Nine kilometres without a traffic light
Ferrara's walls form a continuous ring, flat and closed to traffic. You can ride it in an hour without stopping once: it works for a school class as well as for someone riding alone.
Ways to travel
Three cities out of four work better without a car.
This is not a statement of principle about sustainable mobility: it is that in Ferrara, Parma and Reggio Emilia a car is more of a problem than a convenience. Closed centres, short distances, expensive parking far from where you are going.
Storage
Bicycles do not sleep outside. The hostels have space to keep them, and it is worth mentioning at booking if you are bringing several.
Bikes on trains
Ferrara, Parma and Reggio Emilia are all on lines that accept bicycles. It is the simplest way to ride one stage and move on without doubling back.
Renting instead of bringing
In the three Emilian cities renting costs a few euros a day and you find it in the centre. For a short stay it beats loading your own onto a train.
Putting an itinerary together
Ferrara, Parma and Reggio Emilia all sit on or near the Via Emilia: less than an hour apart by train. Three stops in a week is an unhurried pace, with a full day in each city.
From Ferrara you can head down towards the Po and its delta; from Reggio you can climb into the Apennines, but that is where the plain ends and the gradient starts to tell.
If your route touches more than one hostel, you make a single enquiry: they coordinate between themselves.
See the destinationsFour cities by bike
Where it helps and where it does not.
| Terrain | Traffic | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrara | Flat | Closed centre, walls with no lights | The Italian city where a car is least useful |
| Parma | Flat | Cycle lanes, compact centre | Excellent, including from the station |
| Reggio Emilia | Flat | Pedestrian centre | Easy, with the Apennines for those who want to climb |
| Campiglia | Real hills | Little traffic, but a final climb | Fine to ride up to, hard as a daily base |
Where
Where a bicycle works best.
In order of how useful it is.
Ferrara
The Italian city where a car is least useful. Walls, centre, countryside: all flat.
Discover this destination →Parma
Compact centre and cycle lanes. Station to hostel in a few minutes by bike.
Discover this destination →Reggio Emilia
Flat and easy to cross, with the Apennines available for those who want to climb.
Discover this destination →Campiglia Marittima
Proper hills. For fit riders, or for those who factor it in.
Discover this destination →