Bologna Airport to Florence: Transfer Guide

Bologna Marconi (BLQ) is one of the cheapest ways into Tuscany from across Europe, and a lot of people who fly there are not going to Bologna at all — they are going to Florence. The good news is that this is one of Italy's easier connections. The useful news is that the fastest option is not the one most transfer companies lead with.

From BLQ to central Florence there are two realistic routes: the Marconi Express people-mover to Bologna Centrale and then a high-speed train, or a direct road transfer. This guide gives the verified numbers for both and the specific situations where each wins.

The rail route, step by step

This is two tickets and one change, and it is genuinely straightforward.

Step 1 — Marconi Express to Bologna Centrale

The Marconi Express is an elevated people-mover connecting the airport directly to Bologna's central station. Bologna Airport publishes the following, and the operator's own figures match:

• Running time: about 7 minutes 30 seconds (the airport describes it as a 7-minute ride).
• Frequency: 8 departures per hour in each direction at peak; the airport describes a train every 7 to 15 minutes.
• Operating hours: 05:40 to 24:00, 365 days a year. The operator advises being on the platform by 23:40 to catch the last run.
• Fares: €12.80 single, €23.30 return. Children up to 4 travel free.
• Where to board: the Airport Terminal station, reached from the First Floor of the terminal building.

Tickets can be bought online, in the Roger app, at machines in the stations and in the airport baggage-reclaim area, at the Bologna Welcome office in Piazza Maggiore, at Tper ticket offices, in many shops, and by contactless card. Family discounts (up to two adults and three children aged 5 to 16) and group discounts for ten or more are available online only — worth knowing before you queue at a machine.

One detail that confuses people: the line has an intermediate stop at Lazzaretto. You want Bologna Centrale.

Step 2 — Bologna Centrale to Firenze Santa Maria Novella

Bologna Centrale is a major high-speed hub, which is the whole reason this connection works. The fastest direct Frecciarossa and Italo services cover Bologna to Florence in about 37 minutes. Timetable sites list roughly 47 direct services a day, with an average across all trains of around 52 minutes because slower services are included in that figure.

Avoid the regional trains on this route unless you are counting every euro — they take 1 hour 47 minutes or more, because they follow the old line over the mountains rather than the Direttissima tunnels.

We are not quoting a fixed high-speed fare, because there isn't one: prices on this route move substantially with how far ahead you book and which operator you choose. Our comparison of Trenitalia and Italo explains how the two differ on pricing and ticket flexibility.

The road route

By car it is about 110 km and roughly 1 hour 30 minutes from the Bologna area to Florence, via the A1. Full detail is on our Florence–Bologna distance page, and the route itself is covered at Bologna to Florence transfers.

The reason road is slower than rail here is geography, not traffic. The A1 has to cross the Apennines; the high-speed line goes through them in a sequence of long tunnels. This is one of the few Italian city pairs where the train beats the car on moving time by a wide margin.

So which is actually faster, door to door?

Short answer: less different than the headline numbers suggest.

It is tempting to add 7.5 minutes to 37 minutes, call it 45 minutes and declare rail the winner. That is not an honest door-to-door comparison. A realistic rail journey looks more like this:

• Walk from arrivals to the First Floor people-mover station, with luggage
• Buy a ticket, wait for the next departure
• 7.5 minutes to Bologna Centrale
• Find your platform in a large station, and wait for your booked train
• 37 minutes to Firenze SMN
• Walk or taxi from the station to your accommodation

Add a sensible connection buffer and you are realistically looking at something in the region of an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, which is about what the road takes. The train's real advantages are therefore cost for one or two people, frequency, and immunity from motorway traffic — not a transformed journey time.

Comparing the options

The cost maths most guides skip

The rail route needs two tickets per person, and that is where the comparison turns for groups.

Marconi Express alone is €12.80 each way per person. For a family of four that is €51.20 before anyone has boarded a train to Florence, and then four high-speed tickets on top. A private vehicle is quoted per journey rather than per head, so the gap narrows sharply somewhere around three or four passengers — and closes further if you are carrying luggage that makes a station change genuinely awkward.

We are not going to pretend this means a transfer is always cheaper. For one person it almost certainly is not. The point is that the per-person structure of the rail route is what decides it, and it is easy to overlook when comparing a single headline fare.

A worked example

You land at BLQ at 23:05 on a delayed flight, two adults, two children, four cases, staying in a villa in Chianti rather than central Florence.

By rail: you would need to be on the people-mover platform by 23:40, which is tight but possible. You would then arrive at Bologna Centrale around midnight, after the last useful high-speed train to Florence. Even if you made it to Florence, you would still need onward transport into Chianti in the small hours.

By road: one vehicle, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes plus the final approach to the villa, with the pickup timed to your actual landing. This is the scenario where a pre-booked transfer is not a convenience but the only clean answer.

Reverse the example — one person, hand luggage, a 10:00 arrival, a hotel near Santa Maria Novella — and the train is clearly the better call. Both conclusions are honest; they just apply to different trips.

When a private transfer is the right choice

• Flights outside 05:40–midnight. The people-mover simply is not running, and this is the single most common reason people need a car on this route.
• Groups and families. Two tickets per person, multiplied, against one per-vehicle price.
• You are not going to central Florence. Chianti, Siena, San Gimignano, a countryside villa or a hillside hotel all mean onward transport from Firenze SMN anyway.
• Significant luggage. One change sounds trivial until you are doing it with four cases and a pushchair.

Our airport transfer service covers Bologna Marconi, and city-to-city transfers covers the intercity leg if you are combining Bologna with other stops. For the wider Bologna network — including hotels and the Ravenna cruise port — see our Bologna and Ravenna transfer hub.

Practical notes for BLQ arrivals

Bologna Marconi is a single-terminal airport and easy to navigate. Our Bologna Marconi airport guide covers the layout, the BLQ arrival guide goes into more detail, and luggage storage and lounges at Bologna Airport is useful on a long connection. If you have booked a transfer, where drivers wait at Bologna Marconi explains the meeting point.

Give your flight number when booking any transfer. It is what lets a pickup be adjusted when a flight lands late — which, on the scenario above, is the difference between a transfer and a problem.

Planning Florence itself? Our Florence transfers page and the Florence and Pisa transfer hub cover arrivals and onward Tuscan journeys, and if you are still choosing airports, Florence or Pisa for Tuscany compares the two closer gateways.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get from Bologna Airport to Florence?

Take the Marconi Express people-mover from the airport to Bologna Centrale, about 7 minutes 30 seconds, then a high-speed Frecciarossa or Italo train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, about 37 minutes on the fastest services. The alternative is a direct road transfer, roughly 110 km and about 1 hour 30 minutes.

How much is the Marconi Express?

€12.80 for a single and €23.30 for a return, according to the operator. Children up to four travel free. Family discounts for up to two adults and three children aged 5 to 16, and group discounts for ten or more, are available online only.

How long does the train take from Bologna to Florence?

About 37 minutes on the fastest direct Frecciarossa and Italo services. Regional trains take 1 hour 47 minutes or more because they use the older line over the Apennines rather than the high-speed tunnels.

What time does the Marconi Express stop running?

It operates from 05:40 to 24:00, 365 days a year, and the operator advises being on the platform by 23:40 for the last departure. Outside those hours you need a road transfer or a taxi.

Is it faster to drive or take the train from Bologna Airport to Florence?

The train is much faster on moving time, because the high-speed line tunnels through the Apennines while the motorway climbs over them. Door to door the gap narrows considerably once you add the walk to the people-mover, ticket purchase, the connection at Bologna Centrale and the onward leg from Firenze SMN.

Is a private transfer worth it from Bologna Airport to Florence?

For one or two people travelling light to central Florence, usually not — the train is cheaper and frequent. It becomes the better option for groups and families, for significant luggage, for destinations in Tuscany other than central Florence, and for flights outside the people-mover's operating hours.

Where do I catch the Marconi Express at the airport?

At the Airport Terminal station, reached from the First Floor of the terminal building. Tickets are available at machines in the baggage-reclaim area, online, in the Roger app, and by contactless card.

Does the Marconi Express stop anywhere else?

Yes — there is an intermediate stop at Lazzaretto. For Florence you want Bologna Centrale, the central station and the high-speed hub.

Sources

• Marconi Express fares (€12.80 / €23.30), 7'30" running time, 8 departures per hour at peak, 05:40–midnight hours, 23:40 platform advice, family and group discounts, Lazzaretto stop: Marconi Express official FAQ
• 7-minute rides, a train every 7–15 minutes, 05:40–24:00 365 days a year, boarding from the First Floor of the terminal: Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport
• Bologna Centrale to Firenze SMN fastest journey times and service counts (third-party timetable data): Trainline
• Road distance and journey time (~110 km, ~1 h 30 min): our own route research for Bologna to Florence

Fares and timetables were checked on 16 October 2026. High-speed rail prices vary with advance purchase, and timetables change seasonally — confirm with the operator before travelling.