The 10 most popular historical tours in Bologna. Here's what they actually deliver, who runs them, and what they cost.
Bologna’s art-and-history walking tour links major landmarks, lesser-known corners, and cathedral interiors with small-group tastings in English.
“Excellent tour! Extremely knowledgeable guide and passionate about Italian art and history. Showed us hidden gems of both art and architecture. He knows lots of stories, making Bologna's history come alive.”
A 2-hour private walk through Bologna’s medieval squares, Gothic San Petronio, Mercato di Mezzo, and the Seven Churches.
“Ausgezeichnete und sehr abwechslungsreiche Stadtführung. Sehr qualifizierte Führerin mit sehr guten Deutschkenntnissen.”
A 2-hour guided walk through Bologna’s historic center, from Palazzo d’Accursio to the Two Towers, with local tips and flexible options.
“Interessante”
Walk Bologna’s historic core with a licensed guide, key landmarks, and a stop in the food market lanes near Via Pescherie Vecchie.
“We had a private tour. The guide was very informative and pleasant. She took her time, and we enjoyed her very much.”
A 7-hour Bologna walk mixing major art, medieval streets, and serious tastings, led by Riccardo Bacchi in English.
“Ricardo was an amazing guide. He is incredibly knowledgeable, interesting and engaging. He made us want to come back to Bologna”
Private Bologna pasta class with Margherita in her home. Make dough and sauces from scratch, optional Quadrilatero market walk, then eat with wine.
“Super walk, shopping, cooking and dining! A coffee in town on a terrace overlooking the two towers, a great beginning.”
A 2.5-hour small-group walk through Bologna’s top landmarks, with interior visits to San Petronio and Santo Stefano plus expert English guidance.
“Great tour guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly!”
A small-group, English-guided walk through Bologna’s top landmarks—Neptune’s Fountain, San Petronio, the Two Towers, Santo Stefano, and the porticoes.
“Andreas led us on wonderful historical tour along with tips on good places locals eat and drink! Very cool that his official guide status allowed us to enter some sites that we most would not have access to see.”
Private 5.5-hour tour from Bologna combining Maranello’s Ferrari Museum and Modena’s historic balsamic tasting with hotel pickup.
“Magnifico! What more can one say about the Ferrari museum as a senior and junior petrolhead respectively ? My 20 year old son and I were in awe of the incredible engineering in these driving machines. He also had a blast on the simulator. The big surprise of the trip for us was the balsamic…”
A low-cost self-guided audio walk through Bologna’s past and present, using VoiceMap GPS and offline audio for towers, basilicas, and science.
“Could have included a lot more value for money as the factual descriptions were quite short. The speaker seemed to enjoy speaking about his university life which wasted a bit of time when standing around at sights waiting for valuable information.”
