- Are you so lucky to be in Italy?
- Are you travelling in the North / Centre of Italy?
- Are you feeling like you want to explore a bit out of the beaten tracks?
Then Ferrara is the city for you! It’s is perfect for a day trip from Bologna – 50 minutes driving – or a 2 to 3 day trip from Verona and Venice (1h30 driving) or Florence (2h15 driving) or from Milan (3h10 driving).
Don’t have a car? No worries! The Italian train system works pretty well – unless there are delays… – it usually takes you everywhere and sometimes it’s quicker than driving. You can check official timetables on trenitalia.it.
I strongly recommend that you spend at least one night in Ferrara because its buzzing medieval city center is just perfect to enjoy an aperitivo and a traditional Italian dinner.
Here you’ll find:
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Key info to save money
Tourist Card
MyFe Card is a must-have if you are visiting Ferrara and want to get into its main attractions.
MyFe is Ferrara’s tourism card – a pass that helps you get the most out of your time and money. Choose the card that best suits your needs (2, 3 or 6 days).
www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/en
Not only you will have free access to the main museums, but you’ll also save on you hotel tax (“tassa di soggiorno” in Italian) read more about what it offers you here and buy it here.
Tip: Buy it before getting to Ferrara, so you can show it to your hotel once you arrive, or email your unique number to them, and you won’t pay the hotel tax.
Where to eat in Ferrara
Ferrara is relatively cheap compared to other main cities in Italy and you can have delicious food for little, honest money. Please bear in mind that if you go to a restaurant, you’ll be charged a fix service fee (1-2€) called “coperto”, which includes free bread but not free water.
You always pay for water both at restaurants and in cafè / bars and it will always be bottled. Despite that, you can drink tap water, so you can refill you own water bottle as many times you want!
Lunch: If you want to try a traditional “piadina” or “piada” (a thin Italian flatbread stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, vegetables… really anything you like) or get tempted by a focaccia bread stuffed with delicious local products, you should pop by Paninoteca – Gate 25. Next to it, there is also a lovely sourdough placed run by Alice, called Filonificio; just pop by to get some treats!
Dinner: There are lots of local restaurants in the city center where you can try traditional dishes such as “cappellacci di zucca” (large ravioli stuffed with pumpkin). I had them topped with ragù at Hostaria Savonarola next to the castle and they were delicious! The price for this dish and other first courses should be 11-12€, so pick the restaurant you like, but mind the price!
Be aware of where you are
The city of Ferrara has got a beautiful Medieval city center which is surrounded by a larger Renaissance center. This area is surrounded by stunning and quite well-preserved city walls.
The city has expanded beyond the walls, of course, but it’s not something you’ll go and visit – unless you’re curious to see a regular Italian city. However, it’s interesting to see the contrast between the two parts once you are going around the walls.
The main attractions you’re going to visit revolve around the House of Este (Famiglia d’Este in Italian), a dynasty that ruled Ferrara from 1240 to 1597 – so yep you’ll see pretty old stuff!
The most important name is the one of Borso d’Este, the First Duke of Ferrara. You’ll find his name everywhere when visiting the castle, the Schifanoia Palace, and even the monumental cemetery (Cimitero della Certosa). He surely wanted to be remembered and used art as a powerful propaganda to promote himself and his political ambitions. Indeed, there are many medals, coins, and paintings carrying his face.
What to see in Ferrara
Este Castle – Castello Estense
As mentioned, once in Ferrara you can’t missed the Este Castle (Castello Estense). It’s great both from the outside and the inside. It’s surrounded by water – a rare thing – and the visit is well organised taking you to explore it’s history and transformation, it’s prisons, and get you to enjoy a stunning view of the city from the Lion Tower (La Torre Dei Leoni).
The whole visit is included in your MyFe Card, but if you’re buying a ticket at the ticket office, make sure to include access to the Lion Tower. Allow at least 2 hours for your visit. Opening hours 10.00-18.00. Closed on Tuesday.
This castle was home to Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), quite a controversial figure at the time due to her many marriages and lovers. Fun fact: she used to go upstairs to her room (now the Council Room) by horse. You’ll walk the same stairs at the end of your visit towards the exit. Reading one of the many books about her, including a collection of her letter, is a plus!
Schifanoia Palace – Palazzo Schifanoia
This was a suburban retreat ‘to escape boredom’ (in Italian, “schifar la noia”). It’s quite stunning to see the way the palace changed through the centuries as well as the conservation campaigns that started in the 1800s and continues till today. The video at the beginning of the visit is a must-see.
The main and most beautiful room of the palace is the Hall of the Months (Salone dei Mesi), painted to celebrate Borso d’Este in about 1469, then covered with white painting in the 1700s, and finally brought back to life starting from the 1800s.
The entrance is included in your MyFe Card. Opening hours 10.00-19.00. Ticket office closes at 18.00. Closed on Monday.
City Walls – Le Mura
I think Ferrara is one of the few cities in Italy with such well-preserved city walls!
Hire a bike and enjoy the perimeter of the Walls. There is a very nice path with signs in English and Italian to read about the key points and changes in history. The best part of the Walls goes anticlockwise from piazza Travaglio to corso Ercole I d’Este, passing from Punta della Giovecca. This will take about 2 hours by bike if you stop and read the signs.
You can only do this part and then go to visit the monumental cemetery (Cimitero della Certosa) and the city center or you can do the whole round. It’s up to you.
Monumental Cemetery – Cimitero della Certosa
This is a nice detour after spending time walking around the buzzing city center. The cemetery is quiet and its colonnade quite stunning. You’ll have a feeling of isolation and peace while walking around. There is the tomb of Borso d’Este and of other important people in history. The huge church is worth a visit as well.
Not too far from it, there is also the well-know Diamonds Palace (Palazzo dei Diamanti). This is truly beautiful from the outside. If you have time, you can get in and visit the art galleries: the National Gallery (Pinacoteca Nazionale) on the left side, free with your MyFe Card, and any temporary exposition on the right side.
The Cathedral and The City Center
The Cathedral is only partially open, but it’s worth a visit since it bears witness to all the historical periods of the city. Once yo get to the cathedral, you are in the city center so you can’t miss all the other great buildings and streets go walk around.
Local Note: On the entrance walls of the City Hall (Palazzo Municipale) and on the columns of the building on the right of the cathedral there are signs, or commemorative plaques, that witness the support of the people of Ferrara to the unification of Italy in the 19th century and remember key figures such as Mazzini and Garibaldi.
There are commemorative plaques everywhere around the city center, so head up!
Can’t miss: Via della Volte (vaults lane), a charming medieval street that marks the axis along which Ferrara developed between the 7th and 9th centuries A.D. and which greatly influenced the further development of the entire city.
Walk around, and get lost. That’s the best way to enjoy the medieval city center of Ferrara!
What else?
There are other things to see in Ferrara, for example, the House of Ludovico Ariosto – nearby Diamonds Palace – or the Church of Santa Maria in Vado – nearby Schifanoia Palace – with its miracle. If this is still not enough, you can have a look here.
Itineraries
1 Day in Ferrara
A day trip may be short to truly explore Ferrara, but it’s enough to get its vibes and beauty!
It could be a good idea to hire a bike and go around the city center, see a part of the Walls, and the Certosa.
After lunch, you can visit the Este Castle and enjoy the view of the city from above. Squeeze in an aperitivo, if you manage, and say goodbye with the promise to come back!
2 Days or a Weekend in Ferrara
Staying one night in Ferrara will give you the chance to enjoy a traditional dinner – remember that restaurants open at 7pm – and its night life.
You can visit the Este Castle one day and the Schifanoia Palace the other day – visiting both on the same day may be a bit too much – and mix them with walking and biking around the city. For example you could do:
- Day 1: Lunch in the city center + Este Castle + walking around the medieval city center including Via della Volte + relax + traditional dinner
- Day 2: Hire a bike and get to Schifanoia Palace, stop for lunch, then ride around the City Walls and go to see the Certosa and Palazzo dei Diamanti (Diamonds Palace) from outside.
3 Days in Ferrara
That’s what we did and we could see everything with no rush. We actually only used half of day three and we went to see a smaller town nearby called Cento.
Here is how we organised our 3 days in Ferrara:
Day 1: We arrived for lunch and we went to visit Este Castle at 2pm. After more than a 2-hour visit, we walked around the medieval city center and visited the Cathedral and Via della Volte. We came back to our hotel to relax before going out to enjoy a traditional dinner.
Day 2: We walked to Schifanoia Palace and visited it from 10am to 11:30am. On the way there, we popped into the Church of Santa Maria in Vado. Then, we walked back to the city center where we stopped for lunch to have a delicious “piadina”.
- After lunch, we visited the Diamonds Palace (Palazzo dei Diamanti), including the National Gallery. The visit was quite short, so then we went to the nearby Massari Park and then to visit the Certosa and its monumental cemetery.
- On the way back to the hotel, which was near the castle, we decided to stop and visit the House of Ludovico Ariosto; it is nice to see and historically important.
- We had a well-deserved rest and then went out for dinner.
Day 3: We rent a bike at our hotel – EGO’ Residence – and hit the City Walls! It was a lovely ride, indeed. It took us more than 2 hours as we stopped to read all the signs and then we pop by the Certosa again to use the (free) toilets! We came back to the hotel crossing roads we hadn’t crossed yet and then we left to go to the town of Cento for lunch.
Those are just recommendations to help you organise your trip to Ferrara! If you would like our support to plan your trip, contact us here!
