Ravenna day trip from Bologna: Dante's Tomb and Byzantine mosaics

A local's route through Ravenna's Byzantine churches and the poet's tomb

A private day trip from Bologna to Ravenna with a local guide, train tickets and entrance fees included. You'll visit Dante's Tomb, a neoclassical monument where visitors observe silence; the Basilica of San Vitale, a 6th-century church with Byzantine mosaics; and Piazza del Popolo, with stops at other sites depending on your guide's chosen route. The tour runs seven hours and keeps groups small to avoid over-tourism.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Basilica of San Vitale1h
2. Mausoleum of Galla Placidiapassing by

Explore Ravenna's historic highlights

• Visit Dante's Tomb
• Tour Basilica of San Vitale
• Explore Piazza del Popolo
• See Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (optional)
• Visit additional local stops (optional)

The experience

The day starts in Bologna and moves by train to Ravenna, where your local guide shapes the route based on their knowledge of the city. You're not following a fixed itinerary: instead, the guide chooses which sites to prioritize, so the stops may include Dante's Tomb (built in 1781 over the poet's burial place, surrounded by a silent zone where visitors must be respectful), the Basilica of San Vitale with its surviving early Christian Byzantine art, Piazza del Popolo, and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. This flexibility means the day adapts to what your guide knows best and what matters most to you.

Train tickets and all entrance fees are included, so you move between sites without stopping to buy passes. The seven-hour span gives you time to walk through each place rather than rush past it. Your guide speaks English or Italian and draws on local knowledge to explain the history, culture and traditions behind what you're seeing: context that transforms a list of monuments into a coherent story about Ravenna's role in early Christian Europe and the Renaissance.

Groups stay small and intentionally non-intrusive, which means you're not part of a crowd moving lockstep through each site. The tour avoids standard tourist routes, so you see Ravenna the way locals do. Bring a moderate level of fitness: you'll be walking between stops and standing in churches. Lunch is optional and arranged separately. Public transport options are available nearby if you need them.

What’s included

• Local guide in English or Italian.
• private tour for your group.
• train tickets from Bologna to Ravenna.
• entrance tickets to all sites visited on the day.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 12:00

Book up to1d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Withlocals

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to explore Ravenna beyond the standard highlights and prefer a guide who shapes the route based on local knowledge rather than a fixed schedule. The small group size and flexibility mean you move at a pace that lets the history sink in, not a pace designed to tick boxes.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What is Dante's Tomb like when you visit it?

Dante's Tomb is a neoclassical monument built in 1781 over the burial place of the poet Dante Alighieri. It's surrounded by a "zona dantesca". A silent zone where visitors are expected to remain quiet and respectful out of reverence for the poet.

What makes the Basilica of San Vitale worth seeing?

The Basilica of San Vitale is a 6th-century church and one of the most important surviving examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture. Its mosaics and design show the artistic and religious sophistication of late antique Italy.

Does the guide choose the same stops every day?

No. Your guide selects the route based on their knowledge and what fits the day, so stops may include Dante's Tomb, the Basilica of San Vitale, Piazza del Popolo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and other sites depending on the chosen path.

How do you get from Bologna to Ravenna?

You travel by train. Train tickets are included in the tour price, and the journey connects the two cities so you arrive in Ravenna ready to begin exploring with your guide.