Bergamo packs an unusual amount into a compact city. The Citta Alta (Upper Town) is a UNESCO World Heritage site wrapped in 16th-century Venetian walls, while the Citta Bassa (Lower Town) is a modern Italian city with excellent food, museums, and shopping. A funicular connects the two in under 3 minutes. Here is what to do in Bergamo, organized by area with practical details on hours, prices, and how to get there. See also our events and festivals calendar.
Things to Do in Bergamo: Citta Alta (Upper Town)
Piazza Vecchia
The heart of Citta Alta and one of Italy’s most beautiful squares. The 15th-century piazza is framed by the Palazzo della Ragione (12th-century city hall), the white marble Contarini Fountain (1780), and the 52-meter Campanone (Civic Tower). Free to visit at all hours. The Campanone costs 5 EUR to climb (3 EUR reduced) and is open Tuesday-Friday 10:00-18:00, weekends 10:00-20:00, closed Mondays. At 10 PM every night the bell rings 100 times , a tradition dating to the medieval curfew. The Caffe del Tasso on the square has been serving coffee since 1476, making it one of Italy’s oldest cafes (espresso 1.50 EUR at the bar, 3.50 EUR at a table). See also our where to stay in Bergamo.
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
This Romanesque basilica was built starting in 1137. The interior is a riot of Baroque decoration overlaid on Romanesque bones. The wooden confessional by Andrea Fantoni (1704) is considered a masterpiece of intarsia (wood inlay). The tomb of composer Gaetano Donizetti is here. Free entry. Open Monday-Friday 9:00-12:30 and 14:30-18:00, Saturday 9:00-12:30 and 14:30-17:00, Sunday 9:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. The exterior is deceptively plain , do not skip the interior. The adjacent Colleoni Chapel (Cappella Colleoni, 1472) is a Renaissance gem with a facade of polychrome marble and frescoed ceiling by Tiepolo. Entry to the chapel is free (same hours as the basilica). See also our Bergamo neighborhoods guide.
The Venetian Walls (Mura Venete)
The 6.2 km circuit of walls enclosing Citta Alta was built by the Republic of Venice between 1561 and 1588 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Four gates mark the main entrances: Porta Sant’Agostino, Porta San Giacomo, Porta Sant’Alessandro, and Porta San Lorenzo. The walls double as a 4.5 km walking path with views across the Lombard plain to Milan (on clear days you can see the Milan skyline and the Alps beyond). Free, open 24/7. Start at Porta San Giacomo for the best photo spot , the white marble gate against the pink-tinged stone walls is Bergamo’s most photographed view. The path takes about 90 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Rocca di Bergamo
The 14th-century fortress on the hill of Sant’Eufemia. Built by the Visconti family and later reinforced by the Venetians, it houses the Museo delle Storie di Bergamo (Museum of Bergamo History). Museum entry 5 EUR (3 EUR reduced). Open Tuesday-Friday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, weekends 10:00-19:00. The grounds and exterior are free to walk. From the tower you get a 360 degree view , the Alps to the north, Citta Alta below, and the Po Valley stretching south. Reach it by walking up from Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe (10 minutes uphill) or take the second funicular from Citta Alta to San Vigilio and walk down 5 minutes.
San Vigilio Castle and Hill
Take the second funicular (1.50 EUR each way, runs every 15 minutes, 7:00-24:00) from the top of Citta Alta up to San Vigilio hill (496m). The 10th-century castle is partially ruined but the grounds are open and free. The real draw is the panorama , you are looking down on Citta Alta’s towers and across the plain. On a clear day you will see the Milan skyline 45 km away and the entire Alpine arc. The Belvedere terrace just below the funicular station is the best photo spot. There is a small bar at the top for drinks (Aperol spritz 6 EUR) and a restaurant (Ristorante San Vigilio, mains 15-25 EUR, book ahead for dinner on weekends).
Things to Do in Bergamo: Citta Bassa (Lower Town)
Accademia Carrara
One of Italy’s finest art galleries, founded in 1794 by Count Giacomo Carrara. The collection spans the 15th-19th centuries: Raphael’s San Sebastiano, Botticelli’s Story of Virginia, Mantegna, Bellini, Canaletto, and a strong Lombard school section. Over 600 works on display across 28 rooms. Entry 12 EUR full, 10 EUR reduced. Free first Sunday of the month. Open daily except Tuesday: 10:00-19:00 (last entry 18:00). The museum is at Piazza Carrara 82, a 10-minute walk from the funicular lower station. Budget 2 hours minimum. The GAMeC (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art) is next door in the same complex (10 EUR, or 15 EUR combined ticket, open Wednesday-Monday 10:00-19:00).
Teatro Donizetti and Sentierone
Bergamo’s opera house, named after composer Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). The neoclassical theater seats 1,152 and hosts opera, ballet, and concerts from October through June. Tickets range from 15-80 EUR depending on the production. The box office is at Piazza Cavour 15 (open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00). The Sentierone , the tree-lined boulevard in front , is Bergamo’s main promenade with cafes and shops. The Torre dei Caduti war memorial at the east end has a viewing platform (3 EUR, weekends only 10:00-18:00).
Things to Do in Bergamo: Day Trips
Lake Iseo
Lake Iseo (Lago d’Iseo) is 25 km east of Bergamo, reachable by train from Bergamo station toward Brescia (get off at Iseo or Sulzano, 30 minutes, 3.80 EUR each way). It is the least touristy of the major Lombard lakes but equally beautiful. Monte Isola , Europe’s largest lake island , sits in the middle and is car-free (ferry from Sulzano, 5 EUR round trip, every 30 minutes). Rent a bike on the island (8 EUR/day) and cycle the 9 km perimeter path. The village of Peschiera Maraglio has waterfront fish restaurants where grilled lavarello (whitefish) costs 12-15 EUR. In summer, lake water temperatures reach 24-25C (75-77F).
Val Brembana
The Brembana Valley runs north from Bergamo into the Orobie Alps. Bus line B from Bergamo bus station (next to the train station) runs to San Pellegrino Terme (40 minutes, 3.50 EUR) , a Liberty-style spa town where San Pellegrino mineral water originated. The Grand Hotel and Casino building (1907) is a piece of Art Nouveau architecture (exterior viewable, interior closed for renovation since 2021). Further up the valley, Branzi (bus B, 90 minutes) has excellent local cheese. In winter, the ski resorts of Foppolo and San Simone (bus B50, 2 hours) offer 30 km of slopes at 1,600-2,200m. Day lift pass 30-35 EUR.
Things to Do in Bergamo: Food and Local Specialties
Polenta e Osei
The signature Bergamasco dish is polenta e osei , grilled small birds served on a bed of polenta. The traditional version uses farm-raised quail or pigeon. For a more accessible version, try the sweet polenta e osei , a dome-shaped cake made of sponge, marzipan, chocolate, and hazelnut cream with a yellow polenta-like marzipan coating and a chocolate bird on top. Pasticceria Cavour (Via Cavour 9, Citta Bassa) has been making these since 1949 (8 EUR each). For the savory version, Ristorante Lalimentari in Citta Alta (Via Colleoni 8) serves it seasonally (October-November, 22 EUR). Other local foods: casoncelli (half-moon pasta filled with beef and breadcrumbs, 12-15 EUR), strachitunt cheese (DOP soft blue-veined cow’s milk cheese), and Valcalepio wines (the local DOC red and white).
