Bergamo, Italy - a complete travel guide

BERGAMO, ITALY - TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, RESTAURANTS, ACCOMMODATION PLACES

Italy is one of the most visited countries in Europe, and finding those places that aren’t packed with tourists sometimes seems like an impossible mission. Bergamo is one of the highly sought-after authentic locations that aren’t extremely popular but have a lot to offer from a tourist perspective. This little town surprised me in such a pleasant way that I can’t understand how it is so overlooked and "pushed aside" in favor of Milan, which, between us, is nowhere near as interesting.

In this article I will tell you about everything related to the organizational details of Bergamo: from accommodation, transportation, car rental and restaurants, to unmissable tourist attractions and places worth visiting. If you are undecided about a visit to this city, I am convinced that after reading this mini-guide, you will know exactly what to do.

In Bergamo, you will discover two cities in one. More precisely, the new part, Città Bassa, and the old, historic part, built on a hill, called Città Alta. The difference between the two parts of the city is striking, and I fell irreversibly in love with the historic side. Without exaggeration, I found it to be one of the most beautiful historic centers in Italy. The combination of imposing old stone buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, and the local architecture were the details that completely won me over.

Moreover, the view of the new city is just as impressive. In contrast, Città Bassa does not particularly stand out—in fact, I found it somewhat unwelcoming, prompting us to be cautious regarding safety. Leaving the hotel early in the morning, we passed by cars parked on the street with shattered windows from the night before. If you rent or bring your own car, I strongly recommend not leaving any bags, shopping bags, or anything else inside that might attract thieves' curiosity.

HOW DO YOU GET TO BERGAMO?

Bergamo is one hour from Milan and is served by its own airport. Because it is a popular destination and most low cost airlines (and not only) operate flights to this destination, the price of airline tickets is quite affordable. I recommend doing as many simulations as possible on Skyscanner (the site that compares prices from several airlines) and choose the option that suits you best.

There are buses from the airport to both Bergamo and Milan. The bus stop is at the airport exit and runs to the city train station every 20 minutes. Another transport option, a bit more expensive, is by taxi. The price is around 20 euros.

If you want to explore more, then I recommend renting a car. At the time of our trip, the best deal I found was at Centauro, with pick-up near the airport. We were able to rent with full insurance, no deposit and only with a debit card.

WHERE TO STAY IN BERGAMO?

Being a city quite overlooked by tourists, accommodation prices are somewhat lower compared to Milan. Among the options available on Booking, the ones that caught my attention are:

- B&B Hotel Bergamo - is the accommodation unit that we chose for our stay in Bergamo. We chose this location, both because of the affordable price and because it has a parking lot. The rooms are not very large, but they were clean. Internet is included in the reservation price, and parking and breakfast are paid separately;

- Bergamo & Dintorni - accommodation unit with double, twin or quadruple rooms. Internet is included in the booking price;

- Al Centro Città - studio accommodation unit, centrally located and soundproofed. It has parking at an additional cost and internet included in the booking price;

- B&B Room Italy - accommodation unit with double or triple rooms, located near the train station. Continental breakfast is offered at an additional price;

- La Torre Bergamo House - accommodation unit with double or triple rooms, located in the old center of Bergamo.

WHERE DO YOU EAT IN BERGAMO?

During our stay in Bergamo, we managed to test the food at two of the restaurants in the city. Unfortunately, the options are not many, but we managed to choose the right places and eat decently. We chose:

• Biif Grill & Pizza - a pizzeria, where you will find several types of dishes, from classic pasta and pizza, to burgers and steaks. I tried both pizza and pasta, and both were quite good. The service is fast, and the waiting time for the food is very short. On weekends, I recommend making a reservation in advance.

• Inti Ristorante - is a Peruvian restaurant. The food was decent and the service impeccable. The restaurant is run by a Peruvian family, who did everything possible to make us happy.

If you want to try something authentic Italian and have a unique gastronomic experience, you can try home-made food, right from the homes of the locals, details here.

ACTIVITIES AND PLACES TO VISIT IN BERGAMO

The tourist area of Bergamo is pedestrian-only, so I recommend exploring both the old town, in Città Alta, and the more commercial area, in Città Bassa, on foot. You can choose to reach Città Alta using one of the two funiculars or opt for a more active route by climbing the hill via Via Saint Alessandro, which offers panoramic views.

Climbing this street, we encounter the first tourist attraction in the historic part: Porta San Giacomo. This gate was one of the most important entrances to the city. For security reasons, it used to be closed every night from 10:00 PM. Until the 18th century, instead of the stone viaduct that can be admired today, there was a small wooden bridge that facilitated access to the city entrance.

After climbing a little further, we reach the area with most of the tourist attractions and some of the most interesting buildings in Bergamo:

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore was built in the 12th century during the plague epidemic in Europe. People believed that praying to the Virgin Mary and building a church in her name would protect them from the contagious infectious disease.

Near to this basilica, we find Cappella Colleoni, which is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful buildings in Bergamo. Both the exterior, decorated with white and red marble, and the interior, where we can admire statues and paintings, true works of art, put this church at the top of the recommendations in most tourist guides.

And since the buildings in Bergamo are almost glued to each other, let's not miss the Duomo di Bergamo. It is not a building that attracts attention, and at first glance you would not suspect that it is a dome. Once inside, we can understand the grandeur of the building. The Duomo is also known as the Cathedral of St. Alexander (Cattedrale Saint’Alessandro) and evidence has been found that there have been places of prayer in this place since the 5th century. The cathedral we see today was built in the 19th century and renovated in 2004.

Palazzo della Ragione has existed since medieval times and was the first town hall of a municipality in Italy. Obviously, the building is not 100% the same, much of it having been rebuilt by the Venetians, who used it as a courthouse. In front of the building, in 1798, a sundial was built, which indicates the exact time according to the sun's rays.

After admiring and/or visiting these architectural works of art, we head towards Piazza Vecchia, for an overview of the entire area. Across the street from the ones mentioned above, we find Palazzo Nuovo, which was the city hall for 300 years. Nowadays, this palace houses a library.

Once we are done with Piazza Vecchia, we continue our walk on Via Gombito. From there, on the first street on the right we are delighted by one of the most interesting tourist attractions with historical value in the city, Il Lavatoio. It is the old public washing machine of the city and also one of the most interesting places in Bergamo.

If you want to learn more interesting things about Bergamo and discover more interesting streets, places, or buildings, then I recommend purchasing a guided tour. I leave here option 1, option 2 and option 3.

If you are a morning person, you have to put admiring the sunrise on your list.

PERSONAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT BERGAMO

As I said at the beginning of the article, Bergamo is one of the cities that surprised me the most since I started traveling. I don't know if it was because of the very low expectations I had about this city, or because it is a simply wonderful place, but it is in the top of the most beautiful places I have visited. However, it is not a very big city and even a single day can be enough to explore it.

It is also a connecting point to other beautiful cities and areas of Italy, such as Lake Como, Lake Garda, Verona, Brescia, Venice, Turin, or the Dolomites. Also from this area, you can have a ride withe the panoramic view train Bernina Express train route to Switzerland. You can opt for organized day trips to Venice, or Verona and Sirmione, Lake Garda.

The best part about this travel destination is the price of the plane tickets, which are generally quite cheap. I have always found pretty good deals on Skyscanner, both for plane tickets and sometimes even a car, or accommodation.

Read the article about Milan, Varenna and Bellagio.

If you liked this article, you can share it.

To stay up to date with the latest posts, I invite you to subscribe to the newsletter, only your email address is required.

For more travel destinations and photos, you can follow me on Instagram.

Thank you for reading!

The photos and text are protected by copyright law.

This article contains affiliate links!

The author of this article is not responsible for the reader's choices, regardless of the negative or positive consequences of the actions taken by the reader after reading any page on this website!