Getting Around Bologna
BolognaFiere lies north of the historic centre, off the ring road, and has its own entrance from the A14 motorway, so traffic from the motorway drives straight into the fair. The district covers 375,000 m² with 20 halls and five separate entrances. Give the entrance you need together with the address, and the car is booked to that entrance.
Bologna Centrale has a separate underground high-speed station, 23 m below the historic one, with entrances from piazza delle Medaglie d'Oro and via de' Carracci. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
A fair day can start and end at a hotel near Piazza Maggiore. Booked by the hour, one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
The historic centre is a ZTL, and access to it is checked by the Sirio electronic gates. Put the full hotel address in the booking; we check it and let you know how near the hotel the car can stop.
Airport Transfers in Bologna
Bologna Airport is 9 km from Bologna Centrale and 13 km from Piazza Maggiore, usually 25–35 minutes by car. From the centre the route leaves along the Tangenziale, the ring road, and the length of that stretch depends on where in the city you start. Florence Airport is 101 km south on the A1, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes, and comes into play only when your flight leaves from there.
In fair weeks the ring road near BolognaFiere carries extra traffic. Journey times vary with traffic and weather.
For arrivals, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Bologna, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: 25–35 minutes to Bologna Airport, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes to Florence Airport; heavy traffic adds to both. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Multi-City Travel from Bologna
Bologna sits where the A1 and the A14 meet, and many trips continue by road. Parma is 101 km away, Florence 111 km across the Apennines, Rimini 119 km on the Adriatic, Venice 156 km and Milan 214 km. When a week at BolognaFiere is followed by meetings in Florence or Milan, a single one-way booking takes you and your sample cases from the Bologna hotel to the next city, with no change of vehicle on the way.
Allow about 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 10 minutes to Florence, 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes to Venice and 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 25 minutes to Milan. Journey times vary with traffic and weather.
Closer places work as a day out and back. Modena is 48 km on the A1 and Ferrara 50 km on the A13, each under about an hour and a quarter, so a client visit or a factory tour in either town can be booked as a Round-Trip, and the time of the return leg is set when you book.
If your next flight leaves from another airport, the car can take you straight there: Florence Airport is 101 km from Bologna, about 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes.
Groups & Congress Travel in Bologna
Bologna's fair calendar brings exhibitors and buyers in large numbers. When, for example, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is on in March, more than 2,900 exhibitors take part and over 250,000 professionals from more than 170 countries are expected.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation; when a stand team flies in on different days, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. A Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; send the head count and the luggage, and we choose the vehicle to fit. In Bologna, tourist coaches use the Autostazione in Piazza XX Settembre, with a 15-minute limit for setting down or picking up; put the hotel address in the booking, and we will let you know how near the hotel the coach can stop.
For March, reserve well ahead: local vehicles and drivers are booked up early. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
