• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Carbon Neutral

Curious about what Bologna will reveal you? Then join me for a pleasant 2 hours tour to the discovery of the 7 Secrets of Bologna. Behind each of them lies a mysterious legend. Optic and acustic illusions, puzzling renaissance inscriptions, medieval romances and a lot more is what you can expect.

Destination

Bologna, Italy

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Français, Italiano, Nederlands

Included

• Private guide
• Pick-up Included

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Hermes.

1. Meeting point

   You will be picked up anywhere in Bologna. Your local host will contact you regarding the exact pickup point.

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting Point at Monagnola

   We will meet in front of the Montagnola Park, and I will give you a little introduction about the 7 secrets of Bologna.

4. La Finestrella

   Our first stop will be at the Finestrella, a little and a bit hidden window that will make you discover a not well known side of the town.

5. Canabis Protectio

   We will continue walking along the crowded Via Indipendenza. But remember, when you walk in Bologna, don't forget to look up once in a while, or you will loose some of its secrets.

6. The Neptune Statue

   We will arrive in the main Piazza Maggiore, and have a look at one of the symbols of the city, the Statue of Neptune, but we will have a look at it from a different perspective.

7. A Telephone Without Wires

   Under the vaults of Palazzo Renzo we will have a look at one the most incredible architectural wonders.

8. The 3 Arrows

   At the next stop we will have a look at one of the most ancient porches of the city, where I will tell you about an ancient medieval romance.

9. The Broken Vase

   We will continue by stopping in front of The 2 Towers, another monument of Bologna. On top of the towers a legend tells there is a Broken Vase, but no one has ever seen it, but maybe it's just a metaphore for a hidden meaning.

10. "Il Fittone"

    Our last stop will be in Via Zamboni, a the center of the University neighborhood, where we will have a look at the Fittone, a taproot, that became very famous for the students of Bologna, and particularly for the brotherhood of the Goliardi.

11. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Mirjam

12 December 2024

Hermes showed us Bologna during a very engaging and informative tour. Interesting historical facts, funny anecdotes and beautiful spots! Great start of our citytrip

Jeannine🇺🇸 United States

16 June 2024

Our group of 5 had a lovely time w Hermes. The pace was perfect. He introduced us to iconic but hidden sites in bologna! Wonderful intro to bologna!

Manon

6 May 2024

Nous avons passé un super moment avec Hermès. C'est comme se balader dans les rues de Bologne avec un ami qui nous ferait visiter. Hermès est agréable, jovial et apporte des informations pertinentes sur la ville. Le tout accompagné de petites anecdotes. Je recommande Hermès sans hésiter !C'est comme une visite avec un ami

Hanne Ida🇩🇰 Denmark

6 May 2024

Hermes was an amazing tour guide and meeting him was the high light of our trip to Bologna. Intelligent, warm, open minded and with a deep knowledge about the area. . We highly recommend the trip with Hermes. Useful and great fun at the same time The peak point of our trip

Lucien🇮🇹 Italy

23 July 2020

Excellent tour. Very relax. Would have liked some more content/history. But overall coolGreat guide

Daniel🇮🇱 Israel

7 March 2020

7 secrets of Bologna with Hermes was one of the peeks of our short 5 day stint to the Bologna area. Upon arriving to the city of Bologna we sadly discovered that all museums were closed, due to the Corona virus, so we end up instead of being in a closed museum to be in a giant 3 hour walking open museum of our own, with Hermes , our local guide. Hermes was pleasant, a fountain of knowledge and love for the town of Bologna, its traditions, its people, its history and culture, its secret culinary gems and yet being a native of Gent Belgium and resident of Amsterdam for many years he also had a wider cosmopolitan view. Hermes was also incredibilly patient, answering all of our questions and providing us with all the time we needed when we wanted to take photos or examine something deeper, and we ended up the tour with a sense we've earned a friend too. The tour 7 secrets of Bologna was created by him so we got a unique peak at the city from a true local - and the proof was that during the tour we met by coincidence several of his old days buddies from the university of Bologna, his Alma mater. The only thing we would have like to be different is to be in a tour with other tourists, maybe a small group of 6-8 people, so we'd get the chance of meeting other visitors to this beatiful city, but again, due to the Corona there were less visitors in town, and we end up receiving a private VIP tour. ThanQ Hermes for an excellent tour and a plesant experience, and feel free to contact us when you arrive to Tel Aviv7 Secrets and much more

Paz Alejandra🇨🇱 Chile

4 January 2020

Hermes es una excelente guía, pasamos un rato muy agradable a su lado y nos mostró lugares interesantes de Bolonia, más haya de los siete secretos. Hermes es muy amigable y sabe mucho de la ciudad, tour recomendable. Hermes gracias por tu tiempo.Muy buena experiencia

Patricia🇺🇸 United States

9 December 2019

Professional, knowledgeable, friendly and fun. I learned so.much on our tour!Hermes Rocks

Mark🇳🇱 Netherlands

1 December 2019

Hermes gave us a fun, friendly and relaxed tour of some off-the-beaten track highlights of Bologna. We ended with with a great recommendation for dinner and live jazz concert fun and relaxed

Dan

24 October 2024

Hermes was very friendly and a pleasure to be with . His command of English was exceptional. Walking through the markets and smaller shops was a great way to experience the day to day lives of the Bolognese. We would not hesitate to do another tour with Hermes. No excuse for not eating well in Bologna

Peter🇳🇱 Netherlands

12 June 2024

As we’re not totally new to Bologna or Italy in general, we asked Hermes for a tour that avoided the obvious and combined food with parts of his seven secrets tour. And yes he delivered! From tigalle to il secreto di Puccinelli, we learned a lot of new things and got a fascinating insight in the history and culture of this beautiful city. Book Hermes, you will not be disappointed👍🏻 Henriëtte & Peter NetherlandsFood and secrets, Bologna at his best

Pam🇺🇸 United States

26 May 2024

Hermes was so good. He was very personable and knowledgeable. We got to try a lot of the must have bologna foods! We also saw some interesting places!Fabulous!

Cabrini🇸🇬 Singapore

25 November 2021

Hermes was very friendly and it was nice chatting with him. We got to understand a lot about Bologna’s local culture and had a unique experience that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Highly recommend!Great experience

Kiko🇮🇹 Italy

5 May 2021

We had a good time touring around Bologna Centro with Hermes! He was kind enough to accept our booking with very short notice. He was also very flexible and creative in improvising new stuff considering that some establishments are still closed after the lockdown. The tour was a very good mix of history and the nice food that Bologna has to offer!

Deborah

14 December 2020

Me and my husband we had a wonderful 10 tasting tour together with Hermes. We really enjoyed the food and the city, and Hermes did a really good job, considering also Covid restrictions, and he even showed us some secret gems that were not programmed. If you ever happen to be in Bologna we truly recommend this tour and this guide." The tour took place on the 14th of November, guest Deborah-Wonderful

Nirmal🇳🇱 Netherlands

5 March 2020

Hermes was one of the most accommodating hosts/guides we have ever met. We had to change our plan multiple times because of the recent virus outbreak and he changed his plans for us. He also customized the tour for us to avoid crowded places. The food tastings were all well thought out and something we would have never stumbled up on our own. The final stop was at an Osteria where Hermes, me and my wife had bread, cheese and wine, the quintessential Italian experience. Definitely recommend it!Experienced hidden food gems of Bologna

Johanne🇨🇦 Canada

26 February 2020

Hermes is an outstanding guide!He has an extensive knowledge of Bologna, he made our street photo shoot a grand finale to our trip! He provided some tips but not in an intrusive way, he is friendly , professional... most importantly our tour included area we would never had gone if we were not with this tour. We highly recommend !!Hermes is an outstanding guide!

Bert🇧🇪 Belgium

24 February 2020

We took the tour immediately after we arrived and it was nice to have Hermes introducing us in the city and to the local food. We asked for a vegetarian version and he adapted the tour nicely. It was very relax, plenty of time to do all stops, it might have been better for us to move a bit quicker and smell the atmosphere in the city. But for sure we enjoyed it a lot!Good introduction to Bologna

McKay🇮🇹 Italy

16 February 2020

Hermes took my husband and I and our 3 kids (ages 6, 4, and 2) on the 10 tastes tour and customized it for us to accommodate for the kids. We had a great time and he gave us great info on Bologna history and the food. He was very friendly and patient, as we don’t exactly move anywhere fast. Definitely recommend this city, this guide and this tour! Wonderful tour, great guide!

Charlotte🇬🇧 United Kingdom

3 February 2020

Had a fantastic food tour with Hermes. He was so friendly and knowledgable. So many great things to see and taste. Would definitely recommend to anyone. Great food tour of bologna

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

26 January 2020

We had a fantastic time touring Bolognas Mercato delle Erbe and the Quadrilatero area! The food was great and Hermès our guide was very fun. Highly recommend!Great food in Bologna!

Fiona🇬🇧 United Kingdom

15 January 2020

We spent a morning on the Food Tour with Hermes. Its was fab. We are vegetarian but Hermes took us to sample all the local specialities taking that into consideration. We most definitely visited spots we wouldn't have gone to on our own and he was very knowledgeable. It was just like spending time with a lovely friend! The highlight was a drink and picnic in the oldest Osteria in Bologna. Great value and great service. Highly recommended:)Excellent

jamie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

9 January 2020

Hermes was an excellent guide and we enjoyed the tour greatly. He communicated with us before to make sure everything was running on time and during the tour he was extremely informative, relaxed and made us feel very welcome. Showed us some extra bits around Bologna that weren’t on the official itinerary and then also helped us to make restaurant reservations for our stay . Would highly recommend.Excellent Tour

Kellie🇩🇪 Germany

5 January 2020

Our tour with Hermes was great! He accommodated our group of 7 and at late notice. We enjoyed all the different foods and was happy that the children had food options also. Thank you Hermes!Food tour of Bologna

Stephanie🇺🇸 United States

1 January 2020

Hermes was kind, fun & very knowledgeable! We toured with our teo children & he was amazing at keeping all four if us engaged. The food we tasted was delicious & local. We really enjoyed our time. If we had more time in Bologna, we would absolutely do another tour with Hermes! Take this tour with him--it really rounded out our trip beautifully! Amazing Tour!

Jerry

15 November 2019

We had the chance to walk around Bologna with the company of our guide Hermes, and we had such a good time. The city has a lot to offer, and Hermes knows all those little secrets that are often difficult to see for first-time visitors. The history of Bologna and the ancient medieval buildings and churches are fascinating, the food is just great, the city is plenty of little bars for all tastes, and Hermes is a really competent and enjoyable person to hang with, and offers an experience you won't regret!Hermes is a really competent and enjoyable person to hang with, and offers an experience you won't regret!

Griet

15 November 2019

The 10 Tastings Food Tour together with Hermes was fabulous. We enjoyed a variety of incredible good traditional and local food, hanging around small markets and shops in the really center of Bologna. It was both a perfect introduction to Bologna's history and its culinary richness. Hermes was the perfect guide, very gentle and kind, and with some very interesting stories regarding the city. I'm still dreaming about the "Fried tortellini" which was great. If you happen to spend some time in Bologna, this is a must!If you happen to spend some time in Bologna, this is a must!

Irem

15 November 2019

Experiencing Bologna with Hermes and his Street Photography Tour has opened my eyes to another side of the city I had not seen before. Walking through Bologna with a photo camera in your hands is a totally different experience than if you just walk around, you start to notice many small details and you understand the importance and beauty of framing a picture. I enjoyed his company, his passion for photography and his knowledge of the city. I truly recommend his Tour as the first experience of this wonderful city! I truly recommend his Tour as the first experience of this wonderful city!