Bologna City Red Bus and Food tasting

Bologna, Italy

1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

What's Included

Welcome by the Bologna Tour staff
City Red Bus ticket
City Red Bus timetable
Multilingual audio guide
Earphones
Tasting vouchers
Map of Bologna

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna BO, Italy
Alongside the fountain of neptune

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Bologna

11 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Piazza Maggiore

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Quadrilatero

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

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

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

3.5

30 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 30 reviews

Very disappointing “Food Tasting”

Todd_Y, May 2024

Very disappointing. The “food tasting” experience is just them giving you a few coupons for places to eat. The extra money paid for the “food tasting” which is about 20 euros is not worth these 2 or 3 coupons. I would highly not recommend.

Expensive for what it was

Fiona_J, Mar 2024

This was a bit disappointing- the tour bus itself would have been €16 but we paid £50 for 2 of us with the “food tasting” being a voucher for 10% off vinegar, a free small ice cream and one other thing- definitely not worth the extra cost. We assumed (wrongly) that there would be a stop for the food tasting and not just vouchers

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hello Fiona! We are sad to hear that you didn't fully enjoy the Red Bus Tour. Our package, that you paid 25£ per person, includes not only the bus ticket and the earphones, but also the skip-the-line service (not included in the regular ticket), the welcome from our staff, always available to give you the best advice on restaurants and places to visit, a map of Bologna, and 3 food vouchers per person. We included a tasting of balsamic vinegar (paired with a voucher for a 10% off as an additional gift), one voucher for a salty tasting and one voucher for a sweet tasting (gelato in this case). We hope that you enjoyed the areas you passed by with the bus and that you learned something new about our wonderful city with the multilingual audioguide.

Foodies delight

Carol_D, Oct 2023

Wonderful way to see the city. Our sandwich hit the spot. Enjoy tasting the balsamic and our ice cream treat was scrumptious.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

So happy to read it! Thank you!

Great way to get about Bologna

David_N, Oct 2023

A great way to get round the wider city and see the sights of Bologna. It is a hop on/hop off service with commentary in multiple languages that does not disappoint. The “food tasting” is actually vouchers for 3 different local outlets” (hence the 4 instead of 5 stars). Whilst not part of the actual tour, we did use the vouchers and particularly enjoyed the gelato.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

We are very happy that you enjoyed the bus tour! The tour also includes three tastings to be collected in the respective shops where you can taste three typical products, two savory and one sweet. We hope you liked them!

To much for one hour

Martina_T, Aug 2023

We saw many churches and places, but explanations one after the other were to much as there were no breaks and no stops to make a photo for example.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you

Not worth the $$

Theresa_S, May 2023

This is the first Viator tour where I’ve been disappointed. I could have got the bus tour for a lot less money. There was only one food coupon and one drink (nonalcoholic) coupon. Someone met us, gave us a few details, and sent us off on our own. Definitely not worth the money.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Dear Customer, I find your review baseless and disparaging without knowing anything. Of course you could have bought the ticket for less money but you wouldn't have found it on Viator. Then he must consider that on Viator there are portal commissions. In addition, she had a reserved seat with Skip the Line and if she hadn't purchased she would probably have had to queue at least 1 hour to get the seat and she didn't have the tastings and the dedicated staff. Now tell me dear lady. Was it really worth buying the service differently? Inform yourself before writing non-real things.

Rainy day activity

Valerie_F, May 2023

It was a nice activity to do on a rainy day. We really liked the tasting tickets that were included for lunch and dessert.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you

Trip was mediocre

Irene_F, May 2023

When I turned up for ny trip I was disappointed that I was not allowed to go upstairs on the bus due to group of school children taking precedence. Took a seat downstairs only to be asked to move from that seat to allow school children to sit together. Trip is advertised as Bus and Food Tasting and being given vouchers to go and get your own sandwich or ice cream wasn't really what I was expecting. I could have just booked the bus tour when i got to Bologna at half the price!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you

A rip off scam

Alice_G, Nov 2022

It is a scam! Dont book this "tour". You pay extra aprox 40 euros per two persons just for someone to bring you a map for the hop on/ off bus of the city!!! The description is missleading, seems you will receive some experience, tasing, dinner..only to receive some vouchers for a piece of pizza abd a few bombons if YOU start looking for the places since they are not part of the tour. Basicaly somebody thought: if a tourist wants to plan ahead and take tickets online before arriving at the bus, than he can be fooled to pay more since he doesent really know what will receive. I am very upset to be fooled like this and hope Viator sees this abd takes down this tour. Also, i will contact Red bus hop off on toue to be adviced that some people use thier tickes to rip off tourists

Easy Bologna in a Day!

JoJo, Oct 2022

Pros: Actually having us try 2 different foods in areas that we might not have otherwise. Getting an overview of the city without having to drive. Cons: My headphone's connection went in and out, so I did not hear all of the information. My niece's connection was OK.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you

Just buy a bus ticket

Christine_J, Aug 2022

Don’t waste your money on this. The “food tasting” was some coupons for gelato and something else that you had to find the restaurant. The bus trip was nice with the audio guide telling you what you were driving by. You were able to get off and on the bus at any time. It did not stop at restaurants as it would see since it’s listed as food tasting.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Hi your review is false and misleading. You have purchased a tourist package with the city Red bus inside and 2 Tastings to do in the center of Bologna. Don't write untrue things.

This time everyhing went...

Kaija_L, Jul 2022

This time everyhing went wrong! First time in our travelling with Viator all over the world. We had to search the place where bus should leave because it was not clesrly indicated in the ticket. When found the bus and showed the ticket and askef if this wad the right bus, the bus assistant girl said that it is NOT the right ticket! Then we search again the bus and phoned Viator 20 minutes before leaving time. It was very hot day and big piazza and we walk around to same place again, same bus. Viator guide was very kind and said they have been waiting for us 20 minutes because they have sent us wrong time to ticket. English in the airpads was unclear young womens voice. Roudtrip was not one hour only 45 minutes, two tastings were only one because the other place was airrady closed. Can we ger refund for that? We were very disappoited!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

We are sorry that you were disappointed but the meeting point was very clear on the ticket and you did not show up at the meeting point where a staff person for 20 minutes, but you went where you thought you wanted the meeting point. This is why we didn't find each other right away. The tastings were both open.