Climbing the Asinelli Tower
The taller of Bologna's Two Towers, the Asinelli is the one you can climb, 498 wooden steps to the best view in the city. Here's how to do it without wasting the trip.
The Asinelli Tower (Torre degli Asinelli) is the climbable half of Bologna's famous Two Towers. You walk up a narrow internal staircase of 498 steps to a small platform 97 metres above Via Rizzoli, where the whole terracotta city spreads out below you. Entry is by timed ticket, and you have to book it in advance.
- Height
- 97 m
- The climb
- 498 steps, no lift
- Tickets
- Timed, book ahead
- Time needed
- About 45 min
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Check it's open before you plan around it
One thing first, because it changes everything. The Asinelli has been periodically closed while engineers stabilise its shorter neighbour, the leaning Garisenda, which sits right next to it. The shared area around the towers has been fenced since 2023 and access to the climb has come and gone with that work. Before you build a day around the climb, check the current status on the official Bologna Welcome site. If it's shut, don't worry, there are other high places in town, including the nearby Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio) on Piazza Maggiore.
Local tip
The Garisenda is the dramatically leaning tower beside the Asinelli, and it has never been open to climbers. Don't plan to go up it. It's the structural worry that has affected the Asinelli's opening, so treat the two as a package when you check availability.
How to get tickets
When the climb is running, entry works on timed slots. Only a set number of people are allowed up at a time because the staircase is so tight, so tickets are released for specific 15-minute entry windows through the day, usually from mid-morning onward. You book a slot, you turn up for it, simple as that.
Two ways to get in:
- Official tickets through Bologna Welcome, the city's tourism service. Booking is required ahead of time, often at least 24 hours before. Adult tickets are a few euros; reduced rates apply for children, students, and over-65s. Same-day tickets are rarely going in season, so don't gamble on walking up.
- A guided tour that bundles the Asinelli slot with a walk through the centro storico. This is the safer play if your dates are fixed, because the operator holds the slot for you rather than you racing the online release.
Climb the Asinelli with a guided slot
Walking tours of Bologna's old centre often include a timed Asinelli entry, so you're not gambling on same-day availability. Worth a look if your dates are locked in.
Check tower tours & ticketsWhat the climb is like
This is a real climb, not a gentle stroll up a museum staircase. The 498 steps are wooden, steep, and worn smooth, and they spiral up the inside of the tower in flights that get narrower as you go. In the tight upper sections it's one-way, so you wait for people coming down. There's no lift and nowhere comfortable to stop, but landings give you a breather. Allow 10 to 15 minutes up at a steady pace, more if you stop to catch your breath. The whole visit, up and down with time on top, runs about 45 minutes.
If you have serious mobility issues, claustrophobia, or a real fear of heights, this is an honest skip. The space is genuinely tight and the tower visibly leans, which some people feel on the way up.
Rules to know before you go
- No big bags. Bulky backpacks aren't allowed up because there's no room to pass with them. Travel light.
- Sensible shoes. No high heels, no slippers, no bare feet. The steps are uneven.
- Under-18s need an adult. Unaccompanied minors aren't permitted, so kids climb with a grown-up.
- Turn up on time. Miss your slot and you may not get another one that day.
- Don't trust posted hours blindly. Opening times and the closure status shift with the restoration work, so confirm official hours close to your visit.
The view from the top
It pays off. From the platform you get the finest panorama in Bologna: a sea of red rooftops that earns the city its nickname "la Rossa," the great unfinished bulk of the Basilica di San Petronio rising over the centre, the surviving medieval towers, and on a clear day the line of the Apennines beyond the southern hills. Go right at opening or in the last hour of light for the softest colour over the tiles. It's also the best place to grasp how compact the old city really is.
Getting there
The towers stand at Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, where Via Rizzoli, Strada Maggiore, and Via Zamboni meet. It's a two-minute walk east of the main square and Giambologna's Neptune Fountain. From the base, Via Zamboni leads into the old university quarter, home to the world's oldest university in continuous operation, while Strada Maggiore points you toward the quiet courtyards of the Seven Churches. For the bigger picture of the city's symbol, read the full guide to the Two Towers.
Pair the climb with a wander through the medieval market lanes of the Quadrilatero, or set aside a morning for the hilltop walk under the world's longest portico. Hungry after all those stairs? See where to eat in Bologna, and if you still need a bed, here's where to stay.