Where to Stay in Modena: Best Areas & Apartments

If you're planning a trip to Modena, the single most important decision is where to base yourself — and the answer is refreshingly simple: the historic centre. Modena is a compact city, and staying in the old town puts the Duomo, Piazza Grande, the Albinelli Market, the best restaurants and the train station all within a short walk. As hosts who live here, we've watched hundreds of guests arrive, and the ones who stay central always tell us the same thing: they wish they'd known how easy it is to do everything on foot. This guide explains the best areas to stay in Modena, whether to choose an apartment or a hotel, how the ZTL and parking actually work, and how to book a central Modena apartment directly — without paying booking-platform commissions.

Where to stay in Modena: the best areas

Modena rewards travellers who stay right in the centro storico. The historic core is shaped by the ancient Via Emilia, the Roman road that still runs straight through town, and almost everything worth seeing sits within the old walls — now a leafy ring of avenues called the Viali. Because the centre is small and flat, you'll never really need public transport. Below is how we think about the main areas, depending on your trip.

The historic centre (centro storico) — the first choice

This is where you want to be. The heart of Modena is Piazza Grande, the UNESCO World Heritage square laid out in the second half of the 12th century, watched over by the Romanesque Duomo and the leaning Ghirlandina tower (about 89 metres tall). Around it you'll find pedestrian streets lined with porticoes, the covered Mercato Albinelli (a 1931 Art Nouveau food market where some stalls are still run by the same families that opened them), wine bars, gelaterie, and the kind of trattorie where tortellini in broth taste the way they're supposed to.

Staying here means you wake up, walk two minutes to Piazza Grande for a coffee under the Ghirlandina, browse the market for Parmigiano and Lambrusco, lunch on tagliatelle al ragù or gnocco fritto, and be back at your door before you've finished your espresso. In the evening the squares fill with the passeggiata and the aperitivo crowd, and you're already home. For first-time visitors, couples on a romantic weekend, and anyone who wants the real Modena, the centro storico is the answer. To see exactly what's within reach, our guide on what to see in Modena lays out the must-sees, almost all of them inside this small circle.

The edge of the centre and the Viali — best for car travellers

The Viali are the wide tree-lined avenues that trace the line of the old city walls, ringing the historic centre. Staying right on this edge — just outside the camera-controlled limited-traffic zone — is the smart move if you're arriving by car. You get a short, flat walk into the old town (usually five to ten minutes), but you can also park near your door and drive out to the wider Motor Valley without ever crossing into the ZTL. This is also where the train station sits, on the northern edge of the centre, so it's a natural base if your plans involve a lot of day trips by rail.

Near the train station — practical for short, transit-heavy trips

Modena's station is roughly a 10-minute walk from Piazza Grande, on the north side of the centre. It's not the prettiest corner of the city, but it's genuinely convenient: regional trains to Bologna take about 30 minutes (there are well over a hundred a day), high-speed services reach Florence in around an hour, Milan in about an hour, and the dedicated Ferrari visitor shuttle to Maranello leaves from near here. If your trip is built around trains and museums rather than lingering in the piazzas, a base between the station and the centre works well — and you're still only minutes from everything on foot.

A practical note that applies everywhere: the historic centre is largely a ZTL (limited-traffic zone), monitored by cameras, so you can't simply drive in and park. We'll come back to exactly how to handle that below.

Apartment, hotel or B&B in Modena?

Modena has hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, but for most visitors a central apartment is the better choice — and usually the better value. Here's how the options compare.

Space

A hotel room is a room. An apartment gives you a living room, a proper bedroom (or several), a kitchen and often a terrace — room to spread out after a day of sightseeing, to put the kids to bed in a separate room, or to sit out with a glass of Lambrusco while someone showers. For a weekend that's nice; for a family or a longer stay it's the difference between a holiday and a squeeze.

A kitchen and the food

This is Modena — the home of tortellini, Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco. Even if you eat out every night (and you should try), a kitchen changes the trip. You can carry a wedge of 36-month Parmigiano back from the Albinelli Market and keep it in your own fridge, chill a bottle of Lambrusco di Sorbara, lay out cured meats and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for an in-house aperitivo, or make a simple breakfast on a slow morning. Our guide to the flavours of Modena is essentially a shopping list for your apartment kitchen.

Value — especially for families and groups

For two couples travelling together, a family with kids, or a group of friends, one apartment costs far less than several hotel rooms — and you all stay under the same roof. With a kitchen you can also skip a restaurant meal or two without feeling you've missed out. For longer stays the maths tilts even further in the apartment's favour.

A local feel and a real host

In an apartment you stay in a real Modenese building, on a real street, with the morning light and the church bells and the neighbour watering their plants — not an anonymous corridor. Just as importantly, you get a host who actually lives here and can tell you which trattoria still makes tortellini by hand, when the market is busiest, and how to time the Maranello shuttle. A hotel front desk rarely has that.

When a hotel still makes sense

We're honest about this: a hotel near the station can be the right call for a single business night, when you arrive late, sleep, and leave on an early train. Some travellers also simply prefer daily housekeeping and a reception desk. But if you're here to experience Modena — to eat, to wander, to do day trips — an apartment in the centre wins on almost every count.

Our four apartments in Modena

We host four apartments, all in or on the edge of the historic centre, each suited to a different kind of trip. You can check live availability and book any of them directly on our site — and if you're not sure which one fits, just ask us. Here's how we'd match them to travellers.

Ghirlandina View — the showpiece, for the best view in town

Ghirlandina View — Exclusive Penthouse with Terrace is our flagship. It sits on the 7th floor with a lift, spans 145 m², and opens onto a 30 m² private terrace with a direct, unobstructed view of the Duomo and the Ghirlandina — the kind of view people travel a long way to photograph, and you'll have it with your morning coffee. It sleeps up to six, and there's free street parking nearby. This is the apartment for travellers who want the wow — a special weekend, an anniversary, a celebration — combined with genuine space and a rooftop perch right over the old town. If you only remember one thing from your trip, it'll be standing on that terrace at golden hour with the tower glowing.

Designer Penthouse on Piazza Mazzini — for families and groups

Designer Penthouse on the Square is a two-level penthouse right on Piazza Mazzini, in the historic heart, with the Ghirlandina in view and the square's pavement cafés beneath you. It has four bedrooms and sleeps up to eight, which makes it our go-to for families and groups who want everyone together with room to breathe. Pets are welcome on request. Note that it's on the 4th–5th floor with no lift, so it suits travellers who don't mind the stairs in exchange for a top-floor position in one of Modena's prettiest squares — steps from the synagogue (one of Italy's largest, on the same square) and a two-minute walk from Piazza Grande.

Luxury Apartment next to the Francescana — for couples and food lovers

Luxury Apartment Next to the Francescana is elegant and intimate, just 100 metres from Osteria Francescana — Massimo Bottura's three-Michelin-star restaurant, repeatedly named the best in the world — and minutes from the Duomo. It has two suites and sleeps four, which makes it ideal for couples or two friends who want a refined base in the very heart of the ZTL. It's on the 3rd floor with no lift. If your trip is built around food — a table at Bottura's bistro Franceschetta 58, a balsamic tasting, the market — this is the address. You're at the centre of the centre.

Modena Prestige — the practical choice for car travellers

Modena Prestige, the Gateway to the Center is a freshly renovated ground-floor apartment (just six steps) at the edge of the centre, near the station and the Viali. Its trump card is logistics: public parking right out front and an EV charging point nearby, so you can come and go by car without ever fighting the ZTL. It sleeps up to four. This is the apartment we recommend to anyone travelling by car and planning day trips — to the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums, to Pagani in San Cesario, to Ducati near Bologna, or out into the Lambrusco hills. You're a short, level walk from the centre and a quick drive from everywhere else.

Whichever you choose, you'll be steps from the sights and the best tables in town. Browse them all on our apartments page.

Why book directly with us

You can find places to stay in Modena on the big booking platforms — but booking directly with the host is better for you, not just for us. Here's why we always encourage it.

• No platform commissions. Booking sites add a fee that ends up baked into the price. Book direct and that margin stays out of the equation, which keeps the price fair.
• A real person to plan with. We help with museum tickets, the Maranello shuttle timings, restaurant bookings, and — just as useful — what to skip. That's local knowledge a hotel front desk or an anonymous listing rarely offers.
• Direct, secure payment. You pay safely and you have clear, direct communication from your first message right through to check-out, with no middleman in between.
• Flexibility and a human answer. Need an early check-in, a late departure, a travel cot, advice on where to park the car? Ask us. We'd rather solve it for you than hide behind a platform's rules.
• We actually live here. When you arrive, you're our guest, not a reservation number — and we treat the stay accordingly.

Getting around from the centre

Once you're based in the centre, you'll do almost everything on foot — and that's the joy of it. Here's how the practical side works.

On foot

The old town is small and flat. From a central apartment, the Duomo, Piazza Grande, the Albinelli Market and the main shopping streets are all five to ten minutes away at most. You won't need a bus, a tram or a taxi to sightsee. For a tight, well-paced route through the highlights, see our Modena in one day itinerary — it's built entirely around walking.

By train

The station is about a 10-minute walk from Piazza Grande. Regional trains to Bologna take roughly 30 minutes and run very frequently (no advance booking needed on the regional service — just remember to validate paper tickets before boarding). High-speed trains link Modena to Florence in about 1h05 and Milan in around an hour, with Rome about 2h30 away. If you're flying in, Bologna Airport (BLQ) connects to Modena in roughly under an hour — take the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Centrale (about 7 minutes), then a train (about 30 minutes). There's also a direct bus, or it's about a 40-minute drive.

To the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums

This is where Modena really shows off. The Museo Enzo Ferrari, with its dramatic yellow bonnet-shaped roof, is right in the city, a short walk from both the centre and the station. To reach the Museo Ferrari in Maranello (about 18 km away), there's a dedicated visitor shuttle that runs roughly every 90 minutes and connects the Modena museum and station with Maranello — so you can see both Ferrari museums without a car (a combined Musei Ferrari Pass lets you visit both within 48 hours; always check ferrari.com/museums for current times and prices, as they change). For the Lamborghini museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese (about 30 km), the Pagani atelier in San Cesario, the Ducati museum near Bologna, or the Panini Maserati collection, a car is the most flexible option — which is exactly why a parking-friendly apartment like Modena Prestige is handy. Our full Ferrari and Lamborghini day-trip guide covers all of it.

Practical tips for your stay

A few things we tell every guest before they arrive, so the trip starts smoothly.

The ZTL and parking

The historic centre is a ZTL — a limited-traffic zone enforced by cameras. Drive in without authorisation and you risk a fine, even if you're just dropping bags. The simple rules of thumb: if you're arriving by car, choose an apartment with its own parking just outside the ZTL (that's Modena Prestige), or use one of the public car parks on the ring of avenues and walk in. For unloading luggage at a central apartment, talk to us first — we'll tell you exactly how to handle it for your specific address. If you're arriving by train, ignore all of this; you won't need a car at all.

Check-in

We keep check-in simple and human. Tell us your arrival time and we'll arrange a smooth handover, with clear directions to the door and to parking if you need it. Coming in late, or on an early train? Just let us know in advance and we'll make it work.

Arriving by train vs by car — quick decision

• By train: best for a centre-focused trip. Walk in from the station, stay central, and explore on foot. Add the Ferrari shuttle for Maranello.
• By car: best if you want the wider Motor Valley or the countryside. Choose a parking-friendly base on the edge of the centre, park once, and drive out for day trips.

How long to stay

Two to three nights is the sweet spot. One full day covers the UNESCO centre — the Duomo, the Ghirlandina, Piazza Grande, the market — with a long lunch built in. A second day adds the Ferrari or Lamborghini museums. A third night lets you slow down: a balsamic-vinegar tasting at a traditional acetaia, the Monday market at Parco Novi Sad, the Galleria Estense, or a day trip to Bologna, Parma or Maranello. Longer stays reward you too — Modena is an unhurried city, and an apartment with a kitchen makes a week feel like living here rather than visiting.

What's nearby

Modena sits in the middle of one of Italy's great food-and-engines regions. Within easy reach: Bologna (30 minutes by train), Parma (the home of ham and Parmigiano), the Lambrusco hills around Castelvetro and Sorbara, the Motor Valley museums, and the rolling Apennine foothills for a drive. From a central base you can taste, drive and explore all of it and still come home to the same comfortable apartment each night.

Where to stay in Modena — book your apartment

So, to sum up: stay in the historic centre for the experience, choose an apartment for space, value and a kitchen, and book directly to skip the commissions and gain a host who actually knows the city. We have four apartments to match four kinds of trip — the show-stopping Ghirlandina View penthouse, the family-sized Designer Penthouse on Piazza Mazzini, the food-lover's Luxury Apartment by the Francescana, and the car-friendly Modena Prestige.

Ready to choose your base? See live availability and book directly on our apartments in Modena page — and if you're not sure which one fits your trip, just ask. We're happy to help you plan the whole thing, from the right apartment to the best table in town. We'll see you in Modena.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best area to stay in Modena? The historic centre (centro storico). It's compact and walkable, putting the Duomo, Piazza Grande, the Albinelli Market, the best restaurants and the train station within minutes on foot. The Enzo Ferrari Museum and the Maranello shuttle are close by too. The edge of the centre, near the Viali ring road, suits travellers arriving by car who want easy parking and a short walk in.

Are apartments better than hotels in Modena? For most travellers, yes. A central apartment gives you more space, a kitchen and a local feel for less than a comparable hotel — ideal for families, groups, couples and longer stays. Hotels can make sense for a single business night near the station, but for exploring Modena an apartment is hard to beat.

Can I park in central Modena? The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL), camera-enforced, so you can't drive in and park freely. Stay in an apartment with nearby parking, or leave the car in a car park just outside the ZTL and walk in — the centre is small and everything is within a few minutes on foot.

How do I book a Modena apartment directly? On our site you can check live availability and book each apartment directly, with secure payment and no booking-platform commissions. You deal with us, the hosts, the whole way — and we help you plan museum tickets, the Maranello shuttle, restaurant bookings and day trips.

Is the centre of Modena a good base for the Ferrari museums? Yes. The Enzo Ferrari Museum is a short walk from the centre, and the dedicated visitor shuttle to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (about 18 km away) departs from near the station — so you can visit both museums without a car.

How many nights should I stay in Modena? Two to three nights is the sweet spot. One full day covers the UNESCO centre and a long lunch; a second day adds the Ferrari or Lamborghini museums; a third lets you slow down with a balsamic-vinegar tasting, the markets, or a day trip to Bologna, Parma or Maranello.

Should I arrive by train or by car? If you're touring the centre, the train is easiest — Modena station is a 10-minute walk from the old town and trains from Bologna take about 30 minutes. If you plan to explore the wider Motor Valley (Lamborghini, Pagani, Ducati) or the countryside, a car is handy — in which case choose an apartment with its own parking just outside the ZTL.