Modena Travel Guide: 3 -Day Itinerary

Day 1

Never trust an Italian city by the area right around the main train station. Unless you're in a super small town, you're likely a few minutes walk away from the good stuff.

More often than not, the area around the station is more residential and has more traffic than the city center, so either hop on a bus or keep walking in that direction and you'll soon be in for a treat.

‍

Check-In to Your Hotel

I always recommend a stay in the city center or at least within walking distance of it. Personally my favorite way to explore Italian cities is on foot so while you can of course take the bus or a bike in, if you can afford it, I'd say go with the more convenient stay.

It's also important to note that if you drive yourself here, parking can be a nightmare in the centers of cities. More often than not, they're riddled with pedestrian-only streets or one-ways that can be hard to navigate if you're here for the first time.

📍If you don't yet have your hotel or apartment booked, here's what I suggest:

• Budget Stay: Elegant & Beautiful: If you plan to make a few day trips, the location near the train station (yet still in the city center) will be super convenient.
• Mid-Tier Stay: Dei Gallucci Apartment B&B: This is where we stayed in Modena. We brought our dog and cat along for the trip so a comfy pet-friendly spot was mandatory. The balcony gave them extra space and it was located on a quiet alleyway just one block from the busy bar street I'll talk about later. I'd highly recommend this one.
• Luxury Stay: Sant'Eufemia 30: If you're a fan of boutique hotels, especially ones that are a piece of living history, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better hotel than this one for your trip.

‍

Explore the City

I hope you arrive early enough that you have time today to simply explore Modena's city center. If you don't, I'd urge you to avoid jetting off for a day trip tomorrow (or opting for a half-day trip instead) to enjoy the town at a slow pace.

While you'll certainly be pulled to a piazza or two, I recommend you also allow yourself to get a little lost. Wander the alleyways without destination, stopping in local shops along the way. The city is small enough that you can walk the center relatively easily.

If you don't know the trick, you can use Google Maps to help you understand where exactly the center of Modena is (or any city for that matter). Just zoom into the city you want to explore until you find the areas that look yellow. Those are the busiest bits. Head in that direction and I promise you'll find something good!

Just be sure not to stick to just the main streets and allow yourself to lead with your heart, less than your map.

Trust me, that's where the real magic of Italy is. It also makes stumbling upon the impressive Modena cathedral or Piazza Grande just that much better.

‍

Enjoy a Traditional Dinner

You're here to eat traditional Italian cuisine. And if you're not, let me try and convince you otherwise. The region is home to some of the most classic dishes of Italy and more than a handful of things I'm sure you've never heard of but will soon crave daily (I'm looking at you, erbazzone).

If you came here on a diet and don't plan to indulge, please think again. One of the best ways to enjoy this city is by your taste buds so go for it.

Modena's food scene really got on the map years ago thanks to Osteria Francescana being named the "best restaurant in the world." Although no longer the title holder, some would argue that's only because they no longer allow repeat winners. We don't have the funds for this kind of meal but if you do, know you'll need to make your reservation months in advance.

I'm so in love with the cuisine here that I wrote an entire article just about Modena's food. The real ones will also appreciate just how different it is from nearby Bologna's food.

While I'm going to share here some restaurants we really enjoyed, just know that this isn't by any means an exclusive list of places to eat. There are so many restaurants in the city that we just scratched the surface.

A few we'd recommend to friends though are:

• Trattoria Tagliatella
• Trattoria Aldina
• Trattoria Il Fantino
• Ristorante Fà a Mód
• La piadineria di via gallucci

Just be sure to top it all off with a glass (or two) with Lambrusco wine. This red sparkling wine became a quick favorite of ours while in Bologna and we were pleasantly surprised that it's found throughout the region.

‍

Day 2

After a brief introduction to Modena yesterday, today I suggest you see more of the region. From Modena, you can take a regional train to a handful of nearby cities or towns.

As I mentioned above though, if you didn't have time to fully explore Modena yesterday and won't have time tomorrow, I recommend you use today to stay in the city and skip the pull of a day trip.

‍

Choose Your Day Trip

A cool thing about Modena is that it's really centrally located between some of the biggest names in the region and a few lesser-known gems. If you have more time in Modena, I recommend you choose more than one town to see but if you're short on time, pick the one that interests you most.

A quick thing to note: most things are closed in Italy around 2pm-5pm, with restaurants often opening back up at 7pm. I would not recommend you plan your day trip around those times but instead go in the morning or the evening.

Here are some nearby ideas:

• Bologna: 25 minutes by train. If you like big cities then Bologna is worth visiting. Come here to eat tagliatelle al ragù, lasagna, and plenty of mortadella. Know though that the city is grungier and doesn't quite have the same charm that a lot of Italy has. I think it's a super cool spot but I'd guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. This is my 3-day guide to Bologna so you'll need to carve it down for a quick trip.
• Carpi: 15 minutes by train. Carpi, not Capri. This is a small town that I doubt you've heard of. If you want a quiet day or are more into a laid-back half day trip idea, Carpi is a good choice. The piazza here is really incredible and worth a walk around. Here's a full guide on a day trip to Carpi.
• Reggio Emilia: 15 minutes by train. This small city really surprised me. I decided to visit on a whim on a day Raf was working but I was free. I'm so glad I did! It's gorgeous and the old town is bigger than I expected. I spent a long half day here but could have hung out longer if I didn't need to rush back for our food tour in Modena.
• Parma: 30 minutes by train. Parma is easily one of the most famous cities in the region thanks to parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese) and prosciutto (Parma ham). I'm glad we visited the town but if I had to choose, I'd go with Reggio Emilia...but then again, I'm more of a mortadella and stracciatella cheese kind of girl. So it really goes on taste because Raf would likely disagree.

Since Reggio Emilia and Parma are on the same train line (just one stop after another), you could combine those two cities into one day trip and see one in the morning and another in the evening.

‍

Have a Lively Aperitivo...

Unless you end up staying the night/evening in the town you picked for your day trip, I recommend you go scope out Modena's bar street, Via dei Galluci.

By pure coincidence we stayed right off this street and often ended up grabbing a drink or two on our way back home. It's really lively and offers a nice mix of beer and wine bars, a rarity in Italy.

If you want to enjoy an aperitivo that'll be nearly impossible to find outside of Emilia Romagna, I recommend you enjoy gnocco fritto with some cured meats and cheese. There's also plenty of piadina places on this street, which is a flatbread sandwich filled with really anything you want.

By definition, an aperitivo is a pre-meal drink. Italians usually take it to the next level and turn it into dinner when accompanied by plenty of snacks.

‍

...Topped Off with a Gelato

Save any room for gelato? If you ask Raf, it goes straight to your heart, not your belly. A reasoning I often hear when I tell him I'm too full for an after dinner scoop.

You won't lack for delicious gelato options here (or anywhere in Italy really) but there is something truly unique that you can try here that you won't find elsewhere: gelato with balsamic vinegar.

Yep, you heard that right.

A coworker suggested we watch the Venice/Modena episode of "Everybody Feeds Phil" on Netflix mainly for this concoction. While I'm not a big fan of the show, we did tune in one night to watch this episode. And I'll be honest, we were intrigued.

We love a unique combo so thought, what the hell.

I need to preface this by saying this isn't a super Italian thing to do. Apparently a restaurant in Modena started the whole thing but other than some people doing it at home, it didn't really catch on. With the episode though, Gelateria Bloom started offering it on their menu.

There are a handful of them in the city so it isn't too hard to find one. The one I linked above is just the one we went to. We tried their two flavors but both agreed the fior di latte (milk) gelato was best with it.

Would I want it drizzled on all my gelato? No. But will I do it at home from time to time? You better believe it.

‍

Day 3

Alright, it's your last day in Modena. Before you run straight to the train station, I hope you have a little bit of time to experience more of the city.

And yes, I think we both know by now, I'm going to suggest you eat more.

If your hotel or apartment doesn't allow you to leave your bags after check-out, use Radical Storage to find a convenient drop-off point. We use this often to not have to cart around our stuff when we still have time to explore.

‍

Go on a Food Tour

And with limited time, what's the best way to eat a lot of things? Go on a food tour. Even though we stayed in Modena a full week, we still squeezed one in. Some of the things we had already tried on our own but a food tour gives you the cultural and historic context to make the meals even more unforgettable.

We booked this food tour and really enjoyed it. My only recommendation if you go for it is to book the morning slot. We went in the afternoon thanks to work schedules and a few of the stops were closed.

Instead, you could do a specific balsamic vinegar making tour but know that most food tours include a balsamic vinegar tasting in it (ours did). We're not such fanatics that we wanted to focus on just one thing and liked the overall approach to the general tour.

The region also offers prosciutto di Parma and parmigiano reggiano tours if you want to dive more specifically into one of those foods instead.

‍

Modena Travel Tips

Now that you've got your travel itinerary squared away, there are a few more travel tips I want to share with you to ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible.

‍

How to Get to Modena

Other than a few remote towns or the mountains of Northern Italy, I pretty much always recommend using the train system in Italy. Public transportation is really solid here and definitely makes getting from Point A to Point B easy.

I mean, I'm able to write this while I commute instead of having to focus behind the wheel.

The train station is just a few minutes walk from the city center. If you want to skip that walk, you can take the bus somewhere more central. You can buy a bus ticket on board, either tapping your card/phone and paying without the need to speak to anyone or paying with cash directly to the driver.

‍

Best Time to Visit

Modena gets 4 seasons so you'll want to plan your trip wisely. Of those 4 seasons, summer is definitely the most intense.

The heat hits hard here so I'd think twice about a summer getaway. We visited Modena in early June and last year booked a late June trip to Bologna. Both were sweaty trips. A big help in the summer though is most of these towns use portici (plural of portico) to give you shade while walking, no matter the time of the day.

‍

How Many Days to Spend

If you plan to stay just in Modena and do only 1 day trip, a long weekend is enough. If you work remotely like we do and need to balance your job with your trip, you'll be grateful for more time.

We love a slow trip where we get to meander without being rushed but I do know that's a luxury most days. If you want to take more day trips though, I would consider having more time here.

We've noticed (and locals confirmed) that most people only come to Modena for a day trip centered around balsamic vinegar. While I can understand wanting to simply check that off your list, I truly think this city deserves more time and attention.

‍

Motor Valley

You can probably tell by my itinerary that I'm not impressed by cars. But, I'd be remiss to not even mention that Modena is part of Motor Valley: an area of Emilia Romagna famous for their car production.

A lot of big names in the car world are here, like: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, and Ducati.

Between all the towns and in the land between, there are a lot of car museums, places you can get behind the wheel for a test drive, and learn more about the production of these luxury vehicles.

If this is something that interests you, I'd swap out one of the day trips I mentioned and instead plan a day around your favorite car.

Note that because of Motor Valley, the toll roads around Modena are more expensive than in other regions of Italy. It's also more common to see luxury cars speeding by on the highway. This is only something that's important to note if you plan to drive yourself to or around Modena.

‍

You'll Love Your Trip to Modena

With this, you're ready for your trip to Modena. Personally, I think it's a fantastic city and one that's well-worth visiting. The central location in the region, the delicious food, and the stunning architecture all combine to make it a place that's worth more time than just a quick visit.

Although world-famous for their balsamic vinegar, I highly recommend you give Modena a little more attention than just that.