Public
Transport
Buses
Bologna’s efficient bus system, run by the ATC
– Trasporti Pubblici Bologna (telephone number: (051)
290 290; fax number: (051) 290 291), has information booths in the
train and coach stations and on Via Marconi. Bus maps are also available
from the tourist
office. On average, routes run daily between 0630 hrs and 2300
hrs. Tickets cost €0.90 and allow the traveller to change buses
or make a return journey within the hour. Travellers must validate
their bus tickets upon boarding the by punching them in the machine
Better value is the €6.20 Citypass, which
permits eight journeys (each punch covers the holder for one hour),
or the Day Ticket, which costs €2.50 and is
valid for 24 hours from the time of validation. A monthly pass costs
€31. Tickets and passes can be purchased at tabacchi, bars,
newspaper kiosks and tourist information offices.
Information on all ATC services is available from the ATC Call Centre
(telephone number: (051) 290 290) daily 0700-2000 hrs.
Rail Services
The Italian state railway, Ferrovie
dello Stato (telephone number: (147) 888 088), is both economical
and efficient. Bologna’s train station, Bologna Centrale,
is located at Piazza Medaglie d’Oro, in the north of the city.
Facilities in the station include car hire from Avis
and Hertz, banks, bars, restaurants, newspaper
stands and a pharmacy. Passengers must validate their tickets
by stamping them in the orange machines, located on the
platform, before boarding, to avoid having to pay a fine. Supplements
might be charged, depending on the type of train taken (Diretto,
Inter-regionale, Espresso, Intercity or Eurostar). Service and fare
information is available on Ferrovie’s national rail enquiries
hotline (telephone number: (147) 888 088).
Bologna
Centrale is one of Italy’s main crossroads for both
national and international trains. Work is underway to quadruple
the number of platforms and to build a second station, thus increasing
the levels of service and halving travel times on the main lines.
Currently, the fastest service is the high-speed Eurostar linking
:
Bologna to Milan -
two hours
Bologna to Florence - one hour
Bologna to Rome - three hours
Bologna
to Naples - five hours
The EuroCity train service links Bologna with more than 40 other
European destinations including Paris, Basel and Brussels.
The city centre is a brisk ten-minute walk along Via dell’Indipendenza
or a short bus ride on bus numbers 10, 25 or 30.
Taxis
Taxis can be hailed on the streets but rarely stop. It is better
for tourists to hire them at taxi ranks (Piazza Maggiore and the
train station) or to telephone the city’s taxi co-operative,
Co.Ta.Bo (telephone number: (051) 372 727), or C.A.T. (telephone
number: (051) 534 141).
Taxis in Bologna are expensive, with supplements for luggage and
for travelling late at night (2200 hrs-0700 hrs) or on Sunday. If
booking by telephone, passengers will be charged for the trip to
the pick-up point. The minimum tariff is €3, with a charge
of €0.80 per kilometre within the city. A taxi from the airport
costs approximately €15-18. Taxi fares are calculated to include
taxes and service – further tipping therefore is at the customer’s
discretion.
Limousines
Luxury cars chauffeured by English-speaking drivers are provided
by Essediesse,
Via Jacopo della Lana 8 (telephone number: (051) 393 966; fax number:(051
429 1319) , and Linea
Blu, Via Corazza 3 (telephone number: (051) 324 040; fax Number:
(051) 320 802). The hire of a Mercedes 200 costs €20 per hour,
with a 20% supplement after 2000 hrs.
Driving
in the City
There is no real need for a car in Bologna’s compact city
centre (centro storico) and parking can be difficult. The area is
also closed to private cars 0700-2000 hrs daily, including Sundays
and public holidays. A special ticket, costing €4 per day,
is available to guests staying in city hotels. This is obtainable
from the hotel management and allows the holder to park in the city
centre from 0800-2400 hrs on weekdays and holidays or in the area
immediately around the city centre from 0800-1800 hrs weekdays.
It also allows for free transport on buses, valid for 24 hours and
for one person. The hotel validates these tickets with a stamp stating
date and time. To reach the city centre, drivers should follow the
centro sign off the ring road (tangenziale),
which links Bologna to the motorway. Full details of the city’s
park and ride scheme, which operates at 11 major car parks outside
the restricted area, is available from ATC
(telephone number: (051) 290 290).
Car
Parking
Parking in Bologna is currently in the midst of a major overhaul,
with plans to use an Athens-style system, where cars with certain
number plates are allowed in on alternate dates, although how this
will affect tourists with their own or hired vehicles is not yet
clear.
Car Hire
Most major car hire companies have offices in Bologna, including
Avis, Via Pietramellara
27d (telephone number: (051) 255 024), and Hertz,
Via G Amendola 16 (telephone number: (051) 254 830), as well at
the airport. Drivers must be 23 and 25 years old respectively and
carry either a valid EU licence or an International Driving Permit.
Car hire in Bologna is expensive, costing an average of €200-320
per week. Basic insurance is included in the price of the car hire,
although extra cover can be purchased in order to avoid any excess
charges in the case of an accident.
Bicycle
Hire & Scooter Hire
Bicycles and scooters are available for hire from Senzauto,
at the train station in Piazza Medaglie d’Oro (telephone number:
(051) 251 401). Visitors should ask for Noleggi Biciclette
(bicycle hire). Prices start at €9 for 24 hours and €25
per 24 hours for scooters. |
