Modena is located in the Emilia-Romagna region and known primarily for its balsamic vinegar. In addition, it’s also known for its opera, and Ferrari and Lamborghini museums. In this things to do in Modena Italy guide, I’ll highlight everything that we did to help you plan your itinerary.
If you are into food, Modena is a great place to visit. One of the top restaurants (Osteria Francescana) and chefs (Massimo Bottura) in the world is located in Modena. We were not able to get a reservation at Osteria Francescana. Therefore, we plan to do so when we go back to Modena.
Best Credit Cards to Use in Modena
Foreign transaction fees are what you want to avoid in Modena. In addition, you want cards with high earn rates in bonus categories like restaurants and travel. The great news is that American Express, Chase, and Citi offer credit cards that address both of these.
The American Express Gold, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Citi Premier are cards to consider bringing to Modena. The Gold earns 4x points at restaurants and US grocery stores. Reserve cardmembers earn 3x points at restaurants and on travel. As a Premier cardmember, you earn 3x points on airfare, grocery stores, gas stations, hotels, and restaurants starting August 23, 2020. In short, there are plenty of solid cards to bring with you to Modena.
How to Fly to Modena
Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) are the two closest major airports to Modena. Each airport offers flights from across the world. After landing at either airport, you have a roughly 2-hour drive to Modena. Therefore, you need to rent a car or book a train to get to Modena from the airport.
Alitalia, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, and United Airlines offer nonstop flights from the US to Milan. You can fly nonstop from the US to Venice on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. To sum up, you can easily fly from the US to the two major airports close to Modena.
Where to Stay When Visiting Modena
None of the major hotel brands in Hilton Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott have hotels in Modena. As a result, the closest major hotel points options are in Reggio Emilia and Bologna. The Holiday Inn Express Reggio Emilia, Holiday Inn Bologna – Fiera, and AC Hotel Bologna are your points hotels.
Airbnb is also an option to use when staying in Modena. So, this gives you another option, in addition to using points, to book a place to stay. We stayed at the Emilia Suite Home and recommend it. Other cities where you can stay in an Airbnb include Bologna and Parma. Both cities are easy drives into Modena.
Where to Eat and Drink When Visiting Modena
To start your day, grab the go-to Italian breakfast of brioche and a macchiatone at Bar Manà. Snag pizza at any of the highly-rated lunch establishments on Google throughout the city. End your day with dinner at Franceschetta 58 or Trattoria Bianca.
Restaurants we plan to check out next time include Osteria Francescana, Ristorante l’Erba del Re, Oreste, and Hosteria Giusti. For drinks, L’Archivio, Slanzi Pub & Vinyl, and Wine Bar Athenaeum. In short, you will not go hungry when you visit Modena.
Things to Do in Modena Italy Travel Guide
Modena is built around the Piazza Grande. The piazza is flanked by Torre della Ghirlandina and Modena Cathedral. We feel the best way to see a city is to walk the streets. So, this means we walked quite a bit in and around Modena.
After grabbing breakfast and lunch, we went to the Mercato Ablinelli, a market serving local produce. The market was filled with locals. This gives you a sense of how Italians interact on a daily basis.
From the market, we walked to our balsamic vinegar tour at Acetaia di Giorgio. As you can see in the Modena Italy vlog, the experience was unique. Seeing how much pride and effort the family puts into making balsamic is incredible!
We didn’t have time for everything on our list. Next time we visit I want to check out the Ferrari Museum and the Lamborghini Museum. The latter museum is about a 30-minute drive outside of Modena.
Conclusion on Things to Do in Modena Italy
To sum up, Modena is a place I can’t wait to re-visit. The people were warm. It is impossible to eat a bad meal. There is plenty to do. The city allows you to relax. This is something you can’t do in a big city like Rome.
What’s on your things to do in Modena Italy list? What do you recommend? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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