Milan to Bologna by train: times, fares and a day in Bologna

Train times and fares come from Trenitalia’s official booking site and Italo’s route page, and sight prices and hours from the official Bologna sites, all checked on 5 October 2026. High-speed fares change with the date, so read them as a guide.

Milan to Bologna train options

All the convenient direct trains run from Milano Centrale to Bologna Centrale. Times and fares below were checked on 5 October 2026 for two Tuesdays: 6 October 2026 (the next day) and 10 November 2026 (about five weeks ahead).

Train	Journey time	Next day	5 weeks ahead
Frecciarossa (Trenitalia)	1h04 to 1h14	€52	€18.90 to €42.90
Italo	About 1h02	Check on italotreno.com	From €12.90 (advertised)
Intercity	2h32 to 2h51	€28.50	€10.90 to €15.90
Regionale Veloce	About 2h50	€18.10	€18.10

The first direct Frecciarossa leaves Milano Centrale at 5:10am. The fastest ones run non-stop on the hour (6am, 7am, 8am and so on) and take 1h04. Trains at ten past the hour make one stop and take 1h14. A few Frecciarossa trains take the slow line and need nearly two hours, so look at the duration as well as the price.

Italo runs 20 trains a day on the route. The Regionale Veloce leaves about every two hours and costs the same whatever day you buy.

Frecciarossa, Italo or the regional train

Booked a few weeks ahead, a Frecciarossa seat (€18.90 on many trains on 10 November 2026) costs about the same as the Regionale Veloce (€18.10) and saves you almost two hours each way. For a day trip, the high-speed train is the clear pick.

Booking late changes the sums. On 5 October the next-day Frecciarossa was €52, and the Intercity €28.50. At that point the Regionale Veloce at €18.10 is the budget choice, if you can live with about 2h50 on board. Italo advertises fares from €12.90, so check its price for your date as well. A ticket is only valid with the company that sold it.

You can book on Trenitalia’s or Italo’s own sites, or compare both at once on Trainline’s Milan to Bologna page. Our Milano Centrale guide shows how to find your platform and when the platform number appears. If you are taking several trains in Italy, our guide to the Italy rail pass works out whether a pass beats single tickets.

Train fares for children

On Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa and Intercity trains, children under 4 travel free if they don’t take a seat of their own. Children aged 4 to 14 get 50% off the Base fare. Because the discount is calculated on the full Base fare, a cheap adult advance ticket can cost less than a child ticket, so check both before you pay.

Getting back to Milan

Trains back are just as frequent. On Tuesday 10 November 2026, direct Frecciarossa trains left Bologna Centrale two or three times an hour into the evening, many at €18.90. The fastest took 1h02.

Last trains back (Tue 10 Nov 2026)	Departs Bologna	Arrives Milano Centrale
Frecciarossa	9:56pm	11pm
Frecciarossa	10:18pm	11:25pm
Last Frecciarossa	10:38pm	11:50pm
Last Regionale Veloce	7:50pm	10:45pm

Cheap Frecciarossa fares are tied to the train you book, so pick a return time you will keep.

From Bologna Centrale to the center

High-speed trains usually arrive at the underground platforms deep below the main station, so allow about ten minutes to get up to the street. From there, Piazza Maggiore is about 1.5 km away, a flat walk of 15 to 20 minutes straight down Via dell’Indipendenza. If you would rather ride, TPER city buses A, C, 11, 27 and 29 stop a few metres from San Petronio; check on tper.it which of them runs from the station on your day.

Things to do in Bologna in one day

Most of the sights are within a few minutes of each other in the old center, so you can do everything on foot.

Piazza Maggiore and the Fountain of Neptune

Piazza MaggioreMap is the main square, with the town hall (Palazzo d’Accursio) on one side and the basilica of San Petronio on another. Next to it stands the Fountain of NeptuneMap, made in marble and bronze by Giambologna between 1563 and 1566. Both are free.

San Petronio

The Basilica of San PetronioMap fills one side of the square. It is open for visits every day from 10am to 6pm (last entry 5:50pm), and its small museum is free. Inside, a paid route through three chapels, including the Cappella dei Re Magi, costs €5 (€3 for ages 11 to 18 and over 65, free under 10).

Dress for a church: shoulders and knees covered, hats off, and no suitcases, food or drinks. The panoramic terrace has closed permanently after the restoration.

The porticoes

Bologna has 62 km of porticoes, the arcaded walkways that line its streets. Twelve groups of them were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on 28 July 2021. You will walk under them all day without trying, and they keep you dry when it rains.

The Two Towers and the Torre dell’Orologio

The Two Towers (Asinelli and Garisenda)Map stand at the far end of the old market streets that start at Piazza Maggiore. The Asinelli is 97.20 metres tall, with 498 steps, but the climb is closed because of works around the leaning Garisenda, with no reopening date. You can still see both towers from the street.

For a view over the city, book the Torre dell'OrologioMap in the town hall on Piazza Maggiore. It costs €10 (€7 for children 4 to 11 and over 65) and includes the clock mechanism, an audioguide and the city art collections. Booking is required, with entries at 00, 20 and 40 past the hour from 10am to 6:20pm until 31 December 2026. There is no lift, the top terrace is reached by a narrow stair and is closed to under 8s, and you need closed shoes or sandals with a heel strap.

The Archiginnasio and the anatomy theatre

The Palazzo dell'ArchiginnasioMap, at Piazza Galvani 1, was the seat of the university from 1563 to 1803. Entry to the courtyard and staircases is free, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm (closed Sundays). Upstairs is the wooden Teatro Anatomico from 1637, where anatomy was taught. To see it you must book: €10 with an audioguide or €12 on a guided visit.

What to eat in Bologna

Bologna is the home of tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, green lasagna and mortadella. The official ragù recipe was registered with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in 1982.

The QuadrilateroMap is the old market area between Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers. Its narrow streets have stalls of fresh pasta, cheese, meat and produce, open roughly 8am to 8pm. Inside it, the Mercato di MezzoMap at Via Clavature 12 is a covered market turned food hall, where you can eat at shared tables; it stays open until late, so check the hours if you go on a Sunday.

For a sit-down lunch, two places in the Michelin Guide:

• Trattoria da MeMap at Via San Felice 50/a makes fresh pasta by hand and serves lasagne alla bolognese on Sundays. It is in the guide’s moderate price band and closed on Mondays.
• Trattoria di Via SerraMap at Via Luigi Serra 9/b, in the Bolognina district, holds a Bib Gourmand for good value. Expect tortellini in brodo and zuppa inglese. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and booking ahead is a good idea.

One habit of mine for gelato anywhere in Italy: skip the shops with tall, bright mounds piled up in the window. Good gelato is usually kept flat, or in covered metal tubs called pozzetti.

If you would rather have someone guide you through the tastings, GetYourGuide lists Bologna food tours with tagliatelle, mortadella and market stops.

A sample day in Bologna

This plan works Tuesday to Saturday, when every stop is open. Train times and prices are for Tuesday 10 November 2026.

1. 8:58am Frecciarossa from Milano Centrale, arriving 10:04am (€18.90 booked five weeks ahead).
2. 10:30am Walk down Via dell’Indipendenza to Piazza Maggiore and the Fountain of Neptune.
3. 11am San Petronio, then the Archiginnasio and the anatomy theatre on your booked slot.
4. 12:30pm The Quadrilatero market streets, then lunch.
5. 3pm The Two Towers from street level, then back to Piazza Maggiore for your Torre dell’Orologio slot.
6. 5pm Wander the porticoes, or have an early dinner at Mercato di Mezzo.
7. 7:56pm Frecciarossa back, arriving at Milano Centrale at 9pm (€18.90). Later direct trains leave until 10:38pm.

On a Sunday the Archiginnasio is closed, so swap it for a longer lunch. On a Monday, Trattoria da Me and Trattoria di Via Serra are both closed.

For other trips of about an hour from Milan, see our Milan to Verona and Milan to Turin guides, or the full list of day trips from Milan. If you are continuing south rather than coming back, the Milan to Florence train runs through Bologna on the same high-speed line. Bologna is also a stop on our Northern Italy itinerary.