How to Travel from Florence to Bologna (By Train!)

Traveling from Florence to Bologna by train is an incredibly enjoyable experience: it’s fairly simple to execute, affordable, and doesn’t take long.

We’ve enjoyed this train route several times during our trips to Italy, and consider visiting Bologna by train one of the best day trips from Florence (and vice versa, as well).

However, that’s not the only reason to travel between Florence and Bologna by train!

Whether you’re planning a day trip, switching base cities, or simply heading to Bologna to catch a flight (hint: if you’re a budget airline fan, Bologna often has better flight deals within Europe than Florence does), here’s everything you need to know to make your train journey smooth!

How Much Does it Cost to Take the Train From Florence to Bologna?

The cost of traveling from Florence to Bologna by train depends entirely on whether you book a regional (or “slow”) train ticket or a high-speed train.

The high-speed trains use dynamic pricing, so prices vary (you can check prices and shop high-speed train tickets here).

Regional tickets have static pricing and cost just under 10 Euro each way.

How Long Does it Take to Travel from Florence to Bologna By Train?

On the regional (aka “slow”) train, expect to spend at least 1.5 hours traveling in each direction, with an average around 2.5 based on the current schedule I’m perusing.

These tickets are generally inexpensive and easy to get, and you don’t need to book them in advance.

On the high-speed train, the journey takes under 40 minutes each way, making it by far the most convenient option.

Tickets can be almost as inexpensive as on the regional train if you book a few weeks in advance… or much pricier if you book the day before.

If you’d like to take the high-speed train, we highly recommend booking your train tickets in advance.

There are 50+ total trains between Florence and Bologna each day, so you will have plenty of times to choose from!

Florence to Bologna By Train: Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1: Choose the Correct Train Station

Ideally, you’ll want to buy a ticket from the Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence to the Bologna Centrale Station in Bologna.

Most searches will automatically assume this, but sometimes more suburban stations that are located further away from the center of the cities come up as options.

Opting for one of these will make your day more complex, so for most travelers, we recommend avoiding it and only traveling between the central stations.

Step 2: Pick Your Ticket

There are two major train companies that operate between Florence and Bologna, and when booking your train trip to Bologna from Florence, you’ll need to choose which one to use.

Trenitalia is Italy’s national company and offers dozens of routes between Bologna and Florence each day.

You’ll see them marked as “Trenitalia” for regional trains, and “FRECCE” (aka “Frecciarosa”, “Frecciabianca”, etc) are high-speed trains. They are run by the same company, but take less time and generally cost more.

Italo is a private company that also runs some trains between Bologna and Florence. We’ve generally found their prices higher and have always ended up booking with Trenitalia for this route, but you can compare the cost of both before booking.

Omio is a ticket aggregate we use frequently throughout Europe, and will allow you to compare the ticket costs and train schedules of multiple companies on one screen.

Check schedules and book your train tickets from Florence to Bologna today!

Step 3: Validate Your Ticket

If you don’t purchase your ticket on a phone app and/or don’t have an electronic ticket to show, you must validate your ticket before boarding the train to travel from Florence to Bologna.

If you don’t, you can easily be fined a large amount or even be kicked off the train.

If you don’t want to worry about it, electronic tickets are an easy workaround: by booking online, you can simply download the tickets and have the conductor scan them on your phone.

Step 4: Relax!

Once you’ve bought your train ticket from Florence to Bologna and have boarded, you have nothing else to worry about!

Simply sit back, relax, and enjoy watching the Tuscan and Emilia-Romagnan countryside go by while you dream about the tagliatelle al ragu you’ll undoubtedly be digging into in the near future.

How to Reach the Center of Bologna from Bologna Centrale

Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s main piazza and the perfect place to start your visit, is an easy 20-minute walk down Via Galliera from Bologna Centrale.

If you’re not carrying any heavy bags and aren’t limited in mobility, don’t worry about any other form of transportation when you arrive in Bologna–simply start walking and enjoy the increasingly beautiful scenery!

What to Do During One Day in Bologna

Visiting Bologna on a day trip from Florence?

We’ve written an entire guide to spending one day in Bologna, but here are a couple of very quick highlights you can look forward to.

Check out Via Drapperie and the Quadrilatero area.

Want to wander beautiful streets while eating and photographing delicious things?

If so, then this is the area of Bologna for you.

Climb Torre Asinelli.

Move over, Pisa: Torre Asinelli is not only a taller leaning tower than what you’ll find in Pisa, but it’s also hard to imagine a cooler view than what you’ll find at the top!

(Though for people who are scared of heights like me, it’s worth noting that this climb definitely tested my fear at points!).

Eat all the food.

If there’s one thing Bologna is known for, it’s its food: come hungry and prepare to inhale copious amounts of tagliatelle al ragu, parmigiano reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, tortellini en brodo, and more!

If food is one of your primary motivations for visiting Bologna (and it deserves to be), a food tour like this makes a wonderful addition to a day in Bologna.

Seek out Bologna’s hidden canals.

Bologna’s canals date back to the Middle Ages, and while they take a little effort to track down these days, they’re worth it!

Trying to Get to the Bologna Airport?

Trying to reach the Bologna Airport to catch a flight as soon as you get to the city?

Directly in front of Bologna Centrale, you’ll find the airport shuttle.

Service runs every 11 minutes, year-round, and you can buy tickets online or at the kiosks at the bus stop (just be wary of the scammers in front who often want to “help” you buy tickets).

Read More About Visiting Italy

Have your train from Florence to Bologna all planned out and ready to keep planning your trip to Italy?

We’d love to help!

You can browse our 100+ Italy blog posts here, or check out these guides:

• How to Visit the Mesmerizing Ravenna Mosaics (Itinerary, Travel Guide, + FAQ!)
• The Ultimate One Day in Bologna Itinerary
• 7+ Fun Day Trips from Parma, Italy (+ How to Get There)
• How to Enjoy 3 Days in Tuscany: Itinerary Ideas With or Without a Car!
• The 11 Best Views of Florence (Sunset Spots, Climbs + More!)