Bologna and Florence for one

miamee · 18-09-2013 10:36am #1

I've just booked myself flights to Bologna for the end of the month and a hotel in Bologna for 2 nights with the other 3 nights hopefully to be spent in Florence.
Obviously there are a multitude of museums and galleries and things to visit but I just wanted to ask if there are any recommendations of things to do or not do while there?
Or any other place on the way Bologna-Florence that I should stop off at? Probably going to get the train.

I do love old buildings, churches, castles, a little bit of art but I wouldn't spend an entire day in an art gallery (maybe a couple of hours).

Thanks!

schemingbohemia · 18-09-2013 12:42pm

I can't remember details of pubs/restaurants but Bologna is a really big student city so lots of lively places to eat and drink. The main square is gorgeous and lots of lovely shops nearby.

Not sure whether the train goes there but you could head to Siena (further away than Florence) after Bologna, spend the day there and then head to Florence or overnight there.

miamee · 18-09-2013 2:13pm

Ooh that sounds lovely, I will look in to that- thanks!

coylemj · 18-09-2013 2:23pm

'A little bit of art' will be difficult in the Uffizi in Florence

miamee · 18-09-2013 2:27pm

coylemj wrote: »

'A little bit of art' will be difficult in the Uffizi in Florence

Lol, indeed

Well I meant I don;t want to do art galleries all of the days. I'll probably end up spending an entire day there anyway. Sure that's part of what holidays are about, wandering, seeing, admiring, eating and drinking :pac:

Tiddlypeeps · 18-09-2013 2:40pm

Only been to Florence so I can't comment on Bologna.

The Galileo museum is fantastic if you are into sciency stuff at all. You get to see the evolution of a lot of different inventions and they have tv's all over the place explaining how everything works.

I can't remember the name of the museum but the one where they keep the statue of David is great if you don't want to spend all day in museums. The sculptures they have are amazing and it's fairly small, you'd get around the whole thing in less than 2 hours if you wanted to get a good look at everything.

Climbing the Duomo is well worth the long and tiring climb. The view from the top is breath taking.

The Citysightseeing tour bus is great. It has 3 different lines that take you all around the city and out the hills on either side of the city too. The Micaelangelo plaza on one side of the city and Fiesole on the other. The views from both are stunning. If I remember correctly it's 20 quid for 24 hours and 25 for 48 hours.

If you want to visit the Ufizzi I recommend prebooking tickets. I didn't go when I was there because we left it to the last day and the cue look like it would take a few hours just to get in the door. I wasn't willing to waste that much time in a cue. I regret not booking tickets for it.

Around the corner from the Ufizzi you will find the best sandwich place in the world, All'Antico Vinaio.

I also recommend doing a wine tour around the Chianti region. There are many places that run tours, the one we went on cost 60 per person and went for half a day. It was one of my favourite parts of the trip.

schemingbohemia · 18-09-2013 4:54pm

Oh regarding the Uffizi, we were in a longish queue and worrying that we wouldn't get in in time when they basically let everyone in for free, not sure if that's a usual occurrence or not, it was May when we were there.

miamee · 18-09-2013 4:59pm

I think I'll look into booking it in advance. I have no patience for queues

Getting excited now, thanks for all the tips!

Karede · 25-09-2013 9:21pm

We were in Bologna/Florence two weeks ago!(2 couples in 30's) We booked two nights in Bologna and three in Florence.

We really wished we had have booked only 1 in Bologna and 4 in Florence. We found Bologna to be a bit drab and it really needs an injection of money! There are some lovely buildings that could be stunning but they were covered in graffiti. As a previous poster said it is a university town so lots of places to eat and drink and they stay open late even early in the week.

I'd recommend the tour bus for getting a good feel of the city and the view point stop was stunning.

The people in Bologna were very friendly and helped us out when we were being harassed by "lucky lucky" type men and there was a lot of them especially when we were sitting in outdoor cafes/bars. Although im glad i seen Bologna I wouldn't return there again.

With regards to the train to Florence we tried to save money and get the regional train. It is 1.5hours long and you have to change once. It was €70 cheaper than the fast train which took 40 minutes and no changes...my experience...spend the money and get the fast train...it was worth it.When you arrive in Santa Maria Novella Train station watch out for the roma gypsies!

Two weeks ago Florence was very very hot and packed especially with Americans. We were literally pushing through crowds of people as we walked along. I wasnt expecting this but once I got over it Florence is a Beautiful City with an abundance of things to see and do. Another tip...check the price of gelato before you buy...€20 for two ice-creams nearly killed me!

I know I've kind of posted on the negative side but these were just things i wished i had have been more prepared for. We had a fabulous time and go to Italy every year and cant recommend it enough! Enjoy!

Bologna and Florence for one

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