Why go
- Capital and largest city of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Served by Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ).
History
Bologna is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy, with 391,473 inhabitants from 150 different nationalities. Its metropolitan province is home to more than 1 million people as of 2026. Bologna is most famous for being the home to the oldest university in continuous operation, the University of Bologna, established in AD 1088.
Where to stay
Restaurants & places to go
355 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 33 airlines, 64 direct destinations
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 32 routes: Alghero, Alicante, Arrecife, Barcelona, Bari, Beauvais, Bordeaux, Brindisi, Bristol, Catania, Charleroi, Dublin, Edinburgh, Ibiza, Krakow, Lamezia, London, Madrid, Malaga, Malta, Manchester, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Porto, Rygge, Sevilla, Tenerife, Trapani, Valencia, Warsaw, Weeze, Wroclaw
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A319, Embraer 190, 737-300, Embraer 170, Embraer 175) · 8 routes: Amsterdam*, Catania, Iasi, Lisbon*, Moscow*, Paris*, Rome, Tirana*
- Meridiana IG (737, MD-80, A320) · 4 routes: Cagliari, Catania, Chisinau, Olbia
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 4 routes: Bucharest, Cluj-napoca, Sofia, Timisoara
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320, CRK) · 3 routes: Barcelona*, Madrid*, Paris
- Air France AF (ERJ-145, ATR 42, Embraer 190, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Lyon*, Paris
- Air One AP (A320) · 2 routes: Catania, Tirana
- Croatia Airlines OU (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Lisbon*, Zagreb*
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 2 routes: London, Paris
- Germanwings 4U (A319) · 2 routes: Berlin, Cologne
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A319, A320, A321, 737-300, 735, A320…) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (A319, CRJ-900, 737-700) · 2 routes: Copenhagen, Stockholm
- TAP Portugal TP (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Lisbon, Zagreb
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 2 routes: Barcelona, Paris
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Arabia Maroc 3O (A320) · 1 route: Casablanca
- Air Moldova 9U (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Chisinau
- Airlinair A5 (ERJ-145, ATR 42) · 1 route: Lyon
- American Airlines AA (A319, A320) · 1 route: London*
- Austrian Airlines OS (Fokker 100, F70, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Blue Panorama Airlines BV (737) · 1 route: Tirana
- British Airways BA (A319, A320) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (A319, AR1) · 1 route: Brussels
- China Eastern Airlines MU (EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Excel Airways JN (A320) · 1 route: Tirana
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Pegasus Airlines PC (A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Royal Air Maroc AT (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Casablanca
- Tarom RO (737-300) · 1 route: Iasi
- Transavia Holland HV (737-700) · 1 route: Eindhoven
- Tunisair TU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Tunis
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 20 airlines, 26 direct destinations
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 10 routes: Barcelona*, Bari, Berlin*, Cagliari, Catania*, Copenhagen*, London, Madrid*, Palermo, Paris*
- Vueling Airlines VY (A319) · 10 routes: Barcelona, Bari, Berlin, Cagliari, Catania, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Palermo, Paris
- Alitalia AZ (318, A319, Embraer 190, S20) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Geneva*, Paris*, Rome
- VOLOTEA Airways V7 (717) · 4 routes: Bordeaux, Catania, Nantes, Palermo
- Air Berlin AB (Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Duesseldorf, Stuttgart, Vienna*
- Air France AF (318, AR8, ATR 42) · 3 routes: London*, Lyon*, Paris
- Meridiana IG (A320) · 3 routes: Duesseldorf*, Stuttgart*, Vienna
- Finnair AY (Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Duesseldorf*, Vienna*
- Flybaboo F7 (S20) · 2 routes: Geneva, Zurich
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (Embraer 190, Embraer 195) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, Munich
- Air Dolomiti EN (Embraer 195) · 1 route: Munich
- Airlinair A5 (ATR 42) · 1 route: Lyon
- Austrian Airlines OS (Dash 8-400, F70) · 1 route: Vienna*
- British Airways BA (Embraer 170, Embraer 190) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (AR1) · 1 route: Brussels
- CityJet WX (AR8) · 1 route: London
- Flybe BE (Embraer 175) · 1 route: Birmingham
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Niki HG (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Vienna
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (AR1) · 1 route: Zurich*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 19 airlines, 23 direct destinations
- Meridiana IG (A320, MD-80, 737) · 8 routes: Cagliari, Catania, Chisinau, Fuerteventura, Naples, Olbia, Tenerife, Tirana
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A319, Embraer 170, 32S, Embraer 175) · 5 routes: Catania, Palermo*, Paris*, Rome, Tirana*
- Air One AP (A320) · 3 routes: Catania, Palermo, Tirana
- Germanwings 4U (A319, CRJ) · 3 routes: Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg
- Air Dolomiti EN (Embraer 195) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (Embraer 195) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, Munich*
- Monarch Airlines ZB (A321, 757-200) · 2 routes: London, Manchester
- Transavia France TO (75W, 737-800) · 2 routes: London, Manchester
- VOLOTEA Airways V7 (717) · 2 routes: Bari, Palermo
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- Air France AF (Embraer 170) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Moldova 9U (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Chisinau
- Blue Panorama Airlines BV (737) · 1 route: Tirana
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, 734) · 1 route: London
- easyJet U2 (A319) · 1 route: London
- Excel Airways JN (A320) · 1 route: Tirana
- S7 Airlines S7 (A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Moscow*
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 1 route: Bucharest
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ); 7 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: BLQ has direct flights to 64 destinations on 33 airlines (incl. Catania, Tirana, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon…).
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Bologna, Italy. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.