Bologna airport to city centre: Marconi Express, bus

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport lies on the north-western edge of the city. The Marconi Express, an automatic monorail, connects it with the central station in a few minutes. The short answer: take the Marconi Express to Bologna Centrale if you want the quickest way or go on by high-speed train; take the Q bus if you want to save money; take a taxi if you are three or four people or your hotel is deep in the old town.

Bologna airport to the city centre: the options

Times: Marconi Express according to the operator; taxi as pure driving time to the Piazza Maggiore based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Prices according to Marconi Express and Bologna Welcome, the city's tourism office, as of October 2026.

Marconi Express: the monorail to the central station

The Marconi Express runs from the airport via the stop Lazzaretto to Bologna Centrale. At the airport, the station is on the first floor of the terminal, reached by a covered walkway; at Bologna Centrale, the access is in the station hall on the Via dei Carracci side, according to the airport. According to the operator:

• the ride takes 7 minutes;
• there are up to 8 rides an hour;
• it runs from 5:40 to midnight, every day.

Tickets (as of October 2026, according to Marconi Express):

Buy them on the Marconi Express website, in the Roger app or at the machines; you can also board with a contactless credit card or an NFC smartphone. From Bologna Centrale it is about 1.5 km on foot along the Via dell'Indipendenza to the Piazza Maggiore, or a few stops by city bus.

Bus Q: the cheap alternative

Since 19 May 2025, the Q bus of Tper, the Bologna transport company, connects the airport with the Ospedale Maggiore and Bologna Centrale. According to Bologna Welcome it runs every 30 minutes and costs the normal urban fare of €2.30 (as of October 2026). Between midnight and 5:40, when the monorail does not run, the Q bus is the public link between the airport and the central station, according to Marconi Express.

• Good for: small budgets, hotels near the Ospedale Maggiore or the west of the city, and arrivals at night.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait outside the terminal. According to Bologna Welcome, the ride to the centre takes about 20 minutes and costs about €20–25. For three or four people, that is cheaper than the monorail – and the taxi gets you right to the hotel, while the monorail ends at the station on the edge of the old town.

A pre-booked transfer is worth it for families with children who need car seats, for groups, or if you go on to Modena, Parma or the coast. Transfers from Bologna airport^* can be booked with Kiwitaxi. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Quickest way, or going on by high-speed train: the Marconi Express to Bologna Centrale.
• Small budget, hotel near the Ospedale Maggiore: the Q bus.
• Arrival after midnight: the Q bus or a taxi.
• Three or four people, hotel in the old town: a taxi.
• Family with children aged 5 to 16: the family ticket of the Marconi Express, or a pre-booked transfer if you need car seats.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can check the route straight away – a travel eSIM for Italy^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The Marconi Express leaves from Bologna Centrale until midnight; plan with the 7 minutes plus time to walk to the station and a buffer. If you have already checked out and fly in the evening, you can use luggage storage in central Bologna^* (Radical Storage) while you walk under the porticoes one last time.

What to see in Bologna, with ready-made day plans, is in our city guide below.

Bologna trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Bologna and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Bologna can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, already on the monorail from the airport. YesTrip is free.

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