Top Bologna Half-day Tours

Bologna is home to one of the best cuisines in Italy—where favorites like tortellini and were created—but it can be a challenge for travelers to find down-to-earth meals in the restaurant circuit.  With this tour, a guide takes you to at least half a dozen restaurants and cafes serving dishes away from the tourists. It’s an immersion in local gastronomy with pasta, salumi, pizza, wine, and gelato.

Explore the culinary traditions of Bologna with this half-day food tour. Join a guide for a small-group walking tour and taste local specialties such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Bolognese ragu, and mortadella. Begin the tour with a gourmet coffee, visit markets, and meet artisans at work to see how tortellini are made. Lunch at a historic osteria and a gelato tasting are included.

Treat your hungry self to a food tour of Bologna, and discover why the city is known for its love of gastronomy. With a local guide, you’ll savor breakfast, then sample fresh pasta, balsamic vinegar, cheese, wine, gelato, and even a secret dish—to be revealed on the tour. Explore the city by foot in between tastings, and learn about Bologna and its food heritage through the tour. Just let the local supplier know in advance if you have special dietary requirements.

See Bologna, with its narrow streets, crooked medieval towers and miles and miles of arcaded walkways, from a different perspective: from a Segway. Cruise around this handsome Italian city on a Segway, learning about the history of each place, and seeing major landmarks, such as the five-hundred-year-old Fountain of Neptune, the Basilica di Santo Stefano, and much more. This small-tour is limited to just eight participants, which means you’ll get plenty of attention from the local guide.

Feel like you're exploring Rome with a local friend who knows all the best places to go, see and eat on a private half-day walking tour. Get introduced to the layout of the sprawling city and its major sights, plus explore historic bridges, hidden squares, and lively neighborhoods not on the typical tourist path. Learn what it's like to actually live in the ancient capital, and get personalized tips on how to make the most of your Roman holiday.

Follow a local to their favorite places in Bologna with this best kept secrets walking tour. See contemporary street art, trendy bars, quirky boutiques, and innovative restaurants during your stroll. Explore neighborhoods that are loved by locals for their vintage markets and contemporary art galleries. Discover a side of Bologna that's not in guidebooks.

Follow your senses — and a gourmet guide — around Italy’s culinary capital on a private food tour in Bologna. Remove the guesswork from choosing eateries and let a local show you the best delis, cafes, markets, and bakeries scattered through the historic city center. Sample Bolognese specialties like tortellini and mortadella, discover new favorite dishes, and rest your feet over an aperitif at an open-air market.

Eat your way through Bologna's culinary scene on a private food tour. Go on a delicious journey as you try 10 of the best food items beloved by the locals: from savory to sweet and local drinks; this tour will leave every foodie satisfied! Enjoy tastings typical of the local cuisine and hand-picked by a local guide passionate about food like Tortellini fritti and Formaggio Bianco Bologna. But that's not it! This tour is more than just food; it's a cultural experience! In between food stops, you'll also find city highlights making this experience a well-rounded tour that will satisfy every foodie. Withlocals The 10 Tastings Private Food Tour™ is one of Withlocals' signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local produce and prevent over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard tourist routes.

Bologna is known as a culinary hotspot, and this walking tour offers an excellent overview of the city’s food scene. Visit a historic center with local food boutiques in addition to several cafes. Sample the city’s culinary offerings including wines, cheese, pasta, espresso, and either gelato or cake depending on the season.

A great tour for first-time visitors, you’ll see the city with a local guide who has a passion for Bologna. The tour is completely customizable—visit a cafe for a snack based on your dietary preferences (or maybe some grappa), indulge in a bit of shopping, or check out a few art galleries. Learn about the city’s Medieval and Renaissance history and explore the plazas and old buildings downtown.

Explore the historic streets of Bologna with a private guide leading the way during this walking tour. See top landmarks including Piazza Maggiore, taste espresso under the famous portici (arched colonnades), and wander through the Montagnola Market. The itinerary can be customized according to your interests.

The city of Bologna is a rich tapestry of art, culture, cuisine, and music—a UNESCO–listed gem in the heart of Italy. On this morning or afternoon walking tour, follow your guide through Bologna’s medieval streets and find out what makes the city special. Hear the stories behind top attractions including Piazza Maggiore, the Quadrilatero, and the 14th-century San Petronio Basilica, and gain insight into Bologna’s colorful past.

Discover Bologna through a literary lens on a 3-hour private walking tour. Follow your local guide to the city’s world renowned libraries, along with charming independent bookstores. Learn about the archeological site on which the university library stands today and see special spots in the city which inspired some of its most famous authors. Bookworms, history nuts, and Italophiles alike, are sure to find the personalized tour an enriching experience.

Explore Bologna bike on a private and customizable tour. Pedal past historic architecture and learn about the city’s history from your guide and make a stop for a food tasting of local items. This tour is ideal for visitors looking to get under the surface of Bologna and to taste some traditional Italian food.

This walking tour was created for those who are in the city and do not want to miss the chance to admire the beauties of Bologna but at the same time savor the flavors of typical products such as salumi, crescentine and good wine. Piazza Maggiore, Palazzo Daccursio, Via d'azeglio, Archiginnasio, are just some of the destinations you can admire. The market of the quadrilateral will welcome you with its ancient perfumes where you can taste the authenticity of high quality products Absolutely not to be missed

Bologna’s traditional cuisine is so important to the city’s identity that it is known affectionately as “La Grassa”, or “The Fat Lady”. With this walking tour, explore both the cultural and culinary highlights of this vibrant city, taking in its main square, churches, and towers, as well as strolling through the historic market to sample local specialties and wines—all while learning about their history and significance with a guide.

Take home little pieces of heaven one bite at a time. Stroll with our guide through the center of Bologna, tasting the culture and tradition of the culinary art of Bologna Between stories of history and tastings of Bolognese specialties you can taste every specialty of the region. Explore the historic markets of the city and discover the aromas and flavors typical of the Bolognese culinary tradition

If the delays and impersonality of group tours are not for you, immerse in the Renaissance beauty of Ferrara, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a private guide. Traveling to and from Bologna by private transfer, admire key attractions from Palazzo Schifanoia to the cathedral, from Este Castle to Palazzo dei Diamanti.

Soar up, up and away on a hot air balloon ride over the hills of Emilia-Romagna. The experience includes pickup and drop-off from Bologna, and the ride takes in sights of the region’s vineyard-speckled valleys and castles such as Castello Estense of Ferrara — a moated fortress with a drawbridge. Cap the experience with a glass of sparkling wine, and then relax on the journey back to Bologna. The hot air balloon holds up to five people in addition to the pilot.

Discover why Italians call Bologna “La Grassa” (the fat one) on a 100% personalized private food experience with a local host hand-picked to suit your interests. Experience the city’s decadent cuisine and Emilia-Romagna’s fantastic produce as you share antipasti followed by two courses and two drinks per person at an authentic restaurant locals love. Leave with insider foodie tips to see you through your stay.

Check out the sights of Ravenna on a private day trip from Bologna. Traveling with your own personal guide, you'll spend half a day in Ravenna, a city loved for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its wealth of architecture and mosaics. Learn of its Byzantine and Roman history as you explore, and discover areas such as Piazza del Popolo and the so-called Dante enclave.

Taste your way through Tuscany with this wine tour focused on Chianto Classico. Learn about the wine production process during a guided vineyard and wine cellar tour. Sample a variety of local wines alongside traditional snacks in a scenic setting. Round-trip private transportation from Bologna is included.

A walking tour dedicated to the secrets of the Bolognese hill. In the monasteries and in the cenobies of the hill the communities of friars who hosted the pilgrims going to the city met, the bishops many centuries later built their villas here, and the great hydraulic projects to bring the fresh water of the hill took place in this wild corner and wooded in the city. Our itinerary touches some of the wonders preserved in this part of the city, where nature and architecture come together in a unique union. The red and yellow colors of the villas, Renaissance churches and medieval cenobies (ancient medieval monasteries) blend with the light yellowish and white colors of the badlands and clay. Large wooded gardens are the setting for these architectural wonders.

The ideal introduction for first-time visitors to the history-filled city, this half-day, private walking tour of Bologna covers top attractions. Listen to in-depth commentary from your own art historian guide, and enjoy a personalized travel experience adapted to you and your party. Highlights include Piazza Maggiore, the Basilica di San Petronio, and the Mercato di Mezzo.