The quickest street entrance for the Marconi Express is Via deโ Carracci, on the north side of Bologna Centrale. The airport monorail station is inside the atrium there. If you are already inside Bologna Centrale, however, do not leave the railway station just to find that street entrance. Follow the signs for โMarconi Expressโ through the station instead.
The Bologna Centrale Marconi Express entrance is therefore less confusing than the station map makes it look: use Via deโ Carracci for direct access from outside, but stay inside and follow the signs if you have just arrived by train. From the main Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro entrance, you can also reach the monorail internally through the pedestrian underpasses.
Which Bologna Centrale entrance should you use?
- Coming by taxi or being dropped specifically for the airport: ask for โVia deโ Carracci, ingresso Marconi Expressโ. This puts you at the side of the station containing the monorail atrium.
- Walking from Bologna city centre: Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro is the obvious front entrance. Go inside and follow the Marconi Express signs rather than walking around the outside of the station.
- Arriving at Bologna Centrale by train: remain inside the station. The operator specifically confirms that rail passengers can reach the monorail without first going outside.
- Arriving on an underground high-speed platform: follow the station signs toward Marconi Express as you come up through the station rather than automatically following the first signs for the city-centre exit.
The official Marconi Express station guidance confirms both routes: direct access from Via deโ Carracci and an internal route from Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro.
From Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro
Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro is the main faรงade most visitors associate with Bologna Centrale. It faces the historic-centre side of the railway station. If your hotel, bus or taxi leaves you here, there is no need to drag your suitcase around the perimeter of the station to Via deโ Carracci.
- Enter Bologna Centrale from Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro.
- Look for signs marked โMarconi Expressโ.
- Follow those signs through the pedestrian underpass system.
- Continue until you reach the Via deโ Carracci atrium and the dedicated Marconi Express gates.
This is an indoor connection, so it is also the sensible route in rain or summer heat. The temptation to leave by one door and walk around the station usually adds effort rather than making the route clearer.
From Via deโ Carracci
Via deโ Carracci is the entrance to choose when the monorail itself is your destination and you have control over where a taxi or car drops you. The Marconi Express station is located directly in this atrium.
If you need to explain the destination to a driver, โStazione Centrale, lato via deโ Carracci, Marconi Expressโ is more useful than simply saying โBologna Centraleโ. The latter can naturally result in a drop-off on the Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro side.
Do not confuse Via deโ Carracci with a separate railway station. It is simply another side of the sprawling Bologna Centrale complex.
If you arrive by train, do not exit first
This is the mistake most worth avoiding. Bologna Centrale has several halls, underpasses and levels, so passengers sometimes assume they need to reach the street before looking for the airport connection. You do not.
Once you step off your train, follow the Marconi Express wayfinding inside the station. This applies to passengers arriving on the surface railway and to those coming through the underground high-speed section.
The distinction matters because Bologna Centrale AV is a substantial underground station rather than a couple of platforms tucked beneath the main hall. RFI lists four high-speed platforms, 16, 17, 18 and 19, and the AV station sits about 23 metres below ground on the Via Carracci side of the railway complex. If your Frecciarossa or Italo arrives down there, expect lifts, escalators and station corridors before you reach the airport link.
If Italian train stations are still new territory, the Italy by Train guide explains the difference between high-speed, regional and other rail services and the ticket rules that change between them.
What signs should you look for?
The useful words are refreshingly straightforward:
- Marconi Express means the airport monorail.
- Via deโ Carracci identifies the station side where its Bologna terminus is located.
- Piazza Medaglie dโOro is the main city-facing station frontage.
- Uscita means exit.
- Centro cittร means city centre. This generally points you toward the Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro side rather than toward the monorail.
- Ascensore means lift and scala mobile means escalator.
If you lose the signs, asking โDovโรจ il Marconi Express?โ is enough. You do not need to know a platform number because the airport service has its own gated station area.
Buying the ticket at Bologna Centrale
You do not have to find a ticket office before heading to the gates. Marconi Express allows passengers to enter using a contactless Visa, Mastercard or Maestro card, or an NFC payment device such as a phone or watch. The same card or device must be used again at the exit.
One contactless payment card covers one passenger. A couple cannot tap the same bank card twice and treat it as two separate tickets.
As of August 2026, the standard airport fare is โฌ12.80 one way and โฌ23.30 return. Ticket machines are also available, and tickets containing a QR code are presented to the reader at the station gates. Check the official ticket information before travelling if you need a family, group or integrated fare.
If Bologna is one transfer among several on the same trip, you can organize the rest of your Italy route around the actual stations, travel days and connections rather than treating each city as an isolated booking.
Using the Marconi Express with luggage
The route is designed for airport passengers, with lifts, wide gates and level boarding between the platform and vehicle. That does not mean luggage is unlimited.
The operator permits two pieces of luggage per passenger, with each piece no larger than 80 ร 50 ร 50 cm. Bags must not block passenger movement, and luggage may not be left unattended in the station or on the vehicle.
With a wheeled suitcase, use the lifts instead of trying to muscle the bag onto stairs. Marconi Express stations are wheelchair accessible, and pushchairs can be transported free of charge.
How much connection time should you allow?
Do not plan a Bologna Centrale-to-airport connection around the advertised monorail ride alone. The journey itself takes about 7 minutes 30 seconds, but that figure starts after you have reached the platform and boarded.
Your real transfer also includes getting off the incoming train, walking through Bologna Centrale, reaching the correct atrium, buying or activating a ticket if necessary, passing the gates and waiting for the next departure. The service normally runs about every 7 minutes at busy times and every 15 minutes when demand is lower.
For a flight, add airport check-in and security requirements separately. A seven-minute train does not turn a tight railway-to-flight connection into a safe one.
What happens near midnight?
The monorail normally operates from 05:40 until midnight. Midnight is the end of operating activity, not a promise that a final train will depart in each direction at exactly 00:00. Marconi Express recommends being on the platform by 23:40 if you need the last service.
Between midnight and 05:40, the airport connection is provided by Tper’s line Q, and Marconi Express tickets can be used on that service. If your train reaches Bologna Centrale late at night, check the current transport information rather than walking automatically to the closed monorail gates.
The current operating window and frequency are published on the official timetable page.
If the monorail is suspended, check the bus stop before leaving the station
Technical interruptions and scheduled maintenance can switch the airport connection from monorail to replacement buses. This is one situation where memorising โVia Carracciโ is not enough.
Replacement buses have often used Via deโ Carracci, but temporary works can change the departure point. During scheduled maintenance in May 2026, for example, the Bologna Centrale replacement stop was temporarily moved to Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro.
When the monorail is disrupted, Marconi Express places current information on its website. Check that notice before choosing a station exit. If it says Via Carracci, head to that side. If it says Piazza delle Medaglie dโOro or instructs passengers to follow signs for โCity Centre exitโ, go the other way.
That distinction can save a surprisingly annoying walk with luggage. Under normal operation, remember the simple rule: Via deโ Carracci is the direct street entrance, but train passengers should stay inside Bologna Centrale and follow the Marconi Express signs.