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How Do You Get From Florence to Bologna?
Florence to Bologna takes about 1 hour by car on the A1 and 35-37 minutes by high-speed train, so a food day trip is realistic. This guide compares every way, flags the ZTL and shows what a day in Bologna can fit.
Quick answer Fastest way and the food-day catch
Florence to Bologna takes about 1 hour by car on the A1 and 35-37 minutes by high-speed train. Both cities are close enough for a food day, but only if your tour starts after you arrive. The Italian Days Food Valley tour meets at 7:00 and does not pick up from hotels.
Key takeaways
- A day in Bologna fits a 3-hour food walk such as the Bologna Walking Food Tour with a Local for $82.
- Want to cook rather than walk? The Bologna cooking class guide compares classes by length and menu.
- Every Bologna food tour is compared on the homepage, with meeting points.
- Booking the Food Valley? The Italian Days Food Valley tour meets at 7 am near Bologna station.
What Is the Best Way to Travel From Florence to Bologna?
The high-speed train is the fastest way at 35-37 minutes, and the car is the most flexible at about 1 hour.
Four ways cover the route. The table gives the time each source lists and the one fact that decides each.
Every way compared
The times below are typical journey times for each way to travel. Fares change by date and operator, so check them on the operator's own timetable before you book.
| Way | Time | Operator | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed train | 35-37 minutes | Trenitalia and Italo | The fastest start, more than 59 trains a day |
| Italo train | 37 minutes | Italo | A fixed time on a 91 km route |
| Regional train | About 90 minutes | Trenitalia | Travellers not in a hurry |
| Bus | 1h 15m to 1h 40m | Itabus, FlixBus | A drop at Bologna Centrale |
| Car on the A1 | About 1 hour | Your own car | A late finish or a Food Valley stop |
How to choose
Choose the train if you are going for one tour. At least 59 trains a day leave Firenze Santa Maria Novella for Bologna Centrale, mostly direct high-speed. Choose the car if you also want a Food Valley stop on the way, but read the ZTL rules below first.
The road is about 101 km.
The platforms of the high-speed station at Bologna Centrale. Photo: Incola, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Is There a High Speed Train From Florence to Bologna?
Yes: high-speed trains run directly from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Bologna Centrale in 35-37 minutes.
Trenitalia and Italo both serve the route, and at least 59 trains a day run the route, mostly direct high-speed.
What to know before you book
Italo lists 37 minutes for the 91 km route on its own timetable. The high-speed train takes 35-37 minutes, and a slower regional train takes at least 1-2 hours. Italo advertises a day return offer with discounts of up to 50 percent, a family offer with children travelling free and a young offer with discounts of up to 70 percent.
Bologna Centrale sits near the ring road outside the centre and is served by several city buses. Piazza Maggiore, where the tourist office is, is a fifteen minute walk from the station.
Is Bologna Worth a Day Trip From Florence?
Yes: with a train under 40 minutes or a drive of about 1 hour, one food tour and the old town fit in a day.
A day trip works if you pick one anchor. Walking food tours here run 2-4.5 hours and a pasta class runs 1.5-3 hours, so the day is the tour plus a walk.
What a day can fit
The table lists the tours that suit a day visitor, with the length, price and meeting point from each listing.
| Tour | Length | Price | Meets at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bologna Street Food Tour | 2 hours | $57 | Palazzo della Mercanzia, Piazza della Mercanzia 4 |
| Secret Food Tours Bologna Food and Market Tour | 2-3.5 hours | $85.10 | Via Zamboni 8c, in front of Flying Tiger Copenhagen |
| Bologna Walking Food Tour with a Local | 3 hours | $82 | Fontana del Nettuno, Piazza del Nettuno |
| Bologna Pasta Class with Ragu, Spritz and Gelato | 3 hours | $57 | Piazza Galileo Galilei 4 |
| Taste Bologna Food Tour | 4 hours | $129.64 | Tobacconist at the corner of Via De Pignattari, right of San Petronio |
| Delicious Bologna Small-Group Food Tour | 4.5 hours | $117.81 | Piazza di Porta Ravegnana 2a, at 9.55am |
The 7:00 start for the Food Valley
The Italian Days Food Valley tour lasts 9 hours and meets at 7 am in Piazza XX 3 Settembre, near the train station in Bologna. The listing includes transport from Bologna, but not pickup from a hotel. A Florence day-tripper has to be in Bologna before 7:00, so look up the first departure from Firenze Santa Maria Novella on the operator's timetable before you book. The Food Valley factories, winery and lunch tour lasts 8 hours and meets at the Hotel NH Bologna De La Gare on the same square.
For an easier day, take a food walk that starts mid-morning, such as the Delicious Bologna Small-Group Food Tour at 9.55am, and keep the Food Valley for a night in Bologna.
Tours That Fit
Six food tours and classes in Bologna that suit a day visitor.
from $82
Most reviewed
Walking Food Experience with a local
Over 15 tastings across five stops, including 25-year-old balsamic vinegar and wine at Bologna's oldest osteria, for $82 per person.
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from $85.10
Bologna Food & Market Tour with Local Dishes, Pasta, Wines & More
A 4.9-rated small-group walk through Bologna's old salumeria, the world's oldest osteria and the Quadrilatero, with pasta, cold cuts and Modena balsamic tastings.
Check Availability
from $117.81
Small group
Small Group Bologna Food Tour - Local Food & Market Experience
A morning-to-lunch walking tour with breakfast, a market walk, a pasta factory visit, an osteria aperitivo and a three-pasta lunch for groups of up to 9.
Check Availability
from $129.64
Pasta lab stop
Bologna Food Tour by Taste Bologna: Intimate Group (Max 10)
A small-group market walk where you shop for your own lunch with the guide and eat it at an osteria with wine and aged balsamic.
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from $57
Shortest food tour
Street Food Tour in the Historic Center
Five generous tastings and two local wines in two hours, sold as a lunch replacement rather than a history walk.
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from $57
Top rated
Pasta Cooking Class, Ragu, Spritz, Wine & Gelato
A hands-on tagliatelle class with spritz mixing, local wines and gelato, taught by a local sfoglina for $57 per person.
Check AvailabilityHow Long Is the Drive From Florence to Bologna?
About 1 hour on the A1 motorway, then the ZTL decides where you can go.
Bologna Welcome gives the drive as 1 hour on the A1 motorway. Allow extra time for traffic.
The ZTL in Bologna
The Centro Storico ZTL limits motor vehicle traffic from 7:00 to 20:00 every day, and the Sirio electronic gates monitor access. Pedestrian zones and the T area of Via Rizzoli, Via Indipendenza and Via Ugo Bassi are restricted 24 hours a day. Hotels, bed and breakfasts and public car parks have facilitated access, and Bologna Welcome notes a daily ticket for the ZTL can be bought.
For a food day, leave the car in a car park outside the gates and walk in. Every tour in the table above meets inside the old town.
Which Is Nicer, Florence or Bologna?
Choose Bologna for the table, and since the two are about an hour apart by car, add Florence as a separate day.
The cities suit different trips. Bologna's case is the food, which the city writes down.
What Bologna offers
Bologna has its tagliatella width (8 mm) on file since 1972, its tortellino filling since 1974 and over 62 km of UNESCO porticoes. Parmigiano Reggiano matures for at least 12 months, and the Food Valley dairies are a short trip away. For a food trip the usual plan is two days in Bologna for the table and a separate day for Florence.
For the full case, see the Bologna cooking class guide, which compares the classes.
Sources: Bologna Welcome, Bologna Welcome, Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.
How Do You Get From Bologna Airport Into the City?
The Marconi Express takes 7 minutes from the airport to the city centre, and the Q bus is the cheaper option.
Flying in changes the route, and both options below run to the city.
Marconi Express and Q bus
The Marconi Express runs up to 8 trains an hour from 5:40 am to midnight. A standard ticket costs $14.15 (€12.80) one way or $25.75 (€23.30) return. Children up to 4 years old travel free with an adult holding a valid ticket.
The urban fare of $2.54 (€2.30) is valid for the Q bus from the airport to the Central Station.
Source: Marconi Express.
Exterior of Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station. Photo: Freepenguin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Florence to Bologna FAQ
How do you spell Bologna?
The Italian city and the English word are both spelled B-o-l-o-g-n-a. The city's dishes, from tortellini to Mortadella Bologna IGP, are covered in the Bologna cooking class guide.
How do you get to Bologna from Milan?
By car Bologna is just over 2 hours from Milan, and about 1 hour from Florence, both on the motorway network. A food day then starts with the Bologna Walking Food Tour with a Local.
Is it worth going to Bologna from Florence?
Yes, if food is the reason. High-speed trains take 35-37 minutes and the Delicious Bologna Small-Group Food Tour fills a morning for $117.81.
Is there a Bologna food tour from Florence?
Bologna food tours meet in Bologna, and the Food Valley listing below has no hotel pickup. The Italian Days Food Valley tour meets at 7 am near Bologna station.
Where should you stay in Bologna without a car?
Stay near the station or the old town. Piazza Maggiore is a fifteen minute walk from the station, and the ZTL is limited to cars. The Bologna Street Food Tour meets at Piazza della Mercanzia in the old town.
How many days do you need in Bologna and Florence?
Bologna Welcome suggests 2 days in Bologna, one for the old town and one for San Luca. Add a day for Florence. A Bologna pasta class takes 3 hours.
More Guides
- Which Bologna Cooking Class Should You Book?
Bologna cooking class guide for 2027: 1.5 to 3 hours, home or school, who rolls pasta by hand and which diets fit. Pick yours.
- Bologna Weather: When Is the Best Time to Visit?
Bologna weather in 2027: highs from 8°C in January to 31°C in July, rain by month and the best season for food tours. Plan your dates.
- How Many Days in Bologna Do You Need?
Plan 1, 2 or 3 days in Bologna with a 3-hour walk, San Luca and a Food Valley day trip. See the plan to match your 2027 trip.