Bologna to Imola Day Trip: Visiting the Legendary F1 Circuit (2026 Guide)

Last Updated on May 15, 2026

If you have arrived at this guide looking for tickets to the 2026 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, there is important news: the race was discontinued after the 2025 event. Formula 1 no longer races at Imola from 2026 onward, with the calendar slot replaced by a new street circuit in Madrid.

What remains is something more enduring: one of the most historically significant racing circuits in the world, still standing, still running guided tours year-round, and still visited every year by thousands of motorsport fans who come for a reason that has nothing to do with the current F1 calendar.

They come for Tamburello.

In May 1994, Ayrton Senna — three-time World Champion, the greatest Formula 1 driver of his generation, the man who defined an era of the sport — died when his car struck the concrete wall at the Tamburello corner during the San Marino Grand Prix. He was 34. The memorial erected at that spot has become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in all of motorsport. People who were not born in 1994 come here and stand quietly in front of the flags, flowers, and handwritten notes, trying to understand what they have seen in footage and read about in books.

The rest of the day in Imola — the circuit guided tour, the medieval fortress in the city center, lunch at a local trattoria — rewards the journey. But for many visitors, the 25 minutes on the train from Bologna is about one corner of one circuit and the Brazilian who never left it.

Your Bologna base: Where to Stay in Bologna — best neighborhoods and hotels

Getting There: Train from Bologna to Imola

Route: Bologna Centrale → Imola station
Journey time: Approximately 25–35 minutes on regional trains
Frequency: Multiple trains per hour throughout the day
Price: From ~€3–5 one-way — one of the cheapest regional journeys from Bologna

Buy at trenitalia.com, at station machines, or on the Trenitalia app. No advance booking needed.

From Imola station to the circuit: The Autodromo is approximately a 20-minute walk from the station, or a short taxi ride (€8–10). Walking gives you a natural route through the town center past the medieval Rocca Sforzesca.

For all day trip options from Bologna by train:
Best Day Trips from Bologna by Train — all destinations with journey times and current prices

The Circuit in 2026: What to Expect

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is named after Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari and his son Alfredo (Dino), who died aged 24 — a loss that deeply affected Enzo and shaped the Ferrari Dino series.

The F1 race is gone, but the circuit continues operating as an active motorsport venue hosting other international racing series, corporate driver experience days, public guided tours year-round, and Open Days when the circuit is free to walk or cycle.

The circuit itself — 4.909 kilometers, largely unchanged since its F1 heyday, running along the banks of the Santerno river with the Apennine hills visible in the background — is genuinely beautiful. Its tight, technical character is immediately apparent even at walking pace.

The Guided Circuit Tour

Price: €35 per person / €25 for children under 16 / Free under 6
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
What’s included: 2 laps of the full circuit by shuttle bus, stop on the starting grid, stop at Tamburello with the Ayrton Senna Memorial, access to the Race Control Room, podium access
Booking: Via the Imola Faenza Tourism Company (imolafaenza.it) or at the Info Point on arrival.
Tours available: Year-round, during breaks in track activity. Check autodromoimola.it for current schedule before traveling.

The tour is substantially better than a mere lap of the circuit suggests. Standing on the starting grid — where drivers waited before Senna, Schumacher, Prost, and Piquet launched their cars — produces an unexpected resonance. The Race Control Room is preserved essentially as it was during the F1 era.

Open Days: On designated dates, the circuit is free to explore on foot or by bicycle. Check autodromoimola.it for the current calendar. Walking the same asphalt that F1 cars covered at 300 km/h, at your own pace, for free — a remarkable experience.

For travelers looking to take the experience even further, the circuit also offers the unforgettable opportunity to drive a real supercar on the legendary Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. After a professional briefing and track familiarization with experienced instructors, participants head onto the same iconic asphalt that has challenged generations of racing legends. The experience combines the atmosphere of Formula 1 history with the raw excitement of high-speed driving, creating a rare chance to feel the circuit from behind the wheel rather than from the sidelines. Driving laps, a certificate of completion, and access to a snack area are included, making it one of the most memorable activities for motorsport enthusiasts visiting Imola.

The Senna Memorial at Tamburello

Ayrton Senna’s death at Tamburello on 1 May 1994 changed Formula 1 permanently — driver safety, barrier design, the entire regulatory framework around protecting drivers was transformed. The sport today is directly shaped by what happened at that corner.

The memorial is not an official monument — it is maintained by fans. Photographs, flags in Brazilian colors (green and yellow), handwritten messages, and fresh flowers replaced regularly by visitors from across the world. The corner itself was modified after 1994: what was a flat-out, wall-close, high-speed right-hander is now a chicane that looks nothing like the footage from that morning.

Standing here is a different experience for different people. For those who watched Senna race, the loss is still present. For younger motorsport fans, this is the physical location of a story they know from recordings and books. For people with no particular F1 interest, the sheer weight of feeling left here over three decades is itself something to witness quietly.

The memorial is accessible during guided tours and on Open Days.

The Parco delle Acque Minerali

The parkland occupying the circuit’s infield is open on Open Days — a botanical collection, ancient spring water installations, and a reconstructed monumental staircase from the historical spa complex that preceded the circuit. Walking here while the circuit is accessible gives the course a present-tense quality that the shuttle tour cannot replicate.

Imola Beyond the Track

Rocca Sforzesca — The Fortress

Location: Central Imola, on the main axis from the station
Entry: ~€5

A 13th-century medieval fortress expanded by the Sforzas and Caterina Sforza — one of the most formidable political figures of the Italian Renaissance. The interior houses collections of ancient weapons and ceramics. Caterina Sforza’s famous act of defiance from these ramparts (when her enemies threatened her children, her response was reportedly unprintable and entirely characteristic) may be apocryphal. It is told regardless.

San Domenico Museum

Location: Via Sacchi 4
Entry: ~€5

A genuinely good regional museum in a former Dominican convent — 600+ pieces including paintings, ceramics, and sculptures tracing Imola’s cultural history from the medieval period onward. The ceramics collection is particularly strong; Imola and nearby Faenza are historically significant centers of Italian ceramic production (the word “faience” comes from Faenza).

Piazza Matteotti and the Historic Center

A compact, pleasant historic center that functions as a living small city rather than a tourist destination — the shops, cafes, and restaurants cater primarily to locals.

Where to Eat in Imola

Imola sits on the border between Emilia and Romagna — the food reflects it. You can eat piadina (Romagnola flatbread) and fresh pasta in the same meal.

Near the circuit: Bars and trattorias around the Autodromo Info Point cater to circuit visitors and track employees — unpretentious, good value, genuinely regional.

In the historic center: Trattorias near Piazza Matteotti serve traditional Emilia-Romagna dishes at prices reflecting a small city rather than a tourist center.

Optional extension — Dozza: The medieval village of Dozza (10km from Imola, taxi ~€15–20) is one of the most unusual places in the region — a town whose external walls are covered entirely in murals by contemporary artists. The Enoteca Regionale di Emilia Romagna is based here, selling every significant wine produced in the region.

Imola vs. Modena: Two Motor Valley Days

Choose Imola if: Motorsport pilgrimage is the purpose — Tamburello, the Autodromo, standing where Senna raced and died is a meaningful experience.

Choose Modena if: You want Ferrari museums (both), balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano, and the full Motor Valley food and car combination. Modena offers more variety for general travelers.

Bologna to Modena Day Trip — Ferrari museums, balsamic vinegar, and the richer Motor Valley day

For the full Motor Valley context across all museums:
Bologna Museums Guide — Motor Valley section with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Ducati

Sample Day Itinerary

Time	Activity	Cost
09:00	Train from Bologna Centrale	~€4
09:35	Arrive Imola — walk to circuit Info Point	Free
10:00	Guided circuit tour (book in advance)	€35
11:30	Parco delle Acque Minerali walk	Free
12:30	Lunch near circuit or historic center	~€15
14:00	Walk to Rocca Sforzesca	Free
14:30	Rocca Sforzesca museum	~€5
15:30	San Domenico Museum (optional)	~€5
16:30	Return walk to station	Free
17:00	Train back to Bologna	~€4

Total budget: ~€70 per person

Practical Tips

Book the circuit tour in advance — even without F1 crowds, tours fill during events and busy weekends. Book through imolafaenza.it or autodromoimola.it.

Check the Open Days calendar before traveling — free circuit access is the best-value option if dates align.

The Info Point (Mon–Fri 09:30–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00) sells tour tickets, circuit maps, and merchandise. The simulator room inside is available to visitors.

Wear comfortable shoes — the guided tour involves walking on circuit surface, and the fortress and historic center have stairs and cobblestones.

Combine with Dozza if you have time — the painted-wall village is 10km away and adds an extraordinary half-afternoon at minimal extra cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Plan Your Day Trip

• Best Day Trips from Bologna by Train — all 9 destinations with logistics
• The 3 Best Day Trips from Bologna — the curated shortlist
• Bologna to Modena Day Trip — the richer Motor Valley alternative
• Best Time to Visit Bologna — and when to plan regional day trips
• Where to Stay in Bologna
• Bologna Trip Cost 2026 — full budget breakdown