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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Modena
Give Modena one full day and one night: cathedral, Ghirlandina and Piazza Grande in the morning, food and an acetaia in the afternoon. Two nights if you add Maranello.
Modena is a compact Emilia-Romagna city of about 185,000 people, 40 km from Bologna and on the Milan–Bologna fast line. Its UNESCO core — the 12th-century cathedral, Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina tower — fits in a morning on foot. The rest of the draw is food and cars: tortellini, balsamic vinegar, Lambrusco, and the Ferrari museums at Maranello. Most travellers see it as a day trip from Bologna or a single night between Florence and Milan.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), late Dec
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Espresso at the bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Plate of tortellini in a trattoria | €12–18 |
| Glass of Lambrusco | €4–7 |
| Ghirlandina tower entry | €3 |
| Cathedral museums combined ticket | €6 |
| Balsamic vinegar acetaia tour | Free via the tourist office, book ahead |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €12–18 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BLQ · Bologna Guglielmo Marconi
- 40 km away; direct SACA bus to Modena about every two hours, 50 min, €15 single or €25 return, buy on the bus25 mi away; direct SACA bus to Modena about every two hours, 50 min, €15 single or €25 return, buy on the bus
- MXP · Milan Malpensa
- Further but often cheaper; train via Milan to Modena, about 2.5–3 h total
Typical fares
- BLQ airport → Modena, SACA bus
- €15 single, €25 return, about 50 min, buy on the bus
- Modena → Bologna, train
- €5–10 regional, 25–35 min (check)
- Urban bus single ticket
- about €1.50 (check)
Get around
The centre is flat and walkable; the cathedral, Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina are within a few minutes of each other. SETA runs trolleybus and bus lines, roughly 06:00–21:00, with a night line 7N in the evening. Tickets are sold on board, at the station or at the bus station. Bikes are a local habit — free yellow bikes are lent from the IAT office in Piazza Grande against a €20 deposit. Taxis run 24/7.The centre is flat and walkable; the cathedral, Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina are within a few minutes of each other. SETA runs trolleybus and bus lines, roughly 6:00 AM–9:00 PM, with a night line 7N in the evening. Tickets are sold on board, at the station or at the bus station. Bikes are a local habit — free yellow bikes are lent from the IAT office in Piazza Grande against a €20 deposit. Taxis run 24/7.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO cathedral, Piazza Grande and Ghirlandina tower
- Balsamic vinegar acetaie
- Tortellini, Lambrusco and Parmigiano Reggiano
- Enzo Ferrari and the Maranello car museums
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Maranello (Ferrari Museum) | Bus from Modena bus station, about 40–50 min; or car | About 1 h each way |
| Bologna | Regional or fast train from Modena station, 25–35 min | About 45 min |
| Carpi | Bus or train north, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Parma | Train west, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Historic centre (Piazza Grande, Via Emilia)
- Walk to everything; ZTL camera zone, so only drive in with a hotel permit.
- Around the railway station
- 500 m north of the centre; best for one night with bags and early trains.
- Via Taglio, Via Gallucci and Piazza della Pomposa
- Cafés, wine bars and evening food; still walkable to the cathedral.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Buongiornobwon-JOR-no |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsee-eh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fa-VOH-reh |
| A glass of Lambrusco, please | Un bicchiere di Lambrusco, per favoreoon beek-KYEH-reh dee lam-BROOS-koh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pa-GAH-reh kon la KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- The historic centre is a ZTL camera zone: driving in without a hotel permit means a fine by post.
- Modena railway station has no left-luggage office — plan bags around that.
- Osteria Francescana needs a booking months ahead and starts around €325 before wine.
- Summer afternoons in Jul–Aug are hot and sticky; do the tower and cathedral early.
Modena is a calm, low-risk city; the real issues are ZTL camera fines, bicycles on shared paths and pickpockets around the station and market at busy times. Emergency number is 112.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Modena yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO cathedral, Piazza Grande and Ghirlandina tower
- Balsamic vinegar acetaie
- Tortellini, Lambrusco and Parmigiano Reggiano
- Enzo Ferrari and the Maranello car museums
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di Modena (official): www.comune.modena.it/
- Bologna Airport (official): www.bologna-airport.it/
- Wikivoyage: Modena, revision 5262719 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5262719
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Modena
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Modena; most are in Rome, with consulates in Milan and Florence. Check your own country's list.
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on restaurant bills; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/modena). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.