- 01The short answer
- 02A room in the fair weeks
- 03The tower stair
- 04The anatomy theater and the library
- 05Dinner, and the opera
01The short answer
Almost everything in this guide is walk-in: the squares, the churches, the porticoes, the markets and the walk to San Luca need nothing arranged. What needs arranging is a room in the wrong week, the tower climb, and a table on a weekend night.
02A room in the fair weeks
When one of BolognaFiere's big trade fairs is on, the city's hotels fill and rates climb. If your dates fall in a fair week, the room is the first thing to fix. See when to come.
03The tower stair
Climbing the Torre degli Asinelli — nearly five hundred wooden steps — has been sold as timed tickets for set groups when the climb is running. Since the stabilization works on the Garisenda began in late 2023, whether it runs has depended on that work.
Note This site cannot tell you the current position. Check the operator's own page before you plan a morning around it.
04The anatomy theater and the library
The Archiginnasio is a working library, and access to its historic rooms follows the library's own rules. Check with the library before a visit you care about.
05Dinner, and the opera
Note Bologna's trattorias are small and the Bolognese eat out. For Friday and Saturday dinner, book. At lunch you can usually walk in.
For opera and concerts at the Teatro Comunale, book when the season is announced.
Worth arranging before you arrive
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It does not affect what is recommended here, and no sight page on this site carries one.
A data plan is the one practical thing to sort before you land: tickets, bus information and the operators' own pages all live on your phone.
