Fewer crowds
January is quietest.
January, at 14% of the busiest month (August). Low season, under 35% of the peak: October to April.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitBologna & Emilia-Romagna.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with October.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 8.4/10
Overnight stays are 22% of the busiest month.
Based on Emilia-Romagna regional averages.
- Afternoon high
- 69°F
- Sea temperature
- 68°F
- Crowds
- Low
The sea averages 68°F (20°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Price context. Historical regional hotel-price season: about usual. There is no room-rate baseline in euros.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover Emilia-Romagna, including Bologna, Rimini and Parma. Conditions vary within the region.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
October at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 8.4/10
Overnight stays are 22% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 68°F (20°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the October guide- Afternoon high
- 69°F
- Night low
- 52°F
- Sea temperature
- 68°F
- Rain days
- 7
- Daylight
- 11h 04m
- Crowds
- Low
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | October | 8.4 | 9.0/10 Excellent | Low | Pricey | 69°F | 52°F | 68°F | 7 | 11h 04m |
| #2 | April | 8.3 | 8.9/10 Very good | Low | Pricey | 68°F | 47°F | 58°F | 7 | 13h 25m |
| #3 | May | 8.2 | 9.1/10 Excellent | Moderate | Pricey | 75°F | 54°F | 65°F | 8 | 14h 46m |
| #4 | September | 7.8 | 8.9/10 Very good | Moderate | Pricey | 80°F | 60°F | 75°F | 7 | 12h 36m |
| #5 | March | 7.8 | 7.4/10 Very good | Low | Moderate | 61°F | 41°F | 53°F | 9 | 11h 50m |
| #6 | November | 7.4 | 6.6/10 Good | Low | Moderate | 58°F | 44°F | 62°F | 11 | 9h 38m |
| #7 | December | 7.0 | 6.0/10 Good | Low | Moderate | 51°F | 36°F | 56°F | 8 | 8h 51m |
| #8 | February | 6.9 | 5.9/10 Good | Low | Moderate | 53°F | 36°F | 51°F | 8 | 10h 25m |
| #9 | June | 6.7 | 7.8/10 Very good | Busy | Pricey | 86°F | 63°F | 74°F | 7 | 15h 32m |
| #10 | January | 6.7 | 5.7/10 Good | Low | Moderate | 50°F | 34°F | 53°F | 7 | 9h 11m |
| #11 | August | 5.8 | 6.9/10 Good | Peak | Pricey | 89°F | 67°F | 80°F | 6 | 14h 06m |
| #12 | July | 5.8 | 6.8/10 Good | Peak | Pricey | 90°F | 67°F | 79°F | 5 | 15h 15m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · October
October
- High
- 69°F
- Low
- 52°F
- Rain
- 7 days
- Crowds
- Low
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
Emilia-Romagna regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 7.0 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
Very-good-or-better weather scores: March to June and September to October. No month has a poor weather score.
Peak-season months: July to August. Low-season months: October to April.
The two busiest months account for 41% of annual overnight stays.
Events that move crowds and prices Ferragosto (15 August) and Italy's peak holiday weeks, typically 1–17 August 2027: Italians' own peak holiday: beaches packed and roads jammed; city shops and restaurants close around the 15th. Official site.
Figures cover the whole Emilia-Romagna region, suburbs included. Hotel prices here run +3% against their yearly average in August and −7% in January, on the regional price index.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
May has the highest weather score.
Very good or better March to June and September to October. May has the highest displayed weather score (9.1/10).
Lower prices
December to February.
These are three lower-price months on the historical regional hotel index; there is no euro room-rate baseline.
School holidays
Summer break meets the busy season.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season. Spring break (March–April) falls in low season.
Local families travel too: at least 30% of people in Italy live where schools are out on a typical day June to August and December. Italy's school calendar for September isn't fully published yet. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL, and official calendars.)
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Low season throughout.
50–53°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
A quieter start, a busier finish.
March and April fall in low season; May falls in moderate season.
61–75°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A busy season for visitors.
June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season.
86–90°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September falls in moderate season; October and November fall in low season.
58–80°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within Bologna & Emilia-Romagna.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 1. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | ITH5 · Emilia-Romagna |
| Region type | City (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 8%, coastal 33%, mountain 33%; median ground height 167 m; set by editorial override) |
| Population used | 4.5 million (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2024–2025 average |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Bologna Borgo Panigale from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (1.1°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Urban, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | 54% |
| Accommodation mix | 71% hotels, 10% camping |
| Hotel rates | ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 107 |
| Daylight latitude | 44.53° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are regional where the page says so (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region), otherwise national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.