Bologna / The verdict

Bologna airport to the city: which way?

Take the Marconi Express monorail: 7 minutes to Bologna Centrale for 12.80 euros, or 8.20 euros if you buy online in advance. TPER Line Q is the 2.30 euro budget option, and taxis run door to door at a metered fare.

By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.

Photo: Andrea Tavoni, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

The Bologna story

Bologna is Italy's food-first city: medieval towers above a grid of porticoes, the oldest university in Europe, and a market quarter where the aperitivo board counts as dinner. The portico network makes walking painless in any weather, the food scene deserves its reputation, and the city works as a trip of its own or the tastiest stop on a Milan to Florence run.

The verdict in 30 seconds

Our pick: Marconi Express (runner-up: TPER Line Q bus)

Go if

You land between 5:40 and midnight and want the fastest trip in
You are connecting to a train at Bologna Centrale
You want a sheltered, luggage-friendly route with no traffic risk

Skip if

You land after midnight, when the monorail has stopped
Your stay sits far from Centrale and you would still need a second ride from the station

Marconi Express fares and tickets Airport directions to the monorail

The options

Marconi Express Go

Most arrivals: anyone heading to Bologna Centrale, connecting to a train, or staying in the center between 5:40 and midnight.

Good

The automated monorail covers the airport to Centrale run in about 7 minutes, with trains every 7 to 15 minutes.
Every ticket includes 75 minutes on TPER urban buses, so the fare can cover a connection to your hotel.
Contactless bank cards and phones open the gates directly, with no ticket purchase needed.
One traveler rode it to Centrale and called it the fastest and easiest way into the city.

Watch out

The 12.80 euro gate fare is steep for a 6 kilometre ride; buying online in advance drops it to 8.20 euros.
It stops at midnight and does not run before 5:40.
The monorail can be out of service, with substitute buses running instead.
It only ends at Bologna Centrale, which is still a walk or a second bus from most stays in the old town.

Marconi Express fares and tickets Airport directions to the monorail

TPER Line Q bus It depends

Budget travelers, and daytime travelers happy to change at Ospedale Maggiore.

Good

The 2.30 euro urban fare is a fraction of the monorail price and the same ticket works on other TPER buses for 75 minutes.
Contactless payment on board charges the same 2.30 euro fare, and a Marconi Express ticket is also valid on the Q bus.
One traveler used a two-bus route as the cheap fallback when the monorail was down.

Watch out

Daytime services terminate at Ospedale Maggiore, so reaching the old town means walking or changing to another bus.
It is slower than the monorail and needs a change for most of the old town.
Check TPER for overnight service before relying on it for a late arrival.

TPER Line Q route and hours TPER urban fares

Taxi or pre-booked transfer It depends

Groups of three or more, travelers with heavy luggage, late-night arrivals, and stays far from Centrale or a bus stop.

Good

It is the only door-to-door option and the rank sits right outside arrivals.
Pre-booked transfers quote a fixed fare and add flight monitoring, which takes the guesswork out of a delayed landing.
Luggage goes straight from the terminal to the door with no change.

Watch out

It is the most expensive way in; no official flat fare is published, so the meter decides the price.
The fare depends on traffic and time of day.
For a solo traveler it costs several times the monorail fare.

See fixed-fare transferspartner site

Criterion	Marconi Express	TPER Line Q bus	Taxi or pre-booked transfer
Official price	12.80 euros at the gate, 8.20 euros online	2.30 euros, or 2.50 euros bought on board	Metered, no published flat fare
Journey time	About 7 minutes	Slower, with a change for the old town	Depends on traffic
When it runs	5:40 to midnight	Check TPER for current hours	Rank outside arrivals
Where it drops you	Bologna Centrale only	Ospedale Maggiore on the daytime route	Your door
Ticket covers onward travel	Yes, 75 minutes of TPER urban buses	Yes, 75 minutes across urban lines	No
Booking needed	No, but online fare is cheaper	No	No for taxi, yes for a fixed-fare transfer

What it costs

Marconi Express single: €12.80 (includes 75 minutes on TPER urban buses). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
Marconi Express single, web fare bought in advance online: €8.20. Official source, checked Oct 2026.
Marconi Express return: €23.30 (valid 30 days). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
Marconi Express family single, 2 adults plus up to 3 children aged 5 to 16: €25.60 (online only). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
TPER urban ticket, valid on Line Q: €2.30 (75 minutes; 2.50 euros bought on board; 1.90 euros per ride in a 10-ride carnet). Official source, checked Oct 2026.

What travelers report

Based on 1 traveler reports (Apr 2025 to Apr 2025) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.

What people like

One traveler found the monorail the fastest and easiest way to Centrale: 7 minutes, with punctual trains.
Contactless entry and a sheltered walkway keep the trip simple with luggage.
The 8.20 euro web fare takes the sting out of the price for travelers who plan ahead.
That same traveler found a cheap two-bus route into the center when the monorail was not running.

What people complain about

The 12.80 euro gate fare is the highest public price for a 6 kilometre ride.
The monorail was out of service when one traveler landed, which meant working out a bus route on the spot.
The monorail stops at midnight, so late arrivals need another plan.
Centrale is not the old town; stays near Piazza Maggiore still involve a walk or a second bus.

How to do it right

Take the Marconi Express for the fastest trip: follow the signs to the covered walkway on the departures level.
Buy the ticket on the official site in advance for the 8.20 euro web fare, or tap a contactless card at the gate for 12.80 euros.
Check the Marconi Express home page for maintenance suspensions before you land; substitute buses run when the monorail is down.
After midnight, check the TPER Line Q page for current overnight service, or use the taxi rank outside arrivals.
Use the taxi rank for door-to-door travel, or pre-book a fixed-fare transfer for a set price.

The trap to avoid

Landing after midnight without a plan: the monorail has stopped, and you are left checking bus timetables or taking a taxi.

Why this verdict

The Marconi Express is the way most travelers should leave the airport. It is the only rail link, it is sheltered end to end, and the operator quotes a 7 minute run that no surface option can match on speed or predictability. The one traveler report in the log agrees: the writer rode it to Centrale in 7 minutes and called it the fastest and easiest way into the city. The web fare makes it a reasonable buy too, which is why it takes the pick.

The drawbacks are narrow. Twelve euros and change at the gate is pricey for 6 kilometres, the line stops at midnight, and the same traveler found it out of service on a later trip and had to improvise with two buses. None of that changes the answer for a daytime arrival, but it shapes what you should do outside those hours. The evidence behind this page is thin, so treat it as an operator-based comparison rather than a crowd verdict.

Line Q is the budget second. At 2.30 euros it undercuts everything, but the daytime route ends at Ospedale Maggiore and leaves the old town a walk or a second bus away, so it suits patient budget travelers more than most.

Timing and tickets

Buy the monorail ticket online before you fly and the fare drops to 8.20 euros; tap a contactless card at the gate and you pay 12.80. Either way the ticket carries 75 minutes of TPER urban bus travel, enough to reach most stays from Centrale. Check the Marconi Express home page for maintenance suspensions before you land. If you arrive after midnight, check the TPER Line Q page for overnight service or head for the taxi rank outside arrivals. Pre-booked transfers quote a fixed fare with flight monitoring, which is the safest play for a very late arrival.

Book or check times

Marconi Express fares and tickets Airport directions to the monorail TPER Line Q route and hours TPER urban fares

We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict. How this works

See fixed-fare transferspartner site

Where to stay

Staying in Bologna?

Which area of Bologna to stay in, based on traveler reports. Search Bologna hotels on Expedia partner site

Questions

Is the Marconi Express running right now?

Check the Marconi Express home page before you land. The operator posts planned maintenance suspensions there, with shuttle buses replacing the monorail while it is down.

How do I get to the city after midnight?

The monorail runs from 5:40 to midnight. After that, check the TPER Line Q page for current overnight service, or use the taxi rank outside arrivals.

Does the monorail ticket cover city buses?

Yes. The official fares page says every Marconi Express ticket, including the web fare and contactless entry, is valid on TPER urban lines for 75 minutes from validation.

Can I pay contactless?

The monorail gates accept contactless cards and phones directly, and TPER buses charge the 2.30 euro urban fare for contactless payment on board.

What does a taxi to the center cost?

No official flat fare is published; the ride is metered, so the price depends on traffic, time of day and luggage. A pre-booked transfer quotes a fixed fare instead.

Is the monorail worth it for a family?

The family ticket costs 25.60 euros single for two adults and up to three children aged 5 to 16, and it is sold online only. For three or more adults a taxi can come closer in price per person.