Car hire Bologna

Introduction

Despite the bombardments during the Second World War, Bologna remains one of the best-preserved medieval cities. The city is known as Red Bologna, because of the political preferences of its people and because of the many red brick buildings; Bologna the Learned because of its many universities; Bologna the Fat because of its cuisine.

Population

Bologna has about 382,000 inhabitants, which makes it the seventh largest city in Italy. Thanks to its large number of students, it is a dynamic city. Over 94% of its people are of Italian origin.

Location

Bologna is located just above the Apennines, in the province of Emilia-Romagna, on a line between two well-known tourist magnets: Venice and Florence.

Economy

Before the Second World War, there was a great deal of industry in Bologna, 40% of which was destroyed in the war. Today, Bologna is the center of Italy's high-tech industry. In addition, the city hosts many fairs. Also, there are many universities in the city. The city makes an effort to be a culturally attractive city by organizing cultural programmes. In 2000, Bologna was Europe's cultural capital.

Airports

Bologna has an international airport: Guglielmo Marconi Airport, which is located to the north-west of the city. It is used primarily by European airline companies. From Bologna, you can fly to, among other places, Rome, Venice, South Italy, Pisa, London, Paris and Frankfurt.

Public transport

Bologna's train station is an important hub in Northern Italy's train network. This has to do with the city's strategic location. Trains to Rome and Milan stop at this station. Most of the trains are Eurostar trains. There is a good bus network in Bologna. In addition, you can take the bus to Italian and other European cities from Bologna.

Traffic and Parking

Bologna is a medium-sized city, but especially in the city center there are traffic problems. There are many traffic jams, and as a consequence, there is pollution. On Saturday afternoons and Sundays, traffic is not allowed in the center.

Hotels

Cheap hotels are hard to find in this city, especially single bedrooms. This has to do with the fairs that are organized regularly in the city. However: when there are no fairs (ask the tourist office) many hotels offer considerable discounts.

External Sources

For more information about Bologna, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Bologna
• Bologna Turismo
(Italian and English)
• Municipal website
(Italian)