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The brick Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca on its wooded hill above Bologna, with the city and the Po plain spread out behind it.

Where to stay in Bologna

Photographed in 2021. Photo: Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Bologna

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About Bologna

Bologna lets a hotel register a guest’s plate for the traffic zone and sell a day of parking with it, which makes the centre workable with a car. The weekend pedestrian hours are the part that catches drivers out.

Italy. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Bologna Marconi (BLQ), about 12 km from the Quadrilatero by road. The Marconi Express monorail reaches Bologna Centrale in 7 minutes, 05:40 to 24:00, about every 7 minutes at peak. Source
Airport train fare
Marconi Express EUR 12.80 one way and EUR 23.30 return; EUR 70 for a carnet of ten journeys. Source
Tourist tax
Per person per night by price band for the room with breakfast, net of VAT: EUR 4.00 up to EUR 30.99, EUR 5.80 from EUR 31, EUR 6.50 from EUR 71, EUR 7.00 from EUR 121; campsites and hostels EUR 2.80. Short lets collected by an agency or portal: 10.5 percent of the price, capped at EUR 7.00. Rates confirmed for 2026. Source
Tax cap and exemptions
At most five consecutive nights, counted across two or more properties. Residents of Bologna, under-14s, students of the University of Bologna in student residences, people with a severe disability and one companion, and hospital carers and day patients on certification, pay nothing. Source
Licensed stays
Every licensed stay in Italy has a national identification code (CIN), shown outside the building and in every listing. Bologna also asks operators for the regional code (CIR). Source
Check-in
Hosts may accept only guests with an identity document or passport, and register each guest with the police within 24 hours. Source
Traffic zone (ZTL)
The ZTL Ambientale covers most of the historic centre and is camera-controlled every day from 07:00 to 20:00. Pedestrian areas, the zona T, the university zone, San Francesco-Pratello, Azzo Gardino and Moline-Capo di Lucca are restricted 24 hours. Source
Hotel guests and the ZTL
A hotel or B&B registers the guest’s plate with the comune and hands over the permit in person for the length of the stay. The same property sells a daily parking subscription at EUR 9, valid 24 hours in every paid blue-line area and including a Tper day pass. Source
ZTL tickets
Without a permit, a digital day ticket costs EUR 6 and a four-day ticket EUR 15, activated before entering; at most three day tickets or one four-day ticket per plate per calendar month. Source
Street parking
Blue bays: Cerchia del Mille EUR 3.90 an hour and Centro storico EUR 2.90, weekdays 08:00 to 20:00; corona semicentrale EUR 2.20 an hour and EUR 11 a day, corona semiperiferica e periferica EUR 1.80 an hour and EUR 9 a day, weekdays 08:00 to 18:00. Source
Car parks
Ex Staveco is open 24 hours with 280 spaces, EUR 2 an hour by day, EUR 1 at night and EUR 12 a day, maximum height 2 metres. Santa Viola is open 07:00 to 20:00, EUR 1 an hour and EUR 6 a day. Source
Speed limit
About 70 percent of Bologna’s urban streets have been limited to 30 km/h since 16 January 2024. Source
Emission limits
From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, built-up areas of the Bologna agglomeration stop diesel up to Euro 4, petrol up to Euro 2 and petrol-gas vehicles up to Euro 2, Monday to Friday 08:30 to 18:30. Electric and hybrid cars and cars carrying at least three people may always circulate. Source
Monthly stays
Up to 30 days a flat is a short let. A home lease of more than 30 days in a year must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days. Source
Monthly parking tickets
Monthly blue-bay tickets cost EUR 100 in the centre, EUR 75 and EUR 60 further out. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
Currency
Euro (EUR). Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Bologna

Piazza Maggiore seen from above in late afternoon: the Palazzo del Podesta and its tower, the arcaded Palazzo dei Banchi, the flank of San Petronio and rows of chairs set out for an open-air screening.
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Centro storico and the Quadrilatero

The arcaded streets around Piazza Maggiore and the market lanes of the Quadrilatero, with the towers, the food shops and the main museums on foot. It suits a first visit and short stays, and it stays busy late.

Marconi airport by road
about 12 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
under 1 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
about 1.3 km

Car and parking

Inside the ZTL Ambientale, camera-controlled every day 07:00 to 20:00, and beside the zona T, which keeps cars out 24 hours. A hotel or B&B can register the plate and sell a EUR 9 daily parking subscription. Central blue bays are charged on weekdays 08:00 to 20:00, at EUR 3.90 an hour in the innermost Cerchia del Mille zone and EUR 2.90 in the Centro storico zone; the Ex Staveco car park is open 24 hours at EUR 12 a day.

A portico of carved stone columns on Via Zamboni in Bologna at the corner of Via Marsala, with a no-entry sign, a stop sign and an empty cobbled street.
Photographed in 2019. Photo: MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zona universitaria

Via Zamboni and the streets of the university quarter, with bookshops, bars and cheap kitchens. It suits longer stays and visitors who like a working neighbourhood, and it is loud on term-time evenings.

Marconi airport by road
about 11 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
under 1 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
about 1.2 km

Car and parking

Inside the ZTL Ambientale and, around Via Zamboni, inside the special university zone, which is restricted 24 hours a day; the EUR 6 and EUR 15 ZTL tickets do not admit a car there. Central blue bays are charged on weekdays 08:00 to 20:00, at EUR 2.90 an hour in the Centro storico zone and EUR 3.90 in the Cerchia del Mille.

The cobbled triangle of Piazza Santo Stefano in Bologna, with the brick church front on the left, arcaded houses on the right and cafe tables under a large umbrella.
Photographed in 2019. Photo: MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Santo Stefano

The cobbled square of the seven churches and the lanes behind Strada Maggiore, quieter than the centre a few minutes away. It suits couples and visitors who want the old city without the market crowds.

Marconi airport by road
about 13 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
under 1 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
about 1.8 km

Car and parking

Inside the ZTL Ambientale, 07:00 to 20:00 every day. Strada Maggiore from the Due Torri to Piazza San Michele closes to traffic from 09:00 on Saturday to 22:00 on Sunday and on holidays, and the side lanes become dead ends in those hours. Central blue bays are charged on weekdays 08:00 to 20:00, at EUR 2.90 an hour in the Centro storico zone and EUR 3.90 in the Cerchia del Mille.

A stretch of the arcaded Portico di San Luca climbing the hill above Bologna in low sun, with cypresses and grass beside it.
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Palickap, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Saragozza

The west side of the old city, where the portico starts its climb to the San Luca sanctuary. It suits walkers and longer stays, and it is calmer at night than the centre.

Marconi airport by road
about 7 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
under 1 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
about 2 km

Car and parking

The inner part sits inside the ZTL Ambientale. Further out the corona tariffs apply, EUR 2.20 an hour in the corona semicentrale and EUR 1.80 beyond it, on weekdays 08:00 to 18:00, with daily tickets at EUR 11 and EUR 9. The Ex Staveco car park, open 24 hours, is the nearest round-the-clock option on this side.

Bolognina and the station

The working district north of Bologna Centrale, with markets, canteens and a short walk to the platforms. It suits arrivals by train or by the airport monorail and stays where the budget matters.

Marconi airport by road
about 9 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
about 1.9 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
under 1 km

Car and parking

North of the railway and so outside the ZTL Ambientale, which covers the historic centre. Blue bays here are charged at the corona tariffs, EUR 2.20 an hour in the corona semicentrale and EUR 1.80 beyond it, on weekdays 08:00 to 18:00, with daily tickets at EUR 11 and EUR 9. Marconi Express leaves from inside the station atrium on Via de’ Carracci.

Fiera district

The exhibition quarter along Via Stalingrado, with tower blocks and conference hotels. It suits trade-fair stays and trips where the car does most of the work.

Marconi airport by road
about 9 km
Piazza Maggiore, straight line
about 2.5 km
Bologna Centrale, straight line
about 1.7 km

Car and parking

Outside the ZTL Ambientale, which covers the historic centre, and close to the ring road. Blue bays here are charged at the corona tariffs, EUR 1.80 an hour in the corona semiperiferica e periferica, on weekdays 08:00 to 18:00, with a EUR 9 daily ticket and a EUR 60 monthly ticket.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Bologna?

It follows the room price with breakfast, net of VAT: EUR 4.00 a night per person up to EUR 30.99, EUR 5.80 from EUR 31, EUR 6.50 from EUR 71 and EUR 7.00 from EUR 121, with EUR 2.80 in campsites and hostels. Short lets booked through a platform pay 10.5 percent of the price, capped at EUR 7.00. It stops after five consecutive nights.

Can a guest drive to a hotel inside the Bologna ZTL?

Yes, through the property. Give the hotel or B&B the plate before arriving, or on arrival, and it registers the car with the comune and hands over the permit for the length of the stay. The permit never covers the zona T, the pedestrian areas or the special zones.

What does parking cost in central Bologna?

Blue bays cost EUR 2.90 an hour in the Centro storico zone and EUR 3.90 in the Cerchia del Mille, weekdays 08:00 to 20:00. The Ex Staveco car park is open 24 hours at EUR 2 an hour by day and EUR 12 a day.

When is the centre of Bologna closed to cars?

The ZTL runs every day from 07:00 to 20:00. Via Rizzoli and Via Ugo Bassi, the zona T, are controlled 24 hours and go fully pedestrian from 08:00 on Saturday to 22:00 on Sunday and on holidays from 08:00 to 22:00.

How can a guest tell that a holiday flat in Bologna is licensed?

Every licensed stay in Italy has a national identification code, the CIN, shown outside the building and in every listing, and in Emilia-Romagna a regional code as well. The host must also see your identity document and register you with the police within 24 hours.