In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Bergamo is 53 minutes from Milano Centrale on a direct Trenord train, from €6.30, one an hour in the morning. The station is in the lower town: ATB bus 1 and the funicular take you up to Città Alta on a €1.70 ticket (75 minutes), or €4.90 for 24 hours. The Campanone is €5, the Colleoni Chapel is free, and the Accademia Carrara (€10) is closed on Tuesdays. A day costs about €17.50 before the museums. Bergamo airport has no train: a bus runs from Milano Centrale from €9. No tour is needed for the city itself: the train and funicular are simple, and the GetYourGuide listing that includes Bergamo is a €290 winery day. Or book a ride: the Bergamo airport bus transferad is from €8 (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
53 minutes · direct Trenord · from €6.30 · Milano Centrale
- The train: Trenord runs direct from Milano Centrale, one an hour in the morning, from €6.30 each way. A regional ticket needs no seat reservation.
- The station: Bergamo station is in the lower town, Città Bassa. Città Alta, the walled upper town, is up the hill.
- To the upper town: ATB names bus 1 from the station and the funicular as the way up. Both are on the same ATB ticket.
- ATB tickets: a single is €1.70, valid 75 minutes, on buses and both funiculars. The city tourist ticket is €4.90 for 24 hours, and the whole-network ticket is €8.50 for 24 hours, which includes the airport link. Tap a contactless bank card on the “Passa e Vai” validator, or buy in the ATB app or by WhatsApp (Chat&Go). Paper tickets stopped working on 1 November 2024.
- Strikes: rail strikes are announced at short notice. Milan public transport has the dates, and the Ministry’s strike list is the source.
Tours
Bergamo is a train day. Franciacorta Winery and Bergamo Day Trip with Lunchad is €290 for a day, rated 4.8 from 107 reviews, and pairs a winery with a Bergamo stop. A private tuk-tuk tour of Città Altaad is €150 for 70 minutes. For the airport, the GetYourGuide bus listings are cheaper than a taxi: see the airport section below.
What to see
Bergamo has two halves. The lower town has the station, the Accademia Carrara and the shops. The upper town, Città Alta, is the medieval centre inside the Venetian Walls, which UNESCO inscribed in 2017 as part of a serial site of 16th and 17th-century defences. The walls are free to walk. A day on foot covers both: the Carrara when it opens, the funicular up, then the squares, the Campanone and the chapel, and lunch before the funicular down.
The Venetian Walls below Città Alta, Bergamo. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Accademia Carrara
€10 · closed Tuesday · Monday, Wednesday to Friday 09:00 to 17:30
The art museum in the lower town. A ticket is €10, or €8 reduced, and a timed Open Ticket adds €1. It is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 09:00 to 17:30 and Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. It is closed on Tuesdays and 25 December, opens 14:00 to 18:00 on 1 January and 09:00 to 14:00 on 31 December.
The funicular
On the ATB ticket · 240 m · built 1887
The city funicular climbs 85 m in 240 m from the lower town to Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe in Città Alta. Going up it runs about 07:00 to 20:20 on weekdays in the school term, to 01:15 on Saturdays and on weekdays outside term, and 07:40 to midnight on Sundays and holidays; in summer time it runs to 01:20 on Thursday and Friday evenings. Coming down it runs about 07:00 to midnight. A second funicular, 630 m long with a 90 m climb, runs from Città Alta up San Vigilio hill, to the paths of the Parco dei Colli.
The entrance to the Città Alta funicular. Photo: Elena Chochkova, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Piazza Vecchia and the Campanone
€5 · Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 · Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00 to 19:00
The Campanone is the civic tower in Piazza Vecchia, 52.76 m high, with a view over the upper town and its walls to the mountains. The €5 ticket includes the Palazzo del Podestà; reduced is €3, ages 11 to 17 €1, and under 11 free. It is closed on Mondays and 25 December, and open 10:00 to 17:00 on 31 December and 14:00 to 19:00 on 1 January.
Piazza Vecchia, with the Campanone behind the Palazzo della Ragione. Photo: Richard Mortel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The basilica and the Colleoni Chapel
Colleoni Chapel free · basilica €5 · both on Piazza Duomo
The Colleoni Chapel, the Renaissance tomb of the mercenary captain Bartolomeo Colleoni, has a façade of white and red marble and is free. It is open 09:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:30 from March to October, 09:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:30 from November to February, and closed on Mondays. The adjoining Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore charges non-residents €5, or €2 for ages 14 to 25 and over 70, with free entry during services. It is open Monday to Friday 10:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 18:00, Saturday 10:30 to 18:00, and Sunday 09:00 to 10:30 and 13:30 to 18:00.
The marble façade of the Colleoni Chapel on Piazza Duomo. Photo: Steffen Schmitz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The airport
Bergamo Orio al Serio has no rail link. Four options reach Milan:
| Option | Journey | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Autostradale bus to Milano Centrale | 50 to 60 minutes, every 30 minutes | From €9, €18 return |
| ATB airport bus to Bergamo station, then train | Bus every 20 minutes, train 53 minutes | €8.50 whole-network ticket, plus the train |
| Terravision bus transfer on GetYourGuidead | Bus to Milan | From €8 |
| Fixed-fare taxi to the city of Milan | About an hour | €128 |
Airports to the city covers the other two airports and the night options.
What a day costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Train, Milano Centrale to Bergamo and back | €12.60 |
| ATB 24-hour city ticket | €4.90 |
| Transport | €17.50 |
| Accademia Carrara | €10 |
| Campanone | €5 |
| Santa Maria Maggiore | €5 |
| Colleoni Chapel, walls and squares | Free |
Before you go
- The thing that ruins a day: Monday and Tuesday. On Monday the Campanone and the Colleoni Chapel are closed; on Tuesday the Accademia Carrara is.
- Midday: the Colleoni Chapel closes from 12:30 to 14:00, and from November to February it shuts at 16:30.
- Leaving: the last funicular down runs about midnight, and the last train times are on Trenord’s timetable.
- Combining: Bergamo pairs with Lake Como as a second short train day, and the airport bus makes it a stop on a flight day.
Day trips from Milan compares every trip. Milan public transport covers the way to Centrale, 3 days in Milan fits a day away into the week, and where to stay in Milan compares the areas. What to book before you go to Milan lists the closed days in the city.
Common questions
How long does it take to get from Milan to Bergamo by train?
53 minutes by direct Trenord train from Milano Centrale, one an hour in the morning, from €6.30. Bergamo station is in the lower town, and the funicular to Città Alta is reached by ATB bus 1 or on foot.
How much is the funicular in Bergamo?
It is on an ATB ticket: a single is €1.70 and lasts 75 minutes on buses and both funiculars. A 24-hour city tourist ticket is €4.90, and the whole-network 24-hour ticket, which includes the airport bus, is €8.50. Tap a contactless bank card on the ATB validator.
Is Bergamo's Accademia Carrara open on Mondays?
Yes. It is closed on Tuesdays and open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 09:00 to 17:30, and Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00 to 18:00. A ticket is €10, or €8 reduced.
Is there a train from Milan to Bergamo airport?
No. Take the train to Bergamo and ATB's airport bus, or the Autostradale bus from Milano Centrale, from €9, in 50 to 60 minutes. A fixed-fare taxi from the airport to Milan is €128.
What is free in Bergamo's Città Alta?
The Colleoni Chapel, the Venetian Walls, the squares and the funicular views cost nothing, apart from the €1.70 funicular ticket. The Colleoni Chapel is closed on Mondays.
