Rome is the farthest destination of the week, about two hours of train to Termini. It is perfectly doable in a day, but it is a long one: it pays to leave early and plan for a late return.

The trick is not to want to see everything. In one day you pick a single area and live it well, instead of chasing half the city. Either the Colosseum–Roman Forum–Palatine block with a walk to the centre (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona), or the Vatican area (St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums, the latter to be booked). Trying to do both in a day just means a lot of walking and seeing little.

We have told it with a realistic itinerary, no impossible lists: Rome in a day from Bologna by train.

Day 4: Verona in ~52 Minutes

After the long Roman day, something closer. Verona is about 52 minutes of train and is almost entirely walkable from the station, one of those relaxed days when you don’t have to watch the clock.

The monument to start from is the Arena, the first-century Roman amphitheatre in the middle of Piazza Bra: it is one of the best-preserved ancient amphitheatres in the world and in summer it hosts the opera season, but it is worth a visit at any time of year. From there, along Via Mazzini (the shopping street), you reach Juliet’s House, with the famous balcony overlooking the courtyard: the link to Shakespeare’s tragedy is more legend than history, but the pilgrimage is now a classic.

The city’s drawing room is Piazza delle Erbe, the old Roman forum now full of cafés, frescoed palaces and a medieval fountain. Next to it, Piazza dei Signori with its statues and the Scaliger palaces. If you have time to spare, climb up to Castel San Pietro for the view over the rooftops and the bend of the Adige, or cross Ponte Pietra, Roman in its foundations. Verona is compact: you fit comfortably inside it in a day without rushing.

Day 5: Venice in ~1h15

Mid-week, one of the most recognisable cities in the world. Venice is about 1 hour and 15 minutes of train, and here the decisive detail is just one: get off at Venice Santa Lucia, the station inside the city on the Grand Canal, not at Mestre, which is on the mainland and requires another transfer.

Step out of the station and you are already among calli and bridges. In a day you do St Mark’s Square with the Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge and a vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal, which is the best way to see it. The advice is to leave early, before the big crowds, and head back in the late afternoon.

The dedicated guide explains how to move between vaporetti and walking and how to organise the hours: Venice in a day from Bologna by train.

Day 6: Ravenna in ~1h

Ravenna is the surprise of the week, the one many travellers don’t put on the list and then remember first. It is about an hour by regional train (no high speed on this route) and holds one of the most extraordinary heritages in Italy.

Three times a capital — of the Western Roman Empire, then of the Ostrogothic kingdom, then of the Byzantine Exarchate — Ravenna left behind a group of Early Christian and Byzantine monuments declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The mosaics are the reason for the trip: the interiors of the Basilica of San Vitale, with the portraits of the Emperor Justinian and the Empress Theodora, and above all the small Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, where the vault of golden stars on deep blue is one of the most famous images of late-antique art. Don’t miss the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo either, with its processions of figures on a gold background.

There is also a piece of Italian literature here: the Tomb of Dante, who died in exile in Ravenna in 1321 and is still buried here, despite Florence trying to get him back for centuries. The centre is small and flat, perfect to explore on foot: a day is enough for the main monuments without rushing.

Day 7: Modena in ~20 Minutes

You close nearby. Modena is about twenty minutes of regional train, so close that you can leave at your leisure and come back whenever you like: the last day can be a light one.

The centre revolves around Piazza Grande, also a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Romanesque cathedral and the Ghirlandina Tower that flanks it. The Duomo, from the 11th–12th century, is one of the masterpieces of European Romanesque, with carved reliefs on the façade. All around, an elegant, human-scale city.

But Modena is also two things that make it unique in the world. The first is the engine: at Maranello, just outside town, is the Ferrari Museum, while in the centre the Enzo Ferrari Museum tells the founder’s life in the house where he was born. The second is taste: this is where the real traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is made, aged for years in casks, a different thing from the industrial sauces you find in supermarkets. A visit to an acetaia, where possible, is the best way to understand it. Closing the week at the table, with a plate of tortellini or a taste of parmesan and balsamic, is a finale worth the trip.

The host’s tip: the week works best if you keep a mental map of the weather, not the calendar. From Via Amendola 17 I check the forecast the night before and shift the destinations accordingly: a grey day I “spend” on Ravenna or the Vatican Museums, where the interior is what counts; the sun I keep for Verona and Venice, which are lived outdoors. With the station 20 metres away, changing plans costs nothing — that is the real luxury of sleeping here.

FAQ

Can you really do seven train trips from Bologna in a week? Yes, and without stress. Every destination on this itinerary is within about two hours of train and can be done in a day with an evening return. The advantage is never changing accommodation: you always sleep in Bologna and head out each morning with a single suitcase sitting in the room.

In what order should I do the trips? The order proposed alternates far and near days so you don’t get tired: the practical rule is never to put two far destinations (like Rome and Venice) on two consecutive days. You can reorder the stops however you prefer, perhaps watching the weather, but keep the in-city day as a pause in the middle or at the start.

How much do train tickets cost? They vary a lot depending on when you book. On the high-speed routes (Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice) the lowest fares are found by buying well in advance and rise as the date approaches; to Ravenna and Modena you travel by regional train, at a fixed fare. It pays to buy the high-speed tickets as soon as you have firm dates and, where both operators run, to compare Trenitalia and Italo.

Do the fast trains leave from the normal platforms at the station? No: high-speed trains use the underground platforms of the AV station, one floor below the main concourse. They are well signed, but allow a few extra minutes to get down there. The regional trains to Ravenna and Modena leave instead from the surface platforms.

Is a week too much or too little for this circuit? Seven days are ideal for getting a good taste of the area without rushing: you have a full day for each destination and a pause in the city. If you have less time, there are shorter versions of the same itinerary: see the 3-day trips or the 5-day trips.

Can I also visit other cities not on the list? Of course. Bologna is a high-speed hub, so you can also reach Milan and other cities in a day. For an overview of the times and connections for every destination, read Train from Bologna: Florence, Milan and Venice in a day.

Your Base for the Week, 20 Metres from the Platforms

A week like this only works if you sleep in the right place. Bologna Station Suites is 20 metres from Bologna Centrale: every morning you step out, cross over and you are on the platform, with self check-in that leaves you free to leave at dawn and return at night.

Discover our rooms: our rooms. Fewer days? Look at the 3-day itinerary or the 5-day one. And for the times of every route: Train from Bologna: Florence, Milan and Venice in a day.