Things to do in Ravenna: 10 ideas + maps and itinerary (2025)

Skip Rome and Florence for a moment: Ravenna is Italy’s quiet masterpiece where gold mosaics, street art, pinewoods and piadina live side by side.

Here, you’ll find the best things to do in Ravenna, along with a map, 1–2 day itineraries, and up-to-date 2025 tips to make every hour count.

Ravenna is a small city on the East coast of Emilia Romagna. It's famous for its Byzantine mosaics, a UNESCO heritage site, Dante's tomb, and its nightlife on the beach.

Ravenna is perfect for a day trip from Bologna using local trains. One day is enough to get a feeling of the city and visit all the mosaics sites, but you can spend there one or two days and find many interesting activities to do.

Ravenna city center is perfect for walking, with all the landmarks at close distance from each other.

Ravenna is also an important port, not far from Venice. Many cruises stop in Ravenna. The city center is about 15 kilometers from the port.

Best things to do in Ravenna

Here’s our curated list of 10 ideas, from mosaics to markets, updated for 2025.

Because of the many influences during the ages, Ravenna hosts amazing historical buildings made of stone and gold.

The Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna are eight UNESCO heritage sites located around the city, accessible with a single ticket. They can be found in churches, a museum, a baptistery, and a tomb and are more than 1400 years old.

Mosaics are made of small pieces of glittering glass, ceramics, and stone which tell stories like an ancient movie and shine like the crown Jewels.

More than decorations, mosaics were the mirror of ancient societies, and also a powerful way to spread ideas and values to people who couldn’t write.

Ravenna is the capital of mosaics, in Italy and worldwide.
Take a step into San Vitale Basilica and you will immediately understand the reason.

Time: 2–3 hours
Cost: €10–12 combined pass
Tip: go early morning for quiet light or join our Ravenna Food & Mosaic Tour.

“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark
For the straightforward pathway had been lost”

This is the incipit of the Divine Comedy, Dante’s masterpiece.
It tells about the journey into hell, purgatory, and finally heaven of one of the most famous Italian poets.

In Ravenna, there is no dark forest, don’t worry, but if you are into literature, it's totally worth a visit, where the “Sommo” rests.

Dante's Tomb is close to Piazza San Francesco, in a little neoclassical temple, and the poet has been there since 1865.

The fun, maybe not so fun, fact is that the body of the poet has been hidden for a long time by Franciscan friars from the Florentines, who want him back in their country.

Time: 15–20 min
Cost: free
Tip: step inside San Francesco church to see the crypt flooded with water and fish.

Literally.

By now you have probably understood that Ravenna is a city where you can live in every kind of art wherever you are.

Walk around the streets from Darsena to Rocca Brancaleone to find street art on every corner.

If you are thinking about the scratches left by vandals, forget them. These are real works of art made by important artists including Ericailcane, Bastardilla, Millo, and most of all: Invader.

Time: 45–60 min
Cost: free
Tip: best explored on foot or by bike in late afternoon light

There's one thing you don’t ever have to worry about in Italy: food. Every city has its specialties, and it’s a kind of moral duty to try it.

From the famous flatbread street food called piadina to Ravenna's seafood tradition, everything is delicious.

Don't miss the homemade pasta, from tagliatelle to local cappelletti (and please be careful not to confuse it with Tortellino).

If you are mouthwatering, it’s ok, it’s a natural side effect and if you don’t know where to start, you can browse my list of the best restaurants in Ravenna.

Time: 60–90 min (with meal)
Cost: varies (street food €5–10, trattoria €15–35)
Tip: don’t miss cappelletti in brodo

If you travel with kids and teenagers, you may want to dedicate some time of the trip just to them.

Here we have a perfect solution to make them happy!

In Ravenna, there's a perfect solution to make them happy: Italy's largest amusement park.

At Mirabilandia you can have fun sliding and screaming out loud from roller coasters with no shame at all.

With 850.000 sqm, 6 themed areas, and over 40 attractions, it would be a tough run to do it all.

But if you prefer to have a sunbathe with a fresh drink in your hand, relax in a pool, or lie on the grass: there you can.

Time: half–full day
Cost: from €30 per ticket
Tip: arrive early and plan your rides; weekends in July–August are very busy

Can you hear this music?

If you are here between June and July, it is not unusual to hear melodies through the streets, because in summer, Ravenna becomes an open-air theatre.

Expect the unexpected: imagine listening to great music in historical buildings, theatres, public gardens, and even in the UNESCO sites.

Between Ravenna Festival and Ravenna Jazz, whether you like classical, opera, or pop music you’ll be fine.

A special mention to Beaches Brew Festival, which mixes up the beach with live indie bands from all over the world.

Experience the music with feet sunk in the warm sand, wearing a swimsuit and a fresh craft beer in your hand is something you have to try.

Time: variable (concerts 1–3 hours)
Cost: many free events, major concerts €20–50
Tip: June–July is peak season; book early for Ravenna Festival shows

Forgive me for this subtitle, but since we were talking about music Ricky Martin popped up in my thoughts.

Ravenna by night is for everyone.

If you aren’t a fan of crazy wild nightlife, the city center would be more than happy to offer a wide choice of entertainment:

• In summer, shops stay open ‘till 11 pm
• In case you don’t have enough mosaics, you can admire them at night from a different and suggestive point of view.
• Plenty of pubs and Italian bars, where you can grab a gelato or a soft drink to recover from the summer heat.

But.
If you feel the rhythm of Ricky run through your veins… Marina di Ravenna is the place for you with the beach bar, the lounge bar, and the DJ set right on the shores.
So close that the sound of music blends with the waves of the sea.

Time: evening till late
Cost: gelato €3,5, cocktails €8–12
Tip: for a quiet night stroll, the center; for club,s head to Marina di Ravenna

Mosaics, we were saying.

Well, if the visit makes your heart desire to become an artist yourself, here is great news: you can.

Join our 2-hour Ravenna mosaic workshop to create your piece of art and bring it home.

Too tough? You're on holiday after all.

Then at Annafietta you can get Anna Finelli's mosaic creations art to expose in your home.

But you can wear Mosaics, too.

Barbara Liverani herself is a polymeric artist who creates fine jewels with mosaics technique.

Not enough?

Ok, then you really should come home with a hand-printed Romagna-style tablecloth or towel. Your mum will thank you, I'm sure.

Time: 30–90 min
Cost: from €20 for small crafts to €200+ for artworks
Tip: try a mosaic workshop to create your own souvenir

If you love nature, Ravenna might be your happy place.

There is so much variety of landscape that you may even wonder if you are still in the same place.

In Ravenna, there are more than 30 km of beaches with services and facilities, sandy shores, and no deep water, where kids can swim safely.

Between the beach and the city, there is another beautiful environment: pinewoods.

The San Vitale Pinewood and the ancient Pinewood di Classe, are forests of green-scented pine where you can take a walk or ride a bike or why not, with a horse.

Also, the city in origin was surrounded by water and what remains nowadays is a spectacular wetland made by the mirror of water, where you can go for some birdwatching.

Time: half–full day
Cost: pinewoods free · beach lidos €15–25 per day (umbrella + chairs)
Tip: Classe Pinewood is quieter; perfect for cycling and birdwatching

Just kidding, I haven’t lost my mind.

Venice is in another region, but not too far from Ravenna, you can visit Comacchio.

A charming little city surrounded by water where to enjoy a little cruise on the Delta of the Po River, eat Anguilla (a fish that looks like a snake and tastes really good), and say "Hi!" to the pink flamingos.

Time: half day
Cost: free to stroll · boat tours €10–15
Tip: taste eel (anguilla) and spot flamingos in the Po Delta

Ravenna itineraries (1 or 2 days)

Ravenna in 1 day (on foot)

Start early with the mosaics: San Vitale Basilica and the tiny jewel of Galla Placidia. Stroll a few minutes to the Neonian Baptistery and Sant’Apollinare Nuovo to complete the UNESCO highlights.

For lunch, grab a piadina stuffed with squacquerone and rocket.

In the afternoon, visit Dante’s Tomb and wander through the Darsena for street art.

End your day with an aperitivo in Piazza del Popolo before heading back.

Time: 1 full day
Best for: first-time visitors, day trippers from Bologna
Tip: buy the combined mosaics ticket online in advance — you’ll skip the line and save precious time.

Ravenna in 2 days (add beaches & comacchio)

On day 1, follow the classic route above.

Day 2 takes you outside the center: ride to Sant’Apollinare in Classe for its vast mosaics, then walk or bike in the Classe pinewood.

In the afternoon, relax on Ravenna’s long sandy beaches at Marina or Punta Marina. If you prefer a cultural twist, head north to Comacchio for canals, flamingos and a taste of grilled eel.

Time: 2 days
Best for: travelers who want culture + nature
Tip: use local buses for Classe and pinewoods; rent a bike for beaches

Cruise passengers: Ravenna in 4–6 hours

If your ship docks in Ravenna Cruise Port (Porto Corsini), take the shuttle or taxi into the city (15 km).

With limited time, focus on the essentials: San Vitale, Galla Placidia, the Baptistery and Dante’s Tomb.
A quick piadina lunch fits perfectly between stops.

Tip: the best way to optimize your short visit is joining our Ravenna Food & Mosaic Tour — entry tickets are included, you’ll skip the lines and see the highlights without rushing.

Get the best from your Ravenna trip

Ok now that I've told you what to visit in Ravenna for about a week, you can save time and effort and join us in a deep jump into food and mosaics.

During our Ravenna food and mosaics tour, we'll admire the tiny details in mosaics, chill in an ancient osteria with frescos and old men drinking Sangiovese and dig your fork deep into Ravenna's seafood tradition.

Max 8 people per group, come with us?

Photo courtesy of Ravenna Tourism, Francesca Sara Cauli