Airline tickets from Chisinau to Bologna

Bologna Airport: what you need to know before your flight

Flights from Chișinău land at Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ code), the only airport in Bologna and one of the most compact among major Italian cities. The distance from the city center to the terminal is just 6 km — for comparison, in Rome or Milan that distance is several times greater. There is only one terminal, so it's almost impossible to get confused about the way to the exit or to passport control.

You'll need to go through passport control (if the flight didn't arrive from the Schengen area), then baggage claim, where the wait is usually 10 to 25 minutes. The arrivals hall has ATMs, a currency exchange office, several cafés, and car rental desks. Wi-Fi in the terminal is free.

How to get from the airport to central Bologna

The fastest way to get into the city is the Marconi Express monorail. It connects the terminal to Bologna Centrale station in just 7-8 minutes, trains run every 7-11 minutes during peak hours and operate daily from 5:40 am until midnight. A one-way ticket costs around €12.80, a round trip (valid for 30 days) costs €23.30. You can pay with a contactless card right at the turnstile, no need to buy a paper ticket in advance.

From Bologna Centrale station, most hotels in the historic center are a 10-15 minute walk away. If you'd rather not walk with your luggage, it's easy to catch a city bus or a taxi from the station for a few euros.

Taxis from the airport run on the meter, the ride to the center takes 15-25 minutes depending on traffic and costs around €15-25. This option is convenient if there are two or three of you with luggage, or if your hotel isn't near the station. At night, when the monorail isn't running (midnight to 5:40 am), bus line Q runs between the airport and the station.

Option	Travel time	When to choose it
Marconi Express (monorail)	7-8 minutes to the station	Traveling light, hotel near the center
Taxi	15-25 minutes to the center	Traveling as a group, lots of luggage, late flight
Night bus Q	about 20-25 minutes	Arriving after midnight, monorail not running

Direct flights from Chișinău: FlyOne and Wizz Air

Two airlines serve the Chișinău-Bologna route nonstop. FlyOne, the Moldovan airline based in Chișinău, flies this route several times a week on Airbus A320/A319 aircraft. Wizz Air operates more frequently, so overall there are departures almost every day of the week, making it fairly easy to find a schedule that fits your dates. Direct flight time is about 2 hours 15 minutes.

	FlyOne	Wizz Air
Carrier type	Moldova's national airline	Low-cost carrier
Departure airport	Chișinău (RMO)	Chișinău (RMO)
Baggage	carry-on included, checked bag for a fee	carry-on size-limited, extra bags for a fee
In-flight meals	available for purchase	available for purchase

As with most European destinations, it's cheapest to fly during the off-season: as the price table above shows, November, October, and early spring are usually noticeably better value than summer. If your dates are flexible, it's worth comparing both airlines on Zbor.md, since the price difference between FlyOne and Wizz Air for the same dates can sometimes reach €15-20.

Do Moldovans need a visa and passport for Bologna

No visa is needed. Moldova has had visa-free travel with the Schengen area, which includes Italy, since 2014, so for a tourist trip it's enough to stay within 90 days in any 180-day period.

There is one important condition, though: the passport must be biometric, with a chip. A regular (non-biometric) passport does not qualify for visa-free entry, and a visa would need to be arranged in advance. At the border you may also be asked for a return ticket, hotel booking, and proof of sufficient funds for the trip, as well as health insurance covering the entire stay, so it's best to have these documents on hand or on your phone.

How much money to budget for Bologna

Bologna is cheaper than Venice and Florence, but it's not Italy's most budget-friendly city either. Rough guidelines per person per day, not including flights or accommodation:

• Budget option: €55-70 per day. Breakfast standing at a bar (espresso with a cornetto for about €3), lunch at a trattoria near the university, getting around on foot.
• Comfortable option: €130-160 per day. Lunch and dinner at decent restaurants, museums, short trips by bus or taxi.
• No-limits option: from €350 per day. Fine dining restaurants, guided tours, taxis instead of public transport.

A city bus ticket costs about €1.50 (valid for 75 minutes), a day pass costs €5. A plate of tagliatelle al ragù at a good trattoria off the tourist squares costs €9-14, the same dish on Piazza Maggiore can cost twice as much. Almost all restaurants add coperto to the bill, a cover charge for the seat and bread, usually €2-3 per person — this is standard Italian practice, not a scam.

Bologna's markets and what's worth bringing home

Bologna isn't called Italy's food capital for nothing — tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, and mortadella all originated here. Two markets deserve a spot on your itinerary alongside the sightseeing.

Mercato delle Erbe on via Ugo Bassi, near the center, works like a classic covered market: fresh bread, cheeses, cured meats, vegetables, and a few spots where you can eat right at a nearby table. Mercato di Mezzo in the Quadrilatero district feels more like a food quarter with stalls and mini-cafés, a good place to put together a lunch of several small portions of different products.

Among edible souvenirs, the most popular are Parmigiano Reggiano (choose vacuum-sealed packaging, it's easier to travel with), mortadella, fresh or dried tortellini, and a bottle of Lambrusco. Nearby, in Modena, they make aged balsamic vinegar, also sold at local markets and specialty shops — one of the few souvenirs that's genuinely hard to find in Moldova at the same price and quality.

When to fly: less obvious but beautiful dates

Beyond the usual summer beach season, Bologna has a few dates worth planning a trip around.

In early February the city hosts Arte Fiera, Italy's oldest contemporary art fair, alongside ART CITY Bologna, when galleries and museums put on special exhibitions throughout the center. In October-November, the center of Bologna fills with jazz thanks to the Bologna Jazz Festival, one of Italy's oldest jazz festivals, with concerts both in clubs on via Mascarella and at larger venues. In November the city becomes the chocolate capital during Cioccoshow, and from mid-November until Christmas, Piazza Maggiore hosts the Fiera di Santa Lucia Christmas market with regional treats: tortellini in broth, piadina, and Parma ham.

This same period, November and early spring, usually also coincides with the lowest airfares on this route, so interesting events and good prices tend to line up nicely.

A few more things worth knowing about Bologna

Bologna's historic center is almost entirely covered by porticoes, covered walkways lining the streets stretching about 40 km in total, which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021. Thanks to them, it's easy to walk around the city in rain or heat without wasting time looking for shelter.

The city's symbol, the two leaning towers Torre degli Asinelli and Torre Garisenda, stand side by side right in the center. You can climb Asinelli for a view over the city, but it's worth checking the schedule in advance: access is sometimes restricted for structural safety reasons.

Worth remembering separately: the restricted traffic zone (ZTL) in the historic center is monitored by cameras and issues fines automatically, without warning, if you drive in without a permit. It doesn't affect pedestrians or those getting around by bus or taxi, but if you're renting a car, it's best to find out the zone's boundaries from your hotel right away.

Bologna is also a student city: home to Europe's oldest university, founded in 1088, which is why the neighborhoods around via Zamboni are always lively, and prices at local cafés and trattorias are noticeably lower than in the tourist center.