The Marconi Express: Bologna's airport monorail
The fastest way from Bologna Airport to the city. An elevated monorail that runs straight to Bologna Centrale in about seven minutes, every few minutes, all day.
If you land at Bologna Marconi and want to be in the city centre fast, take the Marconi Express. It's the elevated monorail that connects the airport terminal to Bologna Centrale, the main train station, in roughly seven minutes. No traffic, no waiting for a bus, and it runs from before 6am until midnight every single day.
- Journey time
- About 7 min
- Frequency
- Every 7–15 min
- Hours
- ~5:40am to midnight, daily
- Fare
- Around €12–13 one way
What it is and where it goes
The Marconi Express (locals just call it "il People Mover" or "la monorotaia") opened in 2020. It's a driverless elevated shuttle that links Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi with Bologna Centrale, the city's main rail hub. There's one intermediate stop, Lazzaretto, near the university's engineering campus, but most travellers ride end to end.
The whole trip covers a little over 5km and takes about seven minutes. Compare that to a taxi or bus stuck in airport-road traffic and you understand why it's the default arrival route for most visitors. From Bologna Centrale you're a short walk, bus, or onward train from wherever you're headed.
Where to catch it
At the airport, the monorail station sits right outside the terminal. Follow the "Marconi Express / Monorail" signs from arrivals. It's a covered walk, no shuttle bus needed.
At Bologna Centrale, the entrance is inside the station, on the Via Carracci side (the newer high-speed section, not the historic front on Piazza Medaglie d'Oro). Give yourself a couple of extra minutes to find it if you're heading to the airport, because the station is large and the People Mover access is tucked toward one end.
Local tip
If you're connecting to a train onward to Florence, Venice or beyond, you can buy a single combined ticket that covers both the monorail and your rail leg. Check for it when you book your train, it saves fumbling for a second ticket on arrival.
Tickets and fares
A one-way adult ticket runs around €12–13, with a return costing a bit less than two singles. Kids under about 4 ride free, and there are family and group discounts, so look those up if you're travelling as a household. Single tickets are open-dated and stay valid for months, so you don't have to nail down an exact travel time when you buy.
You can buy several ways:
- Tap and go. Just tap a contactless card or phone at the gate. The simplest option if you're arriving and don't want to queue.
- Vending machines. At both the airport and Centrale stations, plus shops around the airport and city.
- Online or via app (Muver, Roger) before you fly, if you like having it sorted in advance.
Fares do get reviewed periodically, so treat the figures above as a guide and check the official Marconi Express site for the current price before you travel.
Luggage, accessibility and what to expect
The carriages are built for travellers with bags. Wide gates, level boarding between platform and vehicle, and no steps to wrestle a suitcase up. It's fully step-free, so it works for wheelchairs, strollers and big cases alike. The ride itself is smooth and elevated, with a decent view over the northern edge of the city as you glide in.
During busy periods a car leaves every seven minutes or so; off-peak it stretches to about every fifteen. Either way you rarely wait long. It runs 365 days a year.
Sorting your Bologna base?
Most visitors stay near Bologna Centrale or inside the historic centre, both an easy hop from the monorail. Browse well-located stays and book ahead, especially in spring and autumn.
Find hotels near the centreIs the Marconi Express worth it?
For most people, yes. It's quick, frequent, and drops you at the rail hub where onward connections live. The one catch is the price. At €12–13 a head it's not cheap for a seven-minute ride, and a family of four adds up fast. If budget matters more than minutes, the airport bus (the BLQ line) costs a fraction of the fare and still gets you downtown, just slower and at the mercy of traffic. We compare every route side by side in our full guide to getting from the airport into town.
Once you're in the centre, you'll find Bologna is small and famously easy to cover on foot. See why it's such a walkable city, get to grips with the local buses and tickets, and if you're weighing the Bologna Welcome Card, our guide breaks down whether the transport perks pay off. Driving in? Read up on parking and the ZTL restricted zone before you arrive.