Want to avoid paying €12.80 for the Marconi Express? Learn how to get from Bologna Centrale to the Bologna “Guglielmo Marconi” Airport (BLQ) for just €1.60 using this Nomadic Backpacker hack.
The above photo is the Marconi Express replacement bus, which was running the day I was flying out; normally, it’s the Airport Train.
The Guglielmo Marconi Airport is just 7 km from the city centre.
The Marconi Express Monorail seems like a great and novel way to get there until you see the cost of a one-way ride: €12.80 (still correct as of April 2026):
It is undoubtedly very convenient: At peak times, there is a departure every 7 minutes, and it operates from 5.40 am to midnight, 365 days a year.
From midnight to 5:40 am, the bus Line Q runs between the airport and the Bologna Centrale.
But I was looking for an alternative way.
This is where Google Maps is the best resource for travellers, other than Nomadic Backpacker, of course.
Travellers need proper info, good intel and all the details (I was laughing in disbelief, I just saw an Insta reel of two brave travellers saying how you can save money by buying snacks from the supermarket rather than the airport restaurant).
The €1.60 Alternative: Trenitalia to Bologna Borgo Panigale
First of all, I took a Trenitalia train from Bologna Centrale, direction Vignola, for just one stop, to Bologna Borgo Panigale. The ride is now €1.60 (fare increase as of April 2026), which takes just four minutes.
How to buy a local regional train ticket at Bologna Centrale
The ticket machines at Bologna Centrale are easy to use.
Ticket from Bologna Centrale to Bologna Borgo Panigale on Tren Italia:
Just don’t forget to validate it on the platform:
Train from Bologna Centrale:
Bologna Borgo Panigale:
The Catch: Walking from Borgo Panigale station to Bologna Airport:
Ok, the only catch to this money-saving hack is that you have to walk the last 2.4 km. Sure, you can do that. It took me just 27 minutes. They say that if you can’t walk more than 3 miles (5 kilometres), then you have overpacked.
What a way to save more than €11. You can thank me sometime. Coffees are greatly appreciated.
Follow the path on Google Maps. It’s pretty straightforward.
Arrival at the Aeroporto G Marconi Bologna, just as the replacement bus (Marconi Express) was just leaving:
I had plenty of time to kill. Indeed, I had planned it that way. I have been travelling fast these last weeks. The hard part is keeping up with the blog.
