Thanks to its beaches, services and entertainment facilities, Romagna has always been a popular tourist destination for young people, families and elderly people alike. And it can be even more relaxing if you reach it by train, with direct connections even from Germany.

You can easily reach this part of the region by train directly from Bologna, on frequent regional trains such as the Bologna-Rimini route via Ravenna, and from the rest of Italy by IC and high-speed trains (Frecce).

Travelling by regional train – scheduled every hour – you reach glamorous destinations such as Cervia and Milano Marittima in the Ravenna area, as well as peaceful villages such as Lido di Dante and Lido di Savio, while in the Forlì area you can choose between the seaside village of Cesenatico and the lively Gatteo a Mare.

The Rimini coast, on the other hand, can be reached both by regional trains (Bellaria Igea Marina, Torre Pedrera, Viserba, Miramare and Misano Adriatico) and by IC and Frecce (Rimini, Riccione, Cattolica).

Once you arrive, simply rent a bike – many hotels offer them free to their guests – and take one of the many cycle paths to explore the surroundings.

Some of the villages belonging to the Borghi più Belli d’Italia, Borghi Autentici and Bandiere Arancioni networks can also be reached by train. These are perfect destinations for a weekend or as day trips from your holiday resort.

Berceto is one of them, a border village in the Emilian Apennines, as well as Busseto, home of Giuseppe Verdi, Brisighella, the city of the three hills, and Forlimpopoli, Pellegrino Artusi’s hometown.

We also recommend three charming villages such as Colorno, Bagnacavallo and Santarcangelo di Romagna, which don’t belong to the above-mentioned associations but are nevertheless reachable by train.

On the Via Emilia, the road that runs through the entire region, there are several cities of art that can be easily reached by train.

Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena and Rimini are ready to reveal their priceless, often little-known treasures. The same goes for Ferrara and Ravenna, which are not on the Via Emilia but are well connected to the other cities.

If this topic piques your interest, we recommend our column about what to see in the Emilia Romagna art cities in 10 stages on foot.

We also recommend lesser-known art cities such as Fidenza, Carpi, San Giovanni in Persiceto and Comacchio.

For over 2000 years the spas of Emilia Romagna have been offering their visitors moments of pure wellbeing for body and mind. If you think there’s no relaxation without a spa, you are spoilt for choice: spas are scattered throughout the region, from the coast to the mountains, from the cities of art to the hamlets.

The spa resorts in Bologna, Castel San Pietro, Cervia, Porretta Terme, Riccione and Rimini can be reached by train.

Mountain areas, as we know, are not so convenient to reach by public transport, and the train is no exception.

However, in the Bologna area you can combine the desire to be surrounded in nature with the convenience of the train. This has been possible for over 30 years thanks to ‘Trekking col treno’ event, featuring a number of hikes and off-the-beaten-track itineraries, which involves reaching the starting point or some intermediate stage by public transport, mainly by train but also by bus.