Travel

Flight

General

Though we know you all are going to be running back to your daily lives, we want to strongly recommend booking a flight back to the US Monday afternoon *at the earliest*. One of the biggest lessons learned from Maria and David’s 2022 Italian wedding was that long flights right after a wedding are no fun.

Hotel

Hotel Mercure Bologna Centro

This is where the majority of guests are staying and where busses will pick guests up to take people over to the church and drop off after the reception. There are a number of other fantastic hotels and AirBnBs around if you would rather stay elsewhere!

Train

Bologna Centrale

If you are flying in from another city or want to travel around Italy before or after the wedding, traveling by train will be the fastest and most efficient way to get around. Bologna is one of Italy’s largest train hubs and you can be sure to find routes to it. You can get train tickets either online or at physical kiosks at train stations. The two sites to visit to find tickets are Italotreno.it, which consist of only high-speed trains, or Trenitalia.com, which is the Italian national train operator and has both regional trains and Frecciarossa, their high-speed train. Both are great options!

Flight

Bologna

The most direct way! Bologna's airport (G. Marconi, BLQ) is pretty close to city center and there are a number of ways to get into town. Feel free to hop in a cab, or take the Marconi Express, a monorail connecting the airport to Bologna Centrale, Bologna’s train station that comes through every seven minutes between the hours of 5:40 am and midnight. Tickets are available for purchase on the "Marconi Express" website and are 11€.

Flight

Milan

Milan's main international airport (Malpensa, MXP) is about a three hour adventure away from Bologna's center. When you land and exit after passport check, turn left and follow signs for the train station where you will take the "Malpensa Express" to Milano Centrale (on floor -1). You can buy tickets in advance, or there are kiosks to buy tickets before getting on the platform. Before going down to the platform, make sure you validate your ticket. There is a red automatic stamped box with a sign right before you go down to the platform. Tickets are around 13€. You're looking for MXP T1-T2 to Milano Centrale, which runs from 5:37 a.m. to 10:37 p.m. every 30 minutes, with intermediate stops. Milano Centrale will be the last stop and takes around 51 minutes. Once you get to Milano Centrale, exit the gates of the train station and use one of the kiosks (Italo or Trenitalia) to buy a train ticket to Bologna Centrale. We recommend not buying a train ticket in advance, as flights can be delayed and life happens. Tickets for both the Express and main train are checked when you're already on the train and moving, so do not get on either train without buying a ticket first. Tickets will range in price based on if you're choosing a regional train vs an express, high speed train. High-speed will be around an hour, while regional could be 2 -2:45 hours. The trip is beautiful no matter which one you choose :)

Flight

Florence

A wonderful choice if you want to make a pit stop to see one of the world's most beautiful cities before or after the festivities and that also happens to be a hop and a skip away from Bologna. Florence's airport (A. Vespucci, FLR) is a 20 minute ride away from Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station using the "Vola in Bus" bus shuttle. Departures from the airport are every 30 min between 5:30 am to 8:30 pm, then every hour until 11.45 pm. A one-way ticket costs around 6€. Once you get to the train station, use a kiosk to buy a ticket to Bologna Centrale, which is a short 41 minute train trip away. Tickets for the train are checked when you're already on the train and moving, so do not get on the train without buying a ticket first.

Flight

Rome

Italy’s capital, filled with many iconic sites, is another good option to fly into. Rome’s airport (Rome Fiumicino, FCO) is a little less than 20 miles away from Rome’s city center and also offers an easy option to get from airport to train station. The Leonardo Express connects FCO with the Roma Termini train station via a short 32-minute train ride. The trains run every half-hour, or 15 minutes during peak times, from 6:38 am - 11:38 pm and is a non-stop service. Tickets cost 14€. Once you get to Roma Termini, you can purchase a train ticket from either an Italo or Trenitalia kiosk to Bologna Centrale. A high-speed train will take approximately two hours.