Sleeping in Airports

Bologna Marconi Airport Guide

Whether you have a layover, overnight sleepover or are just quickly passing through, our Bologna Marconi Airport Guide is a great place to start planning your visit.  Here, you’ll find information on services and facilities available inside the airport – including details about airport lounges, WiFi, mobile charging points, lockers, 24-hour food options, nearby hotels, and everything in between.

 the seats are made out of some metal just like at a bus stop – cold, hard and uncomfortable. – a Guest Reviewer

BLQ Airport Overview

To help you plan your layover or overnight sleepover, here is a quick run-down about what to expect during your time at Bologna Marconi Airport.

What to Expect

Bologna Airport (code: BLQ) features a clean and modern two-floor single terminal building with 24 departure gates and various upscale fashion stores and gourmet eateries. WiFi is available to help pass the time. While there are reportedly plenty of mobile device charging stations on the airside, outlets are hard to find on the landside. Additional comfort can be found through fee-based access to the airport’s first-class lounge. See Airport Lounges in the guide below.

bologna marconi airport guide
(Photo courtesy of a Guest Traveller / August 2019)

Sleeping in Bologna Airport

After security checkpoints close for the night, all passengers are restricted to the landside areas and must re-clear security the next day when the checkpoints open. Airport staff are generally friendly and accommodating to overnight sleepers. Many travellers describe their overnight sleeping experiences at Bologna Airport as quiet and secure; however, some reviewers report that most comfortable seating has been replaced with uncomfortable metal benches with armrests. Have a sleep mask handy to block out those bright lights! For uninterrupted sleep, there are some hotels within a quick shuttle ride of the airport. See Airport Hotels in the guide below or read traveller airport reviews for more tips.

To help us keep this guide up-to-date, you can add or update information or write a review to submit airport tips and photos. You can also visit the airport’s website for current information. For more airport information, continue scrolling down to explore more in our Bologna Airport Guide.

In this guide we may refer to locations as “landside” and “airside”. Landside is the public area of the terminal located in the non-secure zone, before security. Airside is the secure area of the terminal that you must reach by going through security.  For more information on Europe’s Schengen Area, click here.

airport loungeAirport Lounges

Pay-per-use, Single Visit Passes & Lounge Memberships

Regardless of what class of service you are flying, there is a lounge that you can enter by paying at the door, purchasing a lounge pass or through a lounge membership program. Visit the individual lounge page for more details about the lounge itself and to also find out how you can gain lounge access with just an economy class ticket!

  • Marconi Business Lounge – Location: Location: Landside, 1st Floor. Lounge Access: Pay at the Door (€ 32.00) • Prepaid lounge pass • Lounge membership programs.

Related Pages: Bologna Marconi Airport Lounges

airport hotelsAirport Hotels

If sleeping in the airport sounds like a nightmare, there are hotels near Bologna Marconi Airport:

For more options, visit Tripadvisor to see a list of hotels near Bologna Airport that can be sorted by price, distance, traveller rating and popularity.

wifiAirport WiFi/Internet

Free WiFi is available at Bologna Marconi airport. Connect to the “EmiliaRomagnaWiFi wifiprivacy.it” network. Registration is required.

airport infoMore Services, Facilities & Things To Do On A Layover At The Airport

ATMs / Cash Machines – Need cash? ATMs, operated by Carisbo Bank, are available. Fees may apply, so check your bank’s fee schedule and daily withdrawal limit if you are travelling internationally. You may also want to notify your bank of your travel plans. Location: ground floor, check-in area.

Banking Services – Information not available.

Currency Exchange – Forexchange is available. Location: Arrivals, Ground Floor. • Departures, landside, 1st Floor.

Duty-Free & Shopping – Two duty-free shops on the 1st Floor are open from 4:30 AM until the last flight. A variety of other shops are available on the Ground and 1st Floor. Among these, you can find a Carrefour Express Supermarket. Location: Arrivals, Ground Floor. Hours: 7:00AM – 1:00AM (Mon-Fri) 8:00AM – 1:00AM (Sun).

Food & Drinks – Food concessions throughout the terminal operate with varying schedules. This option is open 24 hours: Puro Gusto (Ground floor, landside, near the terminal entrance).

Kiss & Fly – The airport offers 10-minute free parking up to three times per day on the ground floor in the P1 – P2 Parking Area and the Express Premium Parking.

Information Desk – Airport information is available at the Tourist Information and Welcome Services desk. Location: Arrivals area. Hours: unknown.

Luggage Storage & LockersTemporarily Closed – Storage rate is € 6/bag/day for a small bag or € 12/bag/day if oversized. Location: opposite the Marconi Business Lounge Hours: Open 24 hours.

Luggage Wrapping – Safe Bag luggage wrapping machines are available. Location: Check-in, landside, Ground Floor. Hours: 4:00 AM – 9:30 PM.

Mobile Charging – A reader tells us there is ample mobile charging. (January 2023)

Repack and Go – For those travelling on airlines with low baggage allowances, head over to “Repack and Go.” This self-service area allows you to empty your suitcase, repack only the essentials and check the weight before you check-in. For a few euros, you can purchase a canvas bag to store the items that didn’t make the cut and leave it in Luggage Storage until you return. Besides the canvas bag, the automatic machine dispenses plastic bags for liquids, bags for wrapping strollers and luggage labels. Location: Ground Floor, Check-in Counters.

Pharmacy – Location: Ground Floor, landside, opposite main entrance. Hours: 5:00 AM – 8:00 PM.

Rest Zones – No dedicated sleeping areas, quiet areas or rest zones exist. If this information has changed, click here to update this guide.

Showers – Not available.

SIM Cards – Vodafone sim cards are available at Forexchange.

airport hoursAirport Hours

A reader tells us that the airport is open 24-hours, but you have to find the main door because not all entrances are open. (April 2022)

airlinesAirlines

Bologna Marconi airport is served by the following airlines: Albawings • Aegean Airlines • Air Albania • Air Arabia • Air Cairo • Air Dolomiti • Air France • Air Moldova • Air Serbia • Alba Star • Austrian Airlines • BA CityFlyer • British Airways • Brussels Airlines • EasyJet • Emirates • Eurowings • Finnair • FlyOne • HiSky • ITA Airways • Iberia • KLM • Luxair • Lufthansa • Neos • Norwegian Air Shuttle • Nouvelair • Pegasus Airlines • Play • Royal Air Maroc • Ryanair • Ryanair UK • S7 Airlines • SAS • Silver Air • Swiss Air • TAP Portugal • Transavia • TUI • Tunisair • Turkish Airlines • Twin Jet • Volotea • Vueling • Wizz Air.

transportationAirport Transportation: Getting To/From The Airport

Bus

Several buses connect Bologna Airport to nearby cities:

  • Ferrara Al Volo offers regular service to/from Ferrara (travel time 1 hour).
  • Appennino Shuttle provides ten daily direct departures to/from Florence (travel time 90 min.)
  • SACA offers service to/from Modena (travel time 50 min.)
  • Shuttle Italy Airport provides bus rides to Rimini, Cesena, San Marino, Firenze, and Riccione.

Car Rentals

Car rental desks are located on the ground floor of the terminal, near the baggage claim area and the Tourist Information Desk. Onsite car rental agencies include Autovia • Avis/Budget/Maggiore • Drivalia • Europcar • Goldcar • Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty • Italy Car Rent • Locauto Rent/Enterprise/National/Alamo • Noleggiare • Rental Plus • Sicily by Car • Sixt Rent a Car.

Hotel Shuttles

See also Airport Hotels above.

Taxis

Taxis are available 24 hours a day in the ground transportation area. All taxis are metered, and reservations are not required. Two taxi companies operate at Bologna Airport: Taxi Cat Bologna and Cotabo Taxi.

Train

Thank you to the reader who sent us this information: The fastest shuttle now is the Marconi Express, a three-station direct current monorail line that costs approximately € 11. The express train departs from the departures level (landside) and heads to the north side of Bologna Centrale, which is separate from the main station.  Frequency: 15 minutes.  Duration: 7 minutes. Service starts at 5:40 AM and ends at midnight. For train timetables, visit the Marconi Express website.

Airport Photos

To share your photos of Bologna Airport, write a review or click here to send us a update:

Bologna Airport Photos

Related Pages: Bologna Airport Photos

Last updated: 2024-02-06

This guide is for informational purposes only to assist with your planning.  All information, including rates and hours, is subject to change at any time without notice.   The information in this airport guide is based on information collected and/or received from the airports, lounges, hotels, transportation providers, and their websites. We are not representatives of any of the above-mentioned service providers. To report errors or to add/update any items mentioned in the guide: update the airport guide or  write a review.