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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Ravenna
Give Ravenna one full day and one night: the eight UNESCO mosaic sites are a 20-minute walk apart, and the €12.50 combined ticket covers five of them.
Ravenna was the western Roman capital around AD 400 and then the Ostrogothic and Byzantine seat, which is why eight early Christian monuments with floor-to-ceiling mosaics sit inside a small, flat, walkable centre. The city is not a museum town only: it is a working Romagna city with a market, a university and a port. Most travellers see the mosaics in a day, sleep one night, and use the city as a stop between Bologna and the Adriatic coast.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and humidity), and the busiest Easter weeks
- Stay
- 1 night
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 · 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 |
|---|---|
| Cappuccino at a bar | €1.50–2.50 |
| Pizza and a beer | €10–15 |
| Self-service lunch at the central market | €7.50–10 |
| Piadina from a counter | €4–7 |
| Combined mosaic ticket (5 sites) | €12.50 |
| 2.5 h parking near the old town | about €3 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BLQ · Bologna Guglielmo Marconi
- About 80 km (50 mi); train to Ravenna via Bologna Centrale, or a seasonal shuttle to Ravenna and CerviaAbout 50 mi (80 km); train to Ravenna via Bologna Centrale, or a seasonal shuttle to Ravenna and Cervia
- RMI · Rimini Federico Fellini
- About 70 km (43 mi); train along the coast via RiminiAbout 43 mi (70 km); train along the coast via Rimini
- FRL · Forlì
- About 20 km (12 mi); commercial flights are limited, so check before planning around itAbout 12 mi (20 km); commercial flights are limited, so check before planning around it
Typical fares
- Train Bologna → Ravenna
- about €8–10 regional, 1.5–2 h
- Train Ravenna → Cervia
- about €3–4, 30–40 min
- Taxi across the centre
- €8–15
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The old town is largely pedestrian and flat, and the main mosaic sites sit within about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) of each other. Local buses and the regional Mi Muovo integrated tickets cover the Lidi and Sant'Apollinare in Classe; taxis are short-hop and cheap by Italian standards. A car is a liability in the centre: park outside the old town and walk in.Walk. The old town is largely pedestrian and flat, and the main mosaic sites sit within about 0.9 mi (1.5 km) of each other. Local buses and the regional Mi Muovo integrated tickets cover the Lidi and Sant'Apollinare in Classe; taxis are short-hop and cheap by Italian standards. A car is a liability in the centre: park outside the old town and walk in.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO early Christian mosaics
- Basilica di San Vitale and Galla Placidia
- Dante's tomb
- Romagna food and piadina
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cervia | Train from Ravenna station along the coast, or bus in season | About 30–40 min |
| Faenza | Train from Ravenna station toward Bologna | About 30 min |
| Bologna | Train via Faenza or direct regional services | About 1.5–2 h |
| Sant'Apollinare in Classe | Bus or taxi about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the centreBus or taxi about 3.1 mi (5 km) south of the centre | About 30 min each way |
Sleep
- Centro storico (around Piazza del Popolo and San Vitale)
- Everything on foot; quiet at night; the best base for one night.
- Railway station area (Piazza Farini)
- Cheapest beds and easiest bags-on-arrival; 10–15 min walk to the mosaics.
- Marina di Ravenna and Lidi
- Beach and pine-forest stays 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) out; needs a bus or car, so only for a beach add-on.Beach and pine-forest stays 6.2–9.3 mi (10–15 km) out; needs a bus or car, so only for a beach add-on.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| 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
- Several mosaic sites are small and capacity-limited: book a timed slot online in high season before you arrive.
- The combined €12.50 ticket covers San Vitale, Galla Placidia, the Archiepiscopal Museum and Chapel, the Neonian Baptistery and Sant'Apollinare Nuovo; the Arian Baptistery, Sant'Apollinare in Classe and the Mausoleum of Theoderic are separate.
- Shops close for siesta roughly 12:30–16:00; plan museum visits for that window.
- Summer afternoons are hot and humid; do the mosaics at opening and rest midday.
- Some churches restrict photography or flash: follow the posted signs.
Ravenna is a calm, low-crime city and the centre is safe on foot at night. The real risks are summer heat, bicycles and scooters in the pedestrian lanes, and pickpockets around the station and market in season.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ravenna yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO early Christian mosaics
- Basilica di San Vitale and Galla Placidia
- Dante's tomb
- Romagna food and piadina
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 Ravenna (official): www.comune.ra.it/
- Wikivoyage: Ravenna, revision 5209719 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5209719
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ravenna
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ravenna; most countries keep embassies in Rome and consulates in Bologna or Milan.
Tipping is not expected; a coperto (cover charge) may appear on the bill. Round up or leave €1–2 a person for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ravenna). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.