Bologna Private Tour with a Local – Unique & Offbeat

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Bologna, Italy

2 to 4 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Bologna: Historical Highlights Walking Tour with Local Guide

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna

4.8

(6)

Bologna: Historical Highlights Walking Tour with Local Guide

from $57

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Overview

Follow a local to their favorite places in Bologna with this best kept secrets walking tour. See contemporary street art, trendy bars, quirky boutiques, and innovative restaurants during your stroll. Explore neighborhoods that are loved by locals for their vintage markets and contemporary art galleries. Discover a side of Bologna that's not in guidebooks.

See Bologna through the lens of a local guide
Go off the beaten path to see street art, boutiques, and galleries
Get personalized tips for where to eat, drink, and shop in Bologna
Skip the hassle of navigating and follow a guide

What's Included

Private and personalised experience
Choose from 2, 3, or 4 hours - Pick your preferred duration when you book
Walking experience (if required, your host can suggest public transport or taxi options)
Hotel meet-up (available on request for central location)

Food and drinks
Tickets to any attractions
Transportation costs
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Comet
Via IV Novembre, 6/A, 40123 Bologna BO, Italy
After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Quadrilatero (Pass By)

Archiginnasio Palace and Anatomical Theater (Pass By)

Museo di Palazzo Poggi (Pass By)

Collezione delle Cere Anatomiche Luigi Cattaneo (Pass By)

Orto Botanico di Bologna (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
We’ll be in touch within 24 hours after booking to find out more about your personality, tastes and interests so we can assign a like-minded Local who can create a bespoke experience for you.
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 33 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Perfect Way To Start Your Trip

Cherie_M, Oct 2025

Jonathan Mastellari was the perfect Tourguide. We took a red eye from NYC. We got in early and wanted to avoid jet lag on our trip so we booked this walking tour to get us started. Johnathan was amazing. He was full of knowledge and energy. The pace was great and the tour was informative. We definitely got the lay of the land and now, day 2, feel like we have the lay of the land. He made great recommendations for our stay. We ended up in the food area… which was perfect because it was time to eat. This was the perfect start to our trip. We avoided jet lag, walked all day and learned about the history and culture of the region!

Response from Host, Oct 2025

I’m thrilled to hear that your experience with Jonathan was the perfect way to kick off your trip. It sounds like his energy, knowledge, and great recommendations helped you settle right into the rhythm of the city after your long flight. I’m glad the experience not only helped you avoid jet lag but also gave you a wonderful first taste of the local culture and cuisine.

Higher recommended - Claudio is a superb guide

Deb_B, Oct 2025

We were very fortunate to have Claudio as our guide. He listened to what we wanted and planned the perfect walking tour, blending history, culture and contemporary lifestyle and giving us great recommendations for coffee, gelato and restaurants. Claudio is highly informed and clearly loves Bologna. The hours we spent with him were an ideal introduction to the city and helped us to feel oriented for the rest of our stay. The day after our tour I texted Claudio to say I had lost my scarf at dinner the previous evening and he immediately phoned the restaurant for me. All three of us would highly recommend a walking tour with Claudio.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted that Claudio created the perfect walking tour tailored to your interests and that his passion for Bologna truly shone through. It’s great to know his local recommendations and thoughtful assistance—like helping you with your lost scarf—made your experience even more memorable. We really appreciate your high recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another tour in the future!

Very personable and very thoughtful and very helpful

scott_l, Oct 2025

Paulina was very helpful, conscientious, and professional. Contacted us the day before extended all sorts of personal assistance. More than just a mechanical robot pointing out the sites. One request is to get in some areas a better information to provide answers in a few places.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

We’re glad to hear you had such a positive experience with Paulina and appreciated her thoughtful and personal approach! Thank you for your helpful feedback — we’ve noted your suggestion about adding more detailed information in some areas to make future experiences even better.

Excellent tour

Steve_D, Sep 2025

Jon was extremely knowledgeable and personable. He shared his love of Bologna. Would highly recommend the tour.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled that you had such a great experience with Jon in Bologna. It’s wonderful to know that his knowledge, passion, and personable approach made your tour memorable. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another experience in the future!

Great Introduction to Bologna.

Michelle_B, Aug 2025

Diego was an excellent communicator before the tour. Arrived on time. As we were staying in Bologna for an extended stay he showed us around the important historical locations. We covered a lot of territory. He was friendly. We enjoyed our morning tour. Highly recommend

Response from Host, Aug 2025

So glad to hear you had such a great morning in Bologna with Diego — it’s wonderful that he was punctual, friendly, and able to show you so much of the city’s history, making your extended stay even more enriching. Thanks for the warm recommendation!

Fantastic intro to Bologna!

Morgan_D, Jul 2025

Our tour was a fantastic intro to our visit to Bologna. Nicola was our tour guide and his passion for history was evident as he shared all the background of our stops along the way. He did a great job curating the tour to our family’s interests to keep it interesting for everyone, as well as giving us so great recommendations for gelato and dinner. We appreciate Nicola’s time and highly recommend him and this tour!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

We're so happy to hear your Bologna visit got off to such a great start with Nicola — it’s wonderful that his passion and thoughtful touches made the tour fun and memorable for the whole family!

Fantastic!!

Kimberly_J, Sep 2024

We just arrived in Bologna and our guide met us at our lodging. Our walking tour was the best tour we had during this European vacation. He was so full of enthusiasm and shared so much beautiful history. He also helped us to find the perfect restaurant to end our day. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Sep 2024

We’re thrilled to hear that your walking tour in Bologna was the highlight of your European vacation. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future!

Walking Bologna

Rebecca_K, Jun 2024

We had a great walking tour of Bologna. The weather was nice and our guide was friendly and knowledgable.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Great to hear you enjoyed your time in Bologna. Your positive review? It warms our hearts. Many thanks to you!

Good tour to see the city

Louise_R, Apr 2024

Patrick was a good guide probably would have been better if we knew what we wanted to see but Patrick was very informed

Response from Host, Jan 2025

We’re glad to hear that Patrick was informative and helpful. We understand that having a clearer idea of what you'd like to see can enhance the experience, and we’re always here to assist with recommendations for your next tour. We hope to host you again soon!

Fantastic tour!

Isabel_A, Sep 2023

We had the best tour with Daniele! He is incredibly friendly and inviting. He showed us so many more sights than we would have been able to find on our own or by online searches. We loved that Daniele had so much pride for his home city and was genuinely excited to show us every corner. I would absolutely repeat a tour with Daniele and I recommend others to request him. Host/Experience: Daniele Consoli + Bologna Custom Private Tours by Locals, Off-the-Beaten-Path Experience date: 25/09/2023 Reviewer: Isabel Argento

Fantastic private tour if the heart of Bologna

Amy_C, Sep 2023

Our Host, Gabriele, was so knowledgeable, accommodating and kind! We loved every minute of our 4-hour tour with him. Highly recommend!

A wonderful way to experience Bologna even if you think you know it.

MariaElena_D, Sep 2023

What a lovely discovery! Claudio was fantastic and showed and informed us about parts of Bologna that we would have never known about on our own including the beautiful university and the important part that it plays in everyday life in Bologna, walking along and learning about the Roman era main street of Bologna, the glorious food market where stalls are actually incorporated into buildings, visiting the Jewish quarter, and much much more. Thank you, Claudio!

Excellent outgoing guide.

Ethan_D, Jul 2023

He was an excellent knowledgeable guide who provided many facts about the city I did not know before. He also directed to several restaurants to try after the tour was completed.

Elisa is the best

Christian_H, Jun 2023

Elisa was an amazing tour guide who showed us the highlights of Bologna but also many hidden treasures we would not have found on our own. She is kind and very knowledgeable from growing up here. I would highly recommend asking for her for a tour!!

Fun and interesting tour

robert_k, Jun 2023

Gabriella was a great guide! Very knowledgeable about the city and gave us a fun tour including some of the cities hidden secrets. Would highly recommend her for a tour around the city

Not to miss while in Bologna - seriously made our trip!

Nestor_V, May 2022

My wife and I had an excellent time with Manuel. He was very punctual and took us to some wonderful places in Bologna. He was also a wealth of knowledge and helpful in us discovering other things to do during our trip to Italy. We highly recommend "Private Tours by Locals" and make sure to ask for Manuel - he was a delight.

Discover Bologna

Peter S, Nov 2019

Our guide, Erika, took us on a walking tour of Bologna. Although we had previously visited Bologna, she showed us places we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Walking through the city with a local resident is much more enjoyable than trying to navigate on your own. Erika was very knowledgeable and an excellent guide!!

A fabulous guide to Bologna..

WhereToNext73, Apr 2019

What an excellent guide Gabriele was for our Bologna walking tour. Passionate about his city, knowledge and interesting. From history to places to visit & eat - this was a fabulous tour & recommended it as a must..

Fun Tour

SVFOODIE, Sep 2018

This was a fun and informative tour. We learned some interesting facts about Bologna. The guide was informative.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you for your feedback! It’s great to hear you enjoyed the tour and learned interesting facts about Bologna. Sounds like a fun and informative experience!