IT · Emilia-Romagna · 44.49°N 11.34°E

bologna

Portico walks, fresh pasta and red-brick streets around Europe's oldest university.

Best time
April–June and September–October are pleasant for walking. July–August is hot and humid, and many locals leave in August; winter is cold and can be foggy.
How long
2–3 days
Getting there
Fly with one stop to Bologna, usually via Dubai or Istanbul, about 16–18 hours all in. The Marconi Express monorail reaches the central station in about 7 minutes. Italy is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
Save postcard
IT · Emilia-Romagnabologna44.49°N 11.34°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Portico walks, fresh pasta and red-brick streets around Europe's oldest university.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBolognaIT, Emilia-Romagna
KLbologna
≈ 9,791 km from KL, as the crow flies
Torri di Bologna

Photo: Fabio Ciminelli · CC BY-SA 4.0

1 / 5

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A red-brick university city with about 40 km of porticoes, so you can walk the whole centre under cover. Bologna is known across Italy for its food, and lunch is part of the sightseeing.

Makan

  1. Tagliatelle al ragùThe real 'spaghetti bolognese': fresh egg ribbons with slow-cooked meat sauce, which usually includes pork.Map ↗
  2. Tortellini in brodoTiny pasta rings in clear broth, Bologna's most famous dish. The filling is pork, including mortadella.Map ↗
  3. TortelloniBigger cousins of tortellini, filled with ricotta and spinach and served with butter and sage, no meat.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Piazza MaggioreThe main square, with the unfinished brick front of San Petronio and the Neptune fountain beside it.Map ↗
  2. QuadrilateroOld market lanes off the main square, packed with delis, fresh pasta shops and fruit stalls.Map ↗
  3. San Luca porticoThe world's longest portico, nearly 4 km and over 600 arches, climbing to a hilltop sanctuary.Map ↗
  4. ArchiginnasioThe old university building, its walls covered in coats of arms, with a carved wooden anatomy theatre inside.Map ↗

Good to know

  • The Asinelli, the taller of the Two Towers, has been closed since 2023 while its leaning neighbour is shored up. The Clock Tower on Piazza Maggiore has a bookable rooftop view instead.
  • Halal food is easiest in Bolognina, just north of the central station, which has South Asian and Middle Eastern places.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.