Please note that some of the links on the website might be affiliate links, which means that at absolutely no extra cost for you our website will earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting this project! Our Disclaimer
Table of Contents:
How to get to Bergamo from the airport
How to get to Milan from Bergamo
When to travel to Bergamo
Bergamo is a beautiful medieval town in Northern Italy, located 60 km from Milan. The city has amazingly preserved many historical monuments, including palaces, castles, towers, basilicas, medieval squares, cathedrals and chapels. Bergamo is located in the foothills of the Alps; the old part of the city is located on a hill, while the new one is in the valley of the Po River. Both parts of the city are connected with a cable car. Thus, Bergamo delights both with its man-made attractions and picturesque natural landscapes.
After some research, I decided to put together information I have previously found out and create a complete guide on how to organize a holiday in Bergamo. I figured out how to get to the town, where to stay & what to see there. I really hope this detailed information will help you plan your trip to Bergamo.
Bergamo can be visited all year round as most of attractions are open for travellers at any season of the year. Winters in Bergamo can be rather rainy and cloudy, but as a whole the local climate is quite mild. Late autumn and winter months mostly suit for visiting museums and palazzos, while spring, summer and early autumn are good for outdoor activities, including long distance strolling around the city and hiking in the natural surroundings.
How to get to Bergamo
Where do you fly into to get to Bergamo? The city has its own airport called Orio al Serio Airport, where European carriers, including low-cost companies fly. You can check the current flight timetable to Bergamo via specialized online services such as Aviasales and other similar ones. I often use this service as it helps me to compare different flight options and to choose the optimal one. Then you can get from the airport to Bergamo by public transport or by taxi. In order to travel to Milan, tourists can also use a bus or a train or even hire a car.
How to get to Bergamo from the airport
By bus: There are direct buses between the airport of Orio al Serio and the old town of Bergamo. The distance is just about 6-7 km. Buses depart quite often during the day. The travel time is about 20 minutes. You should focus on bus #1. Please, note that there are no night buses available.
By taxi: As an option, travellers can also use a taxi or a transfer service to get to Bergamo City. It is especially useful in case of night arrival when public transport does not operate, or when tourists take a lot of pieces of baggage with them. You can try to find a taxi car right after arrival or to book a transfer service in advance. Transfer services can be booked via different international services such as Kiwitaxi and others. The travel time is 20 minutes. According to my research, Kiwitaxi has a lot of positive reviews. For sure, there are a lot of other taxi services available at the airport.
How to get to Milan from Bergamo
After some map research, I found out that the distance between Milan and Bergamo is 60 km. You can use either public transport or a car to get to your travel destination.
By bus: Milan can be reached from Bergamo by various means of public transport. For example, this direction is served by different bus carriers throughout the day. In this case, the travel time is about 1 hour. The departure is from Bergamo Central Bus Station. Firstly, you need to get to Bergamo from the airport by bus #1 and then to make a change directly to Milan.
By train: You can also take a train to get from Bergamo to Milan. Firstly, you need to reach Bergamo Train Station from the airport. Use local buses # 1 for that. The trains between Bergamo Central Station and Milan run every half an hour. The travel time is about 50 minutes. You can check the current train timetable and purchase tickets in advance at the Raileurope booking service. Raileurope is one of the services which I like very much as it helps me a lot to plan my railway trips around Europe. I can definitely recommend it.
By rented car: As an option, you can rent a car at Bergamo airport for travelling on your own. At the airport you can find car rental points of well-known international companies such as InterRent, Locauto, Firefly, Alamo, Enterprise and others. To rent a car you need to have a passport, a driver`s license and a bank card. You can also book a car in advance to save your time on the spot. You can use such online international services as Discover Cars, Economybookings, etc, to book a car in advance. Bergamo and Milan are connected with #A4/E64 motorway. The travel time is approximately 1 hour (see on the map). To my mind, both online services mentioned above are good for looking for an appropriate car rental. You can use both of them to compare the results.
Where to stay in Bergamo
There are many places to stay in Bergamo, but, in my point of view, it is worth booking your accommodation in advance as the city is rather popular among travellers. In addition to tourists who come to see Bergamo, there are also many travelers who stay in Bergamo for 1-2 nights and then move around, since Bergamo Orio al Serio airport receives flights from many low-cost companies.
Based on my research, the main types of accommodation in Bergamo are apartments or B&B`s. Tourists can also find guest houses, holiday homes, and hostels. There are a limited number of standard hotels designed for long-term stays in Bergamo, because most often tourists come to the city for a short period of time.
Winter Garden Hotel Bergamo Airport 4* is located near Orio al Serio airport and has a number of additional features, including a fitness room, a restaurant, and a free shuttle to the airport. The hotel also offers free private parking. Wi-Fi is available free of charge throughout the hotel. Guests can stay in rooms of different categories from standard ones to semi-lux and lux. Breakfast can be included in the price or paid additionally. Rooms are equipped with a safe, TV, a hairdryer, a minibar, air conditioning, etc. As online booking services provide tourists reviews, I found out that the front desk operates 24/7 and offers luggage storage services;
Hotel Excelsior San Marco 4* is located in the new part of the city, in a quiet area, close to the city park. The historical center can be reached by cable car, which is located next to the hotel. The hotel has its own rooftop restaurant, sauna, and gym. Wi-Fi is available free of charge throughout the hotel. Private paid parking is provided. The hotel has standard and deluxe rooms designed for different numbers of guests. All rooms are equipped with a safe, a hairdryer, Tv, a minibar, and air conditioning. Breakfast is included in the price. There is an ATM at the reception. The front desk is open 24 hours a day and offers luggage storage services;
La Castellana Loft Hotel 3* is located in the city center, but at the same time in a quiet place, and has its own bar and lounge area. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel for free. Private paid parking is provided, but reservations are required. Airport transfers are provided free of charge. Guests can stay in rooms of different categories. Some rooms have a garden view. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, TV, a hair dryer, a kettle or a coffee pot. Breakfast is included in the price. The front desk offers luggage storage services;
Berghotel 3* is located a few km from the train station and Bergamo airport, as well as a 1 km from the highway connecting the city with Milan. It is convenient to stay here for tourists who travel by car. The hotel provides free private parking for these purposes. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Guests can stay in single, double or triple rooms. Rooms are equipped with a safe, a minibar, TV, a kettle of a coffee pot, and air conditioning. The front desk offers luggage storage services.
What to see in Bergamo
What is most interesting about Bergamo is its historical center, which is located on a hill in the old part of the city. You can get here by a special funicular that runs between the old and new districts of Bergamo. In addition, the location of Bergamo gives it many advantages. For example, from here it is equally convenient to get to the mountainous Lake Como with its resorts, to the ancient towns in the region, or to Milan outlets.
It is difficult to count all the preserved historical monuments of Bergamo, since there are really a lot of them here. But there are those that are definitely worth seeing, whether you are in Bergamo for a long time or just for one day. For example, one of the oldest monuments of the city is the majestic La Rocca Castle, the original construction of which dates back to the early Middle Ages. The castle rises on a hill, so on a sunny day there is a wonderful panorama of the city. You can visit the castle from the inside; now there is a historical museum there. There is some useful information for visiting that I discovered:
- The museum is open from 11 am to 6 pm, except Mondays;
- The entrance fee is 5 euros.
Bergamo Cathedral, or, as it is commonly called here, the Duomo, is another majestic building in the city. A characteristic feature of the cathedral is the diversity of its architectural styles; this was the idea of the authors. Many works by great Italian artists have been preserved inside the cathedral, so it makes sense to explore the cathedral not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Here, on Cathedral Square, other historical monuments also attract attention, including the Colleoni Chapel, the baptistery and others.
The Bergamo Cathedral is not the only significant religious building in Bergamo. An equally stunning architectural building is the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its construction took place at the beginning of the 12th century; it is all the more surprising that it managed to survive to these days in such good condition. Inside the basilica you can find interesting interior items, including tapestries, frescoes and paintings. Another remarkable fact, in my opinion, is that the facades of the basilica have typical Romanesque features, while inside, Baroque decoration unexpectedly predominates.
In the old city square you can find several more symbols of Bergamo, for instance, city tower Torre del Comune, which is 54 meters high, as well as two palaces called Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo Nuova. All buildings, with the exception of Palazzo Nuovo, were built in the early Middle Ages, which gives the square a complete Romanesque style.
Where to go from Bergamo
Bergamo is so well located geographically that there are a great many destinations where you can go from here. These, in particular, include the shores of lakes Como and Iseo, ancient towns such as Brescia, Crema or Monza, as well as Milan with its famous outlet stores. I would definitely recommend visiting at least one of these destinations.
The distance from Bergamo to Lake Como is only 47 km to the nearest resort town. A little further along is the stunning Bellagio-Menaggio-Varenna towns triangle, so even on one lake there are plenty of options for day trips from Bergamo. Lake Como is considered to be the “pearl” of Northern Italy. Crystal clear, surrounded with mountains, Como is a favorite resort for holidaymakers and a must-see for travelers to Italy. It is recommended to visit Como City, Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio towns. Their villas and gardens are unbelievable and open to visitors, so don`t miss them.
Brescia, which will delight any tourist with its medieval historical center, can easily compete with Bergamo. Brescia is located 50 km from Bergamo in the opposite direction from Lake Como. The city boasts its cathedrals and palaces, castles and even the ancient Roman Pantheon. It is not surprising that with all these attractions, Brescia is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is a popular tourist destination.
As I can see, Bergamo is a nice starting point for exploring the whole region. It is easy to reach many interesting places from Bergamo, including famous Milan and different authentic corners such as Monza, Brescia, Lake Como with its fascinating villas and marvelous gardens and much more. If you have more time, you can always prolong your holidays and travel to neighbouring areas, for instance, to Lake Garda, Verona or even Venice. If you like mountains, then do not miss the Dolomites region.
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo above the article: Jule Lumma
Related Posts:
Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…