One of Italy’s great culinary centres, and home of balsamic vinegar, Modena is heaven for your tastebuds. Its beautifully atmospheric streets are crammed with amazing restaurants — the sort that would be household names in other cities — where you’ll find the local sparkling Lambrusco and Parmigiano Reggiano accompanying cured flavour explosions, slow cooked this and that, and giant tortellini stuffed with deliciousness. Many of the best places to stay in Modena are within walking distance of these little bites of heaven, with the majority of our recommendations within tge original city walls. We’ve picked out a few small and charming historic hotels, plus a larger, grander, more romantic option, and a great value property just outside town.

If food isn’t your thing, Modena may still tantalise you with its art and architecture. This city was on the Via Emilia (a major Roman road in northern Italy), and it is graced with glorious churches, theatres, palaces and monuments, many of them UNESCO World Heritage Listed. The covered arcades and porticos shelter a really exciting range of shops, as well as bars and restaurants. Modena is also the birthplace of tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, and the theatre named after him is known for more than just opera.

Or maybe Modena will inspire with its motoring legacy, because it is just a few minutes from the Ferrari museum in Maranello. It is known as the home of Maserati, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Pagani too, and other fast and glamorous cars. If you’re here for the cars the best time of year to book into one of the best places to stay in Modena is definitely May, when there’s a weekend festival called Motor Valley fest.

The Best Places to Stay in Modena

For Central Modena

• Converted from an elegant townhouse in the heart of Modena, the Hotel Cervetta 5 has just five rooms and suites, all fresh-feeling, and decorated in bright neutrals. There’s no restaurant, but they have an airy breakfast room and a chic hotel bar specialising in aperitivi-post-explorations.

For Romantics

• If your preference is for historic style, consider the Salotto delle Arti, a 19th century townhouse with five elegant guest rooms featuring original details — like frescoes, parquet flooring, and open fireplaces — to which they’ve added plush linens, chandeliers and stylish antiques. Romantic and opulent.
• The Hotel Rua Frati 48 is another centrally located hotel, offering a collection of 30 extremely spacious rooms and suites, decorated with traditional details, like beautiful parquet floors, frescoes on the ceilings, wood panelled walls, and marble fireplaces. The romantic restaurant is known for its local cuisine and intimate atmosphere, and there’s a sleek bar and welcoming spa onsite too.

For Great Value

• The Locanda del Feudo is in a small town just outside Modena, but is such a rustic charmer and such good value that it’s worth considering. It’s been converted from a traditional house, and now offers accommodation in large suites with high ceilings, exposed beams and elegant furnishings. Plus there's an excellent traditional restaurant with an extensive wine cellar.
• Vittorio Veneto 25 is a six room hotel on the site of Modena’s former city walls, right on the edge of the oldest part of town. The property itself is a charming townhouse, beautifully restored and updated, so that its six rooms and suites offer contemporary style in warm palette of deep greys and pastels. Our Gurus like the lighting and small, private balconies overlooking the oldest part of town. Some of the suites are suitable for families too.

For a Private apartment or villa

• If you’re looking for a self-catering option browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Modena’s closest international airport is Bologna Airport, which is only about half an hour away by car or taxi, and about an hour by train.  Alternatively, Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci international airport is less than an hour and a half away by road, or about two hours by train; and Milan Malpensa Airport, is about two hours away by car, or three and a half by public transport.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• There’s not really a bad time to plan a city break to Modena, but its most popular months for visitors are June, July and August. Being inland, Modena gets the same intense summer heat as Florence, and humidity as Venice, so it can be hot and damp during the summer, as well as busy, so you might want to consider visiting slightly earlier or later. From mid-April onwards Modena enjoys plenty of sunshine to combat the cool breezes — plus spring blooms! While late autumn can be rainy, September and October are very mild and pleasant, and this is peak time for food festivals, both in Modena, Parma and in the hill towns that surround them.

Still not sure where to stay?

• You could expand your search to include all the best places to stay in Emilia Romagna
• Consider the best places to stay in Milan or neighbouring Bologna or Parma
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.