Bologna Trade Fair Calendar: Dates, Hotel Prices and Where to Stay (2026-2027)
Bologna’s trade fairs can multiply what you pay for a hotel. In our price check, the same hotels cost between 2.2 and 5.6 times as much for two nights in the week of EIMA International (November 10 to 14, 2026) as in a quiet week in December. For the shortest walk to BolognaFiere, choose Savhotel Fiera Bologna, six minutes from the Piazza Costituzione entrance. If you are visiting the city instead, check your dates against the calendar below before you book.
This guide lists selected events through October 2027, shows the hotel prices we recorded and compares measured walking routes from our hotels to the fairground entrances. The figures are a snapshot, not a forecast.
The Fair Calendar for 2026 and 2027
The dates below come from the official BolognaFiere events calendar. It is a selection, not a complete list: the venue hosts many more events, most of them for trade visitors, and organizers can change dates, so check your event before you book a room you cannot cancel. We left out events held in other cities.
| Event | Dates | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Auto e Moto d’Epoca | October 22–25, 2026 | Classic cars and motorcycles |
| EIMA International | November 10–14, 2026 | Agricultural machinery |
| Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti | November 21–23, 2026 | Wine, independent producers |
| Davis Cup Final 8 | November 24–29, 2026 | Tennis (not a trade fair) |
| WOW and Il Mondo Creativo | November 26–29, 2026 | Exhibitions at BolognaFiere |
| Marca by BolognaFiere & ADM | January 13–14, 2027 | Private-label retail |
| Arte Fiera | February 5–7, 2027 | Art |
| Slow Wine Fair and SANA Food | February 21–23, 2027 | Wine and organic food |
| MECSPE | March 3–5, 2027 | Manufacturing |
| Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna and related shows | March 18–21, 2027 | Beauty industry |
| Bologna Children’s Book Fair | April 5–8, 2027 | Children’s books |
| Dronitaly | April 17–19, 2027 | Drones (at the Bologna Congress Center) |
| Zoomark | May 11–13, 2027 | Pet products |
| Cersaie | September 27 to October 1, 2027 | Ceramics and bathrooms |
The organizers’ own figures give a sense of scale. EIMA’s statistics page reports 1,748 exhibitors and 346,800 attendances for the 2024 edition. BolognaFiere’s Cosmoprof report gives more than 255,000 professional visitors and 3,104 exhibiting companies in 2026. A ceramic industry portal credits Cersaie with 92,352 visitors and 595 exhibitors in 2026, and the Children’s Book Fair report counts 32,652 professional visitors and 1,540 exhibitors. These counts come from different events and do not measure hotel demand.
EIMA is open to business visitors on November 10 and 11, 2026 and to the public on November 12 to 14, as its visitor FAQ shows. The 2027 Bologna Children’s Book Fair is for sector professionals only, and visitors under 18 are not admitted. Other shows set their own rules, so check the event’s site if you plan to attend. Our main where-to-stay guide keeps a shorter version of this list, and Bologna in November shows how the EIMA week fits into the month.
What a Fair Week Does to Hotel Prices
We compared the lowest rate Booking.com showed for the same hotels for two adults and two nights, including any member discount, on three sets of dates: a quiet week with no event on the BolognaFiere calendar (December 1 to 3, 2026), November 25 to 27, and the EIMA week (November 10 to 12). The November 25 to 27 stay overlaps the Davis Cup Final 8 and several other shows, so it is not a fair-free week. Prices move every day, so read the table as the size of the jump, not as a quote.
| Hotel | Quiet week | November 25–27 | EIMA week |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Social Hub Bologna | €159 | €238 | €887 |
| Hotel Porta San Mamolo | €325 | €390 | €724 |
| Hotel Brun | €481 | €578 | €1,147 |
| Starhotels Excelsior | €277 | €421 | €1,386 |
| Savhotel Fiera Bologna | €321 | €466 | No rooms on Booking.com |
On Booking.com, Savhotel Fiera showed no availability for November 10 to 12. It could be booked for the other two sets of dates.
The EIMA week cost 2.2 times the quiet week at Hotel Porta San Mamolo, 2.4 times at Hotel Brun, 5.0 times at Starhotels Excelsior and 5.6 times at The Social Hub. The late November stay cost roughly 20 to 50 percent more than the quiet week, with the Davis Cup and several smaller shows in town. The sample shows how large the jump can be. It does not show that EIMA costs more than other fairs, which we did not price.
How to Avoid the Fair Premium
- Check your dates against the calendar above before you buy flights. A shift of a few days can take you out of a fair week.
- Compare the total for the same hotel, dates, room and number of guests. The table compares two-night totals, not nightly rates.
- Look for free cancellation, and read the cancellation deadline before you pay.
- Compare the month first if you are visiting for the city, not the fair: Bologna in November and Bologna in October show where the fair weeks fall.
- Compare several areas if you must travel in a fair week, instead of assuming that a hotel labeled “Bologna Fiere” is within walking distance.
Add Bologna’s city tax to your total. Bologna Welcome’s tax page gives €4 to €7 per person and night in 2026 depending on the room price, €2.80 in hostels and campsites, and an exemption for children under 14. The rates are in our where-to-stay guide.
Getting to BolognaFiere
BolognaFiere has five independent entrances. The public ones named on its how-to-get-there page are Piazza Costituzione, Viale Aldo Moro, Via Michelino and a north entrance.
From Bologna Centrale, TPER buses 35 and 38 leave from Piazzale Medaglie d’Oro, in front of the station, for the Piazza Costituzione and Viale Aldo Moro entrances. The return buses are 35 and 39, and bus 28 runs to the fair from the city center. The organizer points to the Roger app for route planning and tickets. Tram works along Viale Aldo Moro and Viale della Fiera can affect buses, as our transport guide explains.
The fair also has its own railway station, which operates during high-attendance fairs, with trains from the main station. The organizer does not say which trains or how often, so check the Roger app or your event’s organizer before you rely on it.
The airport is 8.5 km from the fair. The organizer suggests a taxi, or the Marconi Express to Bologna Centrale and then the options above. Our airport transport guide covers the transfer.
By car, the organizer’s directions use ring-road exit 8 for the Nord, Michelino, Moro and Michelino Parking entrances and exit 7 for the Costituzione entrance and car park, with reserved parking spaces at the Via Michelino and Piazza Costituzione entrances. We found no general parking price for the fairs, so check your event’s instructions.
Walking Times From Hotels to the Fair Entrances
The times use pedestrian routing on OpenStreetMap data, from each hotel’s address to the nearest of three fair entrances (Piazza Costituzione, Viale Aldo Moro and Via Michelino). Your own pace and the exact entrance change them. The scores and review counts are from Booking.com.
| Hotel | Area | Walk to the nearest entrance | Booking.com score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savhotel Fiera Bologna | Fiera district | 6 min (500 m) | 9.0 (3,844 reviews) |
| The Social Hub Bologna | Bolognina | 23 min (1.9 km) | 8.7 (10,684 reviews) |
| Starhotels Excelsior | Near the station | 25 min (2.1 km) | 8.9 (8,669 reviews) |
| Royal Hotel Carlton | Near the station | 28 min (2.3 km) | 8.9 (12,155 reviews) |
| Hotel Corona d’Oro 1890 | Ghetto Ebraico | 29 min (2.4 km) | 8.9 (887 reviews) |
| Albergo Garisenda | Two Towers | 32 min (2.6 km) | 9.3 (1,015 reviews) |
| Art Hotel Commercianti | Centro Storico | 36 min (3.0 km) | 9.2 (1,879 reviews) |
Booking.com labels many hotels “Bologna Fiere”, but the label covers a wide area. In the same routing, Savoia Hotel Regency is 28 minutes (2.3 km) from the nearest entrance, Bleis Hotel 33 minutes (2.7 km) and Hotel Cosmopolitan 37 minutes (3.0 km). Savhotel Fiera is the only hotel we measured within ten minutes on foot. The hotel itself says nine minutes.
Which Base Fits Your Fair Trip
If You Work the Fair All Day
Savhotel Fiera Bologna is six minutes from the Piazza Costituzione entrance by our routing. Booking.com showed no rooms there for the EIMA nights, so if walking distance matters, book it as soon as your dates are fixed.
If You Want the Fair and the City
The Social Hub sits in Bolognina, between the station and the fairground, a 23-minute walk from the nearest entrance. Its rate rose the most of the four hotels in our table with an EIMA rate, 5.6 times in the EIMA week, so it is the one to compare early for a fair week.
If You Arrive by Train
Starhotels Excelsior is directly opposite the station and Royal Hotel Carlton is a few minutes away. From either, the fair is a 25 to 28 minute walk, or a ride on bus 35 or 38 from the station. The Excelsior cost 5.0 times as much in the EIMA week.
If the City Matters as Much as the Fair
The three central hotels in the walking table are 29 to 36 minutes on foot from the nearest entrance, so plan on the bus from the station or a taxi on fair days. Art Hotel Commercianti has the most reviews of the three (1,879) and a 9.2 score. See our full where-to-stay guide for the other areas.
Our Recommendation
If your priority is a short walk to the fair, start with Savhotel Fiera Bologna and book it as soon as your dates are fixed. If it has no rooms, compare the station hotels and plan to use the bus. A hotel in the historic center makes more sense if your evenings in the city matter as much as the exhibition.
For a leisure visit, compare the same room on dates outside the event weeks before you book. If your dates are fixed, choose your cancellation terms on purpose and check the total including city tax.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Bologna trade fair affects hotel prices the most?
Of the weeks we priced, EIMA International (November 10 to 14, 2026) was the most expensive: the same hotels cost 2.2 to 5.6 times the quiet-week rate. We did not price the other fairs, so this is not a ranking of every event.
How far is BolognaFiere from Bologna Centrale?
Our walking routes measure 2.1 to 2.3 km from the two station hotels to the nearest entrance, which is 25 to 28 minutes. The organizer’s page gives about 4 km from the station and recommends TPER buses 35 and 38 from Piazzale Medaglie d’Oro.
Does every fair week raise hotel prices that much?
Not in our check. The late November stay, with the Davis Cup Final 8 and several smaller shows in town, cost roughly 20 to 50 percent more than the quiet week, against 120 to 460 percent more for the EIMA dates. We have not priced the spring shows, so compare your own dates.
Is there a train station at the fairground?
BolognaFiere lists its own railway station, which operates during high-attendance fairs, with trains from the main station. The organizer does not say which trains or how often, so check the Roger app or your event’s organizer before you rely on it.
Can tourists visit EIMA or the Children’s Book Fair?
EIMA is open to the public on November 12 to 14, 2026, after two days reserved for business visitors. The 2027 Bologna Children’s Book Fair is for sector professionals only, and visitors under 18 are not admitted.
Plan Your Trip to Bologna
Before you book, read these next:
- Where to Stay in Bologna: the full comparison of areas and hotels
- Where to Stay in Bologna Without a Car: compare hotel locations with station access
- Bologna in November: where the EIMA week falls in the month
- Best Time to Visit Bologna: the seasons and the fair weeks to avoid
- Bologna Airport to City and Centrale Station: the transfer and the station
More city guides are collected in Where to Stay.
