Piazza Santo Stefano: Our most recommended tours and activities

Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

1. Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

Take a classic walking tour through the streets of the Bologna city center. With this guided tour, discover the history of Bologna and its major cultural attractions. Make stops at the Asinelli tower, Neptune fountain, and the Basilica of San Petronio. Meet your guide and walk through the city streets admiring the architecture and discovering the most-famous cultural attraction. See the towers of Bologna and marvel at their height and significance. Then, stroll through the Quadrilatero Market, and learn important historical facts. Make a wish at the Neptune fountain and see if it comes true. Then, gaze at the Basilica of San Petronio, as your guide shares its story and welcomes you into the city of Bologna.

Bologna: Taste Local Specialties on a Guided Walking Tour

2. Bologna: Taste Local Specialties on a Guided Walking Tour

Experience the vibrant historic center of Bologna on this walking tour. Admire sights like the Basilica of San Petronio and the Loggia of Merchants. Stop to try specialties at three establishments and enjoy a glass of delectable local wine. Start your tour in Piazza del Nettuno, where your guide will share insights into Bolognese culture with you. See an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture at the Basilica of San Petronio. Admire the two towers that are the symbol of Bologna. View the Loggia of Merchants, where commercial and trading activities have been overseen in Bologna for hundreds of years. Walk to the vibrant Quadrilatero Market. Wander through the sights and smells in this market that has been around since the middle ages.

Bologna: Old Town Hidden Gems Exploration Game

3. Bologna: Old Town Hidden Gems Exploration Game

Be led on an exciting self-guided tour around Bologna's Old Town while playing a mobile-based quest with your friends and family. Solve clues and discover the fascinating history behind the monuments and attractions. Download the app, go to the starting point, and begin the adventure. Follow clues that will take you back in time to learn about the origins of some of the city's most iconic buildings and tourist sites. Here's a sneak peek at the storyline: “You’re an emerging writer from London, whose debut novel was a success. But now writers’ block has struck. The year is 1815. [...] In your despair, you’ve come to Bologna. You heard the city’s many secrets and artistic flair inspire many artists. You hope to be next...." Unlock the secret stories of the places you visit as you solve the problem and guess the answers. Learn about the seven secrets that cloak Bologna in mystery, the streets of the Quadrilatero, and more. Use the clues to lead you from one site to another. Each clue provides you with exact directions so you won't need a map, GPS, or guide. Complete the tour in about 1.5 hours, however, there’s no time limit, allowing you to go at your own pace. Play as a group or split into smaller groups/teams and compete against the others. Each person can also play on their own, separate from the group, and meet the group at the end of the tour.

Bologna: The Secrets of Bologna With Spanish guide

4. Bologna: The Secrets of Bologna With Spanish guide

Discover Bologna with a guided walking tour of the old town. This 2-hour visit, accompanied by a specialized Spanish-speaking guide, will lead you to discover the secrets of the city, its medieval center, its porticoes and towers. Enter the imposing church of San Petronio, admire the palace of the oldest university in the world and experience the atmosphere of Santo Stefano square.

Bologna Private Highlights Bike Tour

5. Bologna Private Highlights Bike Tour

The bike tour designed to show you the best of Bologna in two hours: from the oldest university in the world to the grandiose Piazza Maggiore, up to pedaling under the Two Towers, we will discover the most significant places of this magnificent city. The Bologna that we will tell you about in this private bike tour is a city that has ancient origins, the guardian of an exceptional historical, artistic and cultural heritage.

Bologna: Private Highlights Walking Tour with Lunch

6. Bologna: Private Highlights Walking Tour with Lunch

With this tour you will have the opportunity to experience a real Bolognese day. Meet our staff at the meeting point who will explain all the details then leave for your private guided tour of 2.5 hours with an expert guide who will tell you all the anecdotes of the city passing by all the main monuments. You can ask questions and discover the most important beauties of the historic center from the Porticoes to Piazza Maggiore, from the 2 Towers where you will admire them from the outside up to Piazza Santo Stefano where you will listen to the stories about the Seven Churches. At the end of the tour our guide will take you to one of the most famous trattorias in Bologna to enjoy a traditional 2-course Bolognese lunch with water and wine included.

Other Sightseeing Options in Piazza Santo Stefano

Want to discover all there is to do in Piazza Santo Stefano? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about Piazza Santo Stefano

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 654 reviews

We had a lovely day and couldn’t have asked for better weather or a guide in Pablo. Infact the entire team of Albero, Esther, Pablo and the driver Antonio made this experience so much fun and memorable. We also loved hearing Pablo’s stories and the history of the region during the hike. Would highly recommend to those who want to see!

Assunta, the guide, in two hours made us discover the history and many curiosities of Bologna. It would not have been the same to walk under the arcades of this ancient city without this knowledge.

Wow! I never knew there was so much unique and interesting history living side-by-side in Bologna! Alberto really made this city come to life in stories!

An excellent walking tour in the centre of Bologna, very well organised with an exceedingly knowledgeable guide, fantastic value for money.

Very knowledgeable guide. Easy to understand her English.