Things to do in Bologna, Italy

After visiting Como and Verona, we took the train to historic Bologna! It took us a day or two to get our bearings and then to fall in love with Bologna. The historic portion of the city is very walkable; the food is great; and the architecture is so amazing, even a novice like me loved and admired it all. So here are all the things to do in Bologna Italy, including the best restaurants.

Things to do in Bologna, Italy

Even just wandering the alleys and streets, beneath the porticos, is a fabulous way to wander Bologna. It’s easy to keep your eyes on the ground, but don’t forget to look up. The architecture and art on these historic archways is amazing!

Churches to Visit in Bologna

The big church in Bologna is the Basilica di San Petronio – the church in the main plaza (Piazza Maggiore). The church is free to enter and very large. Fascinatingly, the church appears ostentatious almost from the outside, but once inside you’ll see that the grand dreams of this basilica didn’t come to fruition and it’s a continuing work in progress of sort.

On quite the other end of the spectrum is the Chiesa della Madonna di Galliera e di San Filippo Neri, which you could easily walk by tens of times and never even think about going in, but you absolutely should.

Tucked in the middle of a small alley (near the AirBnB we rented), we might not have entered had the doors not been wide open on one of our first days, showing us this gorgeous church inside! And gorgeous it was. The chapels, the ceiling frescos – absolutely stunning.

And the Basilica Santuario Santo Stefano – Complesso delle Sette Chiese in the Quadrilatero (more below). The church itself is small, but the old monastery next door is quite beautiful and interesting!

If you’re a food lover like I am, then don’t miss walking down Via Pescherie Vecchie. It’s an alleyway filled with shops and stalls of fresh food – produce, meat, cheeses, pasta, and so much more. There are also cafes, bars, and restaurants tucked around this fun street.

Real life sidenote. There is a public restroom to use in the bookshop under the Eataly on this street!

How to Get to San Luca

San Luca is a stunning church just outside of the city on a hill – and it’s really a must of the things to do in Bologna. It’s a gorgeous church to visit (free) and there are stellar views of the region. There are, however, 4 ways to get there and 3 ways to get back…

The church is built atop a hill and designed as a pilgrimage destination, so there is covered walkway from the outskirts of the central area of Bologna. The walkway begins at Porta Saragozza – about a 20 minute walk from Piazza Maggiore. The covered walkway, the longest in the world, is 2.3 miles long, so there are other methods to get there if walking isn’t what you need/want.

The San Luca Express leaves from Piazza Maggiore. It’s 13€ each for adults and leaves regularly. You can buy your tickets online beforehand, but you still need to stand in the line at the plaza to claim a seat on a scheduled departure.

You can also take a taxi up to San Luca 17€. This is what we did and once we saw the hill, we were grateful we’d done this. The problem with this is that there aren’t any taxies at the top to bring you back down. So you can walk down…or take the buses down. We ended up figuring out the buses (very easy) and made it home safely, but it’s a good thing to know going in.

The most cost effective (and time freeing) is to take the buses. From Piazza Malpighi, catch BUS 20 to (Casalecchio Garibaldi). Get on at Villa Spada. Then take BUS 58 (Basilica Di San Luca). It’s a small, charter bus size. Then just reverse this to come back tot he city center.

To buy tickets, tap a credit card on the bus itself (machines are usually at the front an middle of the bus). It’s 2€ and lasts for 75 minutes. Just tap on the first bus and you’re good to go for both rides. Young kids ride free.

Best Cooking Class in Bologna

It’s hard to go to Italy and not take a cooking class, right? The food is all so yummy and who doesn’t want to learn to make pasta by hand? Via a recommendation from my friend in the area, we did the Bologna Cooking Class through Taste Bologna.

Just my husband and I did it, which I think was a good decision. Our 5 year old was welcome to join, but I think he would’ve gotten over all the waiting and the process of following all the directions, calmly, for 3 hours. For the record, he’s a calm kid, so I pretty confidently would recommend not having young kids do any sort of cooking class like this.

While the class was supposed to be 4 people, we were the only ones who showed up, so we got a bit of a private lesson. Not only did we learn to make pasta (taglietelle, tortelloni, and tortellini), we made ragu sauce from scratch, the ricotta filling for the tortellini, and the meat filling for the tortelloni. Then we got to enjoy each dish with a glass of wine. It was delicious and so fun!

Wander Quadrilatero

The quadrilatero is the area of streets and alleys east of Piazza Maggiore. And this is where we fell in love with Bologna. Still jam-packed with history and architecture, this area felt a bit more homey while still being in the middle of a big city.

We wandered this area for two days and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. My friend who lives in the area, does have this self-guided walking tour of Bologna’s center if you want a little more direction!

Best Restaurants in Bologna Italy

Bologna is as well known for its food as its architecture – and for good reason! Ragu is Bolognese, but the region is also known for pumpkin-stuffed pasta (absolutely worth a shot – it’s delicious), lasagna (nothing like we have in the US), and a variety of meats and vegetable.

Lasagna here is the US is saucy and filled ricotta. Lasagna in Italy is smaller (much smaller) layers of filling between the long flat noodles. I don’t think we had any with ricotta (absolutely could be regional), and one had more of a béchamel sauce than a cheese filling. And you know what? They were all delicious!

We only ate in the city center, so all of these are walkable if you’re in the central area! Here are our picks for the best restaurants in Bologna Italy.

• Vicolo Colombina (reservations necessary). This was recommended to us by our cooking school instructor and it was a great call!
• Mariposa (reservations recommended). This is a small place with all kinds of local fare. The only way to make reservations is to call. Absolutely recommend the lasagna!
• Trattoria re Enzo (reservations recommended). Re Enzo was a casual spot with delicious food. Pasta, mussels, and tender meat (I had the scallopine di porcini – highly recommend).
• Ristorante Da Cesarina (reservations necessary). Along the Piazza Santo Stefano, this spot is a fun find. Delicious food and HUGE portions! I had the stuffed pork chop, my mom the lamb chops (the biggest I’ve ever seen), and we shared some yummy pasta dishes.
• Grassili (reservations necessary) – We actually weren’t able to eat here becuase we discovered it too late in our searches and they no longer had reservations, but it looked too good not to share with you!
• Caffè Letterario – Sebastiano Caridi – enjoy cookies, pastries, and coffee at this cute cafe (across from Chiesa della Madonna di Galliera). There is an outdoor service fee here (something we ran into in Milan as well) – just a warning.
• Casa Minghetti – Grab Aperol spritzes and bar snacks at Casa Minghetti along Piazza Minghetti. We were at the hightops along the wall the first night and at the tables the second night. Corn nuts and chips come to the tables too! It’s just such a great place to sit before heading off to dinner o another activity.
• And the best gelato in town? Hit up Gelateria Gianna!

Be sure to check out my Italy packing list (I nailed it again!). If you’re traveling more in northern Italy, you’ll want to see things to do in Lake Como, where to stay in Milan, and things to do in Verona! All parts of a wonderful trip!