Things to Do in Ferrara

A large, open square next to the castle, used for local markets and events. Benches and shade from trees.

🕐 Open all day, every day

💡 Come on Saturday morning for the food market – cheap local produce and good street food snacks.

A quiet public park with wide lawns, ancient trees, and a small pond. Good for a picnic away from the tourist bustle.

🕐 Open 24 hours

💡 Best in late afternoon when the light filters through the trees; bring your own snacks as there's no café.

A large public park with wide lawns, mature trees, a small lake, and a 16th-century villa. Popular for picnics and quiet walks.

🕐 Daily 7:00-22:00

💡 Bring a blanket and buy takeaway focaccia from the bakery on Corso Porta Mare, then sit near the lake for a cheap lunch.

A Romanesque-Gothic cathedral with a marble facade, a 13th-century bell tower, and a small museum. Entry to the cathedral is free; the museum costs €3.

🕐 Daily 7:30-12:30 and 15:00-19:00

💡 Check the side door near the market square—it’s often open when the main door is locked. The museum has a Caravaggio and is worth the €3.

A moated medieval castle in the city centre. You can walk around the exterior and courtyard for free. The interior museum costs extra.

🕐 Exterior accessible 24/7; courtyard open 07:00–19:00 daily

💡 Visit at sunset for good photos from the bridge over the moat; avoid the long afternoon queues.

A Renaissance palace with a facade covered in 8,500 diamond-shaped stones. The ground-floor gallery and courtyard are free; temporary exhibitions cost around €10.

🕐 Tue-Sun 9:00-19:00; check exhibition times

💡 Go early in the morning to photograph the facade without crowds. The free ground-floor space often hosts small contemporary art displays.

A moated medieval castle in the city centre, with towers, dungeons and frescoed rooms. The courtyard and outer areas are free to explore; entry to the interior costs €8.

🕐 Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30; closed Mondays

💡 Skip the queue by booking online. Visit the moat level for free to see the original drawbridge mechanism and a small exhibition.

A Romanesque-Gothic cathedral with a striking marble façade and a three-storey bell tower. Entry to the main nave is free.

🕐 Mon–Sat 07:30–12:00, 15:00–18:30; Sun 07:30–12:00, 15:00–19:00

💡 The bell tower climb is worth the small fee for views, but skip the museum unless you're keen on religious art.

A Renaissance palace with a diamond-patterned marble exterior. The courtyard and ground floor gallery are free; the top-floor art exhibitions charge an entry fee.

🕐 Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, closed Mon

💡 The free ground-floor room has rotating local history displays – check their schedule online for free lecture days.

A natural history museum in a former hospital, with fossils, minerals and a whale skeleton. Admission is €3 for adults, free on the first Sunday of the month.

🕐 Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30; closed Mondays

💡 Combine with a walk along the city walls—the entrance is just next to the Porta Paola gate. Allow 1 hour inside.