Coach & Minibus Hire in Italy

Bologna Marconi Arrivals with a Minibus Ready

For a small group, Bologna is among the more straightforward Italian airports: a single terminal about 11 km from Piazza Maggiore, with a reserved lane laid out for buses and cars with driver.

The reserved lane on the ground floor

Arrivals are on the ground floor and departures on the first. A barrier-controlled lane at ground level holds 14 bays for buses and minibuses and over thirty for cars with driver, with number-plate readers at its two entrances. Your vehicle enters by arrangement, so the meeting point is on the same level as the arrivals hall.

The Kiss&Fly areas outside the terminal take cars no taller than 1.85 m for ten minutes at most, which rules out a minibus; disabled badge holders may stay up to three hours, handy if a relative is dropping someone off. Parking anywhere else on the airport roads is forbidden at any hour.

Mercedes-Benz Vito passenger van, front view
Mercedes-Benz Vito passenger van, front view

Into Bologna

Piazza Maggiore is about 25 minutes away in light traffic. Between 07:00 and 20:00 the historic centre is closed to tourist buses, except those heading to a hotel that has passed their plate to the city. That rule is taken from a coach-industry association's list, so the operator double-checks it with the city before your trip. A set-down stop at Piazza di Porta San Mamolo allows 20 minutes.

If your hotel is in the centre, send its name early, because the plate registration runs through the hotel. Coaches can also be parked at the city's bus station on Viale Masini, which takes bookings, so the minibus has somewhere to rest between outings.

The terminals in brief

  • One passenger terminal (arrivals on the ground floor, departures on the first floor)

Worth knowing about Bologna Airport

  • Modena is about 42 km by road, about 50 min in light traffic.
  • Firenze (Piazza del Duomo) is about 108 km by road, about 1 h 40 min in light traffic.
  • Bologna Centrale is a main high-speed rail hub (Milano, Firenze, Roma, Venezia).
  • The Marconi Express monorail links the terminal (first floor, by a walkway) with Bologna Centrale station in about 7 minutes, every 7 to 15 minutes, from 05:40 to midnight.

Modena and Florence within reach

Modena is about 42 km, roughly 50 minutes, while Florence's Duomo is 108 km off, an hour and forty minutes or so. Bologna Centrale, a few minutes from the airport by monorail, has fast trains to Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice, should part of the group travel on by train.

What travellers ask us

How does the Marconi Express work?

The monorail leaves from the first floor, reached by a walkway, and runs to Bologna Centrale in about seven minutes, with departures every 7 to 15 minutes between 05:40 and midnight.

Do we need a car or a minibus?

Up to eight passengers fit a car with driver, which uses its own bays in the reserved lane. From nine passengers a minibus is the step up, and the lane has 14 bays for buses and minibuses.

Where do we meet the driver?

Bologna publishes no group meeting point, so the place is set at booking, together with a way to reach the driver once you land.

More places for your group

Other vehicles with a driver