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Transport from Bologna Airport: My Tips
An automated shuttle train runs from the city centre to the terminal, as do public transport buses and long-distance coaches to other Italian cities.
| Service | Price | Journey time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marconi Express | 12,80 eur 23,30 eur (return) |
6 minutes | 5–10 minutes |
| Bus Q | 4 eur | 35–40 minutes | 24 minutes |
| Buses 81 and 91 | 2,30 eur | 15-minute walk 27-minute journey |
15–60 minutes |
Detailed information on the various modes of transport is provided below. But do also check out our separate city guide and plan your trip with us:
Marconi Express
The Marconi Express, an automated monorail, is the main, fastest and most comfortable way to travel between the airport and the centre of Bologna.
Cheap hotels in the centre of Bologna
The platform is about 70 metres in front of the terminal and you can’t miss it – just follow the green Marconi Express signs. The train runs to Bologna Centrale station, from where you can easily continue your journey on trains heading for Rimini, Florence, Milan and the rest of Italy.
- Fare – 12,80 eur / 23,30 eur return (the ticket is valid for 75 minutes on regular Tper bus routes within the city)
- Journey time – 7 minutes
- Frequency – every 7 minutes during the day, every 15 minutes early in the morning and late in the evening
- Official information:marconiexpress.it
The first service from Centrale station departs at 5.40, the last service from the airport at 00.00.
Tickets can be purchased in two ways – either traditionally at the self-service terminals near the baggage reclaim area or directly at the entrance to the train station, or by tapping your payment card on the entry and exit turnstiles. The fare will be deducted automatically.
You can also purchase a combined ticket for the Marconi Express plus long-distance and regional trains throughout Italy via the trenitalia.com website.
When travelling back to the airport, allow plenty of time, as the train’s capacity is around 50 passengers and you may have to wait for a departure during busy periods.
The Marconi Express station is located on the first floor of the airport, and the staircase leading up to it is directly accessible from the exit of the arrivals hall.
At Bologna Centrale station, the platform is on the opposite side to the city centre and the station building. You must walk through the underpass right to the very end, until you reach street level at Via de’ Carracci.
Bus route Q
Bus line Q, known as the Navetta Aeroporto, also runs directly from the terminal to Ospedale Maggiore hospital. From Ospedale Maggiore station, you can reach the historic centre on routes 18, 19, 35, 38 and 39, whilst routes 35, 38 and 39 go to the railway station. Buses 38 and 39 are circular routes. Bus 38 is quicker when travelling to the city centre, whilst bus 39 is quicker when travelling from the city centre.
Line Q takes 10 minutes to travel from the airport to the hospital and runs at 20-minute intervals.
A special fare applies on the Navetta Aeroporto service, with a single journey costing 4 eur. The ticket is valid for 75 minutes and can also be used on other TPER bus routes in Bologna. The 24-hour ticket is not valid on this route.
You can purchase a ticket in the following ways:
- By tapping your own payment card on the green validator inside the bus
- Via theRogeror Muver mobile apps
- Online via the website ticketweb.tper.it
- At a ticket machine inside the arrivals hall
When purchasing online, you must scan the QR code from the website or app at the green validator inside the bus. When travelling to the airport, you cannot buy a €4 paper ticket anywhere in the city.
From Ospedale Maggiore station, you can use the standard city fare at 2,30 eur, or a 24-hour ticket at 9 eur. These cannot be purchased from ticket machines at the airport, but only from newsagents in the city or via theRoger app.
The first two morning services and the last two evening services on the Navetta Aeroporto route continue on to the city centre and Bologna Centrale main station.
Detailed information on this service, including the timetable, can be found attper.it/navettaaeroporto.
Bus 54
You can also reach the city bus routes by taking bus number 54 to the Cintra Daziaria / Teatri di Vita stop (buses 13 and 86 towards the city centre) or the Birra stop (buses 81 and 91 towards the city centre).
However, the number 54 bus only runs once an hour from 6.45 am to 8.20 pm. You can use a day ticket for 9 eur, or a single ticket valid for 75 minutes for 2,30 eur.
At the airport, you can buy a paper ticket at the Carrefour supermarket or simply by tapping your card on the green reader inside the bus. Fares for all city bus routes in Bologna can also be purchased via the Roger mobile app.
The timetable is available online at:tper.it/54.
The bus stop for route 54 is located to the left of the arrivals hall, next to the stops for long-distance buses to other cities.
City buses from the Birra stop
A more frequent and cheaper option than route 54 is the bus service from the Birra stop, 1,200 metres away.
You can walk to the Birra stop along the pavement in under 15 minutes.
From Birra , you can then take bus routes 81, 81A, 91 or 91A (timetables available at: www.tper.it/orari). These buses run every 15–60 minutes to Bologna Centrale railway station and take 26 minutes to complete the journey.
A ticket costs 2,30 eur when purchased at the Bar Incontro newsagent’s at the Birra stop or at the Carrefour supermarket in the airport’s arrivals hall. Further sales points can be found attper.it/rivendite. The ticket is valid for 75 minutes from the time it is validated upon boarding the bus. A 24-hour ticket can also be used on these routes for 9 eur.
Alternatively, you can purchase a ticket via the Muver mobile app (available on: Google Play / App Store).
Night transport
The Macroni Express automated train runs from 5.40 am to midnight. During the night, it is replaced by bus route Q at 30-minute intervals from 00:10 to 01:30 when travelling from the airport, and from 04:30 to 05:40 when travelling to the airport.
Although this service only runs as far as Maggiore Hospital during the day (see above), at night it runs directly from the airport to the main railway station without the need to change.
The fare at night is the same as during the day, i.e. 4 eur.
Car hire
Fancy going on a road trip through the Italian countryside or to the nearby Apennines? In that case, travelling by hire car is the best option.
There are many international and local car hire companies based right in the terminal. Weekly rates in peak season start at 290 eur. Avoid Goldcar, which has poor reviews.
Buses to Florence
Terravision buses provide a direct service between Bologna Airport and Florence (some buses are operated by other companies but are sold via the Terravision platform).
The cheapest tickets can be purchased via the company’s website: terravision.eu
- Fare to Florence – 20 eur
- Journey time to Florence – 95 minutes
- Frequency and timetable – approximately once every 2 hours: terravision.eu
The cheapest route goes via Bologna Centrale station (the cheapest option from the airport is with one change via 2,30 eur), from where Trenitalia trains operate via 9,45 eur, or high-speed trains via 14,90 eur.
The bus stop is located about 100 metres to the left of the terminal exit.
Buses to Rimini
Shuttle Italy Airport buses provide a direct service from Bologna Airport to the resort of Rimini, stopping in Cesena.
You can buy the cheapest tickets via the company’s website: shuttleitalyairport.it
- Fare to Rimini – 25 eur one-way / 45 eur return
- Journey time to Rimini – 90 minutes
- Frequency and timetable – approximately once every 2 hours: shuttleitalyairport.it/timetables
The cheapest route is via Bologna Centrale station (the cheapest option from the airport is 2,30 eur with one change), from where Trenitalia trains run for 10,80 eur.
The bus stop is located about 100 metres to the left of the terminal exit.
Bus to Ferrara
Bus&Fly buses provide a direct service between Bologna Airport and the city of Ferrara.
You can buy the cheapest tickets via the company’s website: ferrarabusandfly.it
- Fare to Ferrara – 17 eur
- Journey time to Ferrara – 60 minutes
- Frequency and timetable – approx. 8 times a day: ferrarabusandfly.it/timetable
The cheapest route is via Bologna Centrale station (the cheapest option from the airport is with one change, costing 2,30 eur), from where Trenitalia trains run ( 5,20 eur).
The bus stop is located about 100 metres to the left of the terminal exit.
Taxi / Uber
The official taxi rank is directly in front of the exit from the arrivals hall. The fare is calculated by the meter and ranges from 20 eur to 25 eur depending on the destination.
The Uber app also operates in Bologna, although it usually only offers the higher-end Uber Black vehicles, with fares of around 30 eur.
The taxi rank for mobile app bookings is located by the car park behind the intercity bus stations.
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Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
9 comments
Monika Holíková
Translated from cestee.cz
Hello, we are flying in a week, we should land in Bologna around 14.10h and we want to move immediately to Pisa. What is the most efficient way? Thank you in advance for the answer.
Kryštof Hájek
Translated from cestee.cz
Hello, the most efficient way is probably the automatic Marconi Express from the terminal to the station and then Trenitalia trains.
There is always a change in Florence, timetables and tickets here: https://www.trenitalia.com/
Monika Holíková
Translated from cestee.cz
Thank you for the express reply!
Kateřina Vitíková
Translated from cestee.cz
Hello, I would like some advice, we will be staying in Cesenatico and our departure from Bologna is Monday 8.6.2026 at 9:10. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get to the airport on time.Since the first trains from Cesenatico to Bologna I found depart after 5:00 and thus arrive at the airport only at 7:58.... :( Or did anyone sleep at the airport? Or how did you deal with this situation where there was no on time connection? Thank you so much for the advice. Katka ;)
Pavel Vlach
Translated from cestee.cz
The frequency of the Marconi Express is 5-10 minutes, but the train has a very small capacity (and as it has already been mentioned here, it throws like a roller coaster), so when the planes arrive, you have to queue there for 3/4 hour, because security lets people on the platform gradually. The airport-highway route is fine, in the other direction.
TDS
Translated from cestee.cz
Marconi Expres (only) also offers a family ticket (one way 25,60 and return 48,90) on the website, where 2 - 3 children from 5 to 16 years old are included + 2 adults.
Which is already an interesting option especially in terms of travel time to the city centre vs buses, if it was 4x the base rate for a family (approx 50 Euros) that's enough for me.
We will try it in 14 days.
TDS
Translated from cestee.cz
Tested, the QR code is loaded both on entry and exit from the stop. A bit impractical solution in this case is a PDF ticket for all in one file, where in addition there are tickets /codes/ to skip. Better to save the extras in photos etc.
The journey time is about 10 minutes, I was surprised that the train throws a lot and the journey is not entirely comfortable (little space, almost no seats, it's a really small train). But for those few minutes why not, being out of the accommodation in less than 30 minutes at the airport was fine with a family ticket (kids free).
At Bologna Centrale station it's a bit of a maze, but signposted well.
Ladislav Gruber
Translated from cestee.cz
Attention - The Marconi Expres 949 bus is currently no longer running at all. There is only a sign at the airport that it is cancelled. So we took the new bus Q, which replaced the old bus 944, which runs ok, but watch out for the tickets. We had downloaded the Roger app through which we bought tickets and then wanted to activate them on the bus, but we just couldn't do it (damn Italy) - when we tried to activate it, the camera always opened, so we had no idea what to take a picture of (we couldn't find anything on the bus) only the green terminal, but here when you put your phone on, it just buys you another ticket (for 1,5€) which you can only see on your bank statement, but we don't have a ticket anywhere physically or any other confirmation, so we actually drove to Maggiore hospital on the cheap (even though it cost us 5,5€) and from there we walked a nice 30 min to the centre instead. walk :-)
Kryštof Hájek
Translated from cestee.cz
Thanks for the update and the experience!
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
Typically Italian scanning code that is not to be found. It's like they copied it from Cotral. 😆
Terminál 2
Translated from cestee.cz
As of Monday 19.5, line 944 is changing to line Q. More info here:https://www.tper.it/content/line...ggiore-ed
Ormai Csilla
Translated from cestee.hu
Is the taxi price real? For 4 adults, the plethora of taxis available online offer much more expensive options.
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
It would be nice to add the line numbers to the table at the beginning of the guide. The Marconi Express ticket is valid within 75 minutes even on public transport. Missing from the table is the Marconi Express bus 949 - the Flex solo Bus 949 ticket for €9.80 is valid only on that bus and can also be bought on the Roger app. It goes to Piazza Malpighi without a stop and monorail tickets are valid on it (good if you can't fit and don't want to wait). https://www.marconiexpress.it/en...l-9-march/
They also have a new feature: you can buy a joint ticket for the Frecciarossa, Intercity or Regional + Marconi Express.
In the Muver app, you can buy both a 1,50 ticket for public transport and a 4 ticket for Navetta Aeroporto.
Night transport: line 940 is replaced by line 944. https://www.marconiexpress.it/en...ty-centre/
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
Great update, but forgot about the Night Traffic paragraph.
Tickets for public transport can also be bought at the airport Carrefour. As of today, a ticket no longer costs 50 euros, but 2.30 euros.
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
As the Incontro bar closes at 9pm, it would be better to explicitly mention the possibility of buying tickets at the airport Carrefour on buses 81, 91 and 54. Also handy if you don't trust your own card (hello Revolut).
You really don't need to buy a regular ticket for the 944 to get elsewhere, it has a 75 minute limit on public transport like the others.
For the 54 it says you can't buy a 2.30 ticket from the machine at the airport, but according to the TPER website you can. I found 4 vending machines side by side and not one was selling them. 😆
For connections to other cities with a transfer at the station, the old ticket price of 1,50 is still mentioned.
And then there's the package of 10 paper CityPass tickets, where 1 ride is €1.90 and multiple people can use them at once.
Those staying behind the airport in the village of Lippo can try to walk there according to Openstreetmap, but it's definitely not advisable to try in the dark.
Kryštof Hájek
Translated from cestee.cz
Thanks so much for your help! I read the info about the vending machine too, but in reality (last year) it only sold tickets for 4€. I'll edit the app links later tonight (now I have a morning and work in Melbourne :D )
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
The machines sold only four euro bills and then only offered to print some electronic tickets.
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
That the 81 and 91 buses run once every 15 minutes, I wouldn't write that here. Depending on the day and time of day, sometimes every 15, sometimes every 30 and sometimes once an hour.
Hi travelers beware when buying a 10 piece ticket at the airport or anywhere else, it cannot be used for two people on one trip.