Trip to Modena and Maranello

[u/dndys]

Hello, My wife and I are planning a trip to the Modena and Maranello museums soon. I know there have been many posts about visiting these museums, but I’m unsure how up-to-date the information is, and I still have a few questions.

1. How do we get from Modena to Maranello and back? We’ll be traveling by train from Bologna to Modena and back. I’ve seen that there’s a shuttle bus on the museum website, but the timetable seems a bit inconvenient. Are there any better options for getting between the two museums? And if there's a bus between them, how do we get the tickets?

2. Can we visit both museums in one day, or would you recommend dedicating a full day to each?

3. I read in another post that someone recommended taking a guide during the visit, but I didn’t see this option when booking tickets online. Is it possible to hire a guide on-site?

4. I’ve never used a simulator before—not even on a PC. Would the F1 simulator experience still be worth it, or would it likely be frustrating since I’m a complete beginner?

5. Are there any must-visit spots near the museums? This could be anything—great places to eat, nice walking areas, or other attractions in the vicinity.

6. Are there any must-buy souvenirs from either museum, or are there better shops nearby? Is photography allowed in the museums, and are there any specific spots that are particularly great for photos?

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks in advance for your advice and tips!

[u/seejy]

I did both this year in August.

1. We had a car so I can’t talk about transit unfortunately, we parked at Fiorano and got the coach in to Maranello.
2. We did both in the same day, it was just right, not too much to do at all.
3. We didn’t book a guide or feel like it was necessary. We did book tickets online beforehand.
4. The simulators are great and beginner friendly. Maranello has an F1 simulator, and Modena has a GT style one. The one in Modena is cheaper!
5. We just did these two, but if you get the coach in to the museum you can see Fiorano too.
6. The shops are very expensive, we didn’t buy anything there.

[u/abscissa081]

I didn’t visit Modena, but did go to Maranello and also took a bus tour around Maranello that goes into the production areas.

1. A full day was not needed for me in Maranello museum. Couple hours personally.

2. A guide wasn’t necessary to me…but would imagine it depends on the level of Ferrari you already know or care to know.

3. I passed on this, it was something like an additional 30 USD for like 10 minutes. But I have a sim rig at home with arguably better hardware lol. Pretty confident they were running Assetto Corsa which is a standard available game, not some crazy secret proprietary software. But still may be cool as it will allow your brain to see how fast some stuff comes at you.

4. Photography was allowed and encouraged in Maranello. When I did the little bus through the campus tour it wasn’t allowed. I did not find the campus bus tour worth the extra money.

[u/seejy → u/abscissa081]

It is Assetto Corsa, but I believe the car models are proprietary and not available to download at home

[u/Top_Assignment7520]

1. It depends how much time you'll spend there, but it took me about 1,5-2h to leasurly walk though the Museo in Maranello and have a close look at everything.

2. The simulators are fun, but very expensive. Obviously they are not real cockpits, but very roomy versions and you can chose your driving assist when you get in. So if you're unexperienced, you can still have a go. The chassis moves left and right underneath you to simulate the car movements, but personally I found it very distracting because - if i remember correctly - the screen didn't move.

Just have a great time there, usually there'll be interesting cars in the car park from other visitors

[u/BurntLantern]

There is a dedicated Ferrari bus from Modena's station to Maranello's museum. Look for it on the internet for more info, it's quite intuitive.

[u/jesbrera → u/BurntLantern]

Yes, Vivara Viaggi Is the company. Ask then whatever questions you have about the bus schedule.

Also, if you are using Trenitalia you can have discounts on the museum tickets by presenting your train tickets at the counter. :)

[u/BurntLantern → u/jesbrera]

What I took was an official Ferrari bus, in 2017. So not that one, probably has changed throughout the years but 100% there's one from Modena's station.

[u/jesbrera → u/BurntLantern]

When I did my trip last summer it was them that where managing the official bus service. They have the buses in red with Ferrari logos. Very elegant and cool looking.

[u/Fit-Palpitation5441]

1. If you enjoy fine dining experiences I would recommend making a reservation for lunch at Ristorante Cavallino (Maranello). We really enjoyed our lunch here. We visited the Modena museum in the morning and then the Maranello in the afternoon with a fabulous lunch in between.

[u/kind_of_decisive]

I’d also like to add that r/grandprixtravel would be a really great resource for you! Helped me a lot when I was coordinating logistics for the 3 different races I’ve done (Montreal, Barcelona, Monza)

[u/tekanet]

Hi! My 2 cents: I did both museums in one day, it is feasible if you don’t read every single thing you find around. I tried the sim, I think it’s worth it: ask to run at Monza, you’ll at least enjoy the straights and a couple of corners; if the guy there is into it you might want to ask them to tell you when to break, otherwise break as hard as you can at the 100 meters mark. You can visit Maranello, have lunch at Cavallino and move to Modena. I’m a long time fan and a bit of a mechanical engineering junkie, it was a blast: hope you’ll have a great time! Maybe you can spend a bit of time ahead with your wife researching and reading what you’ll find there (eg the cars that are in the gallery of champions) to have something to look forwards to!

[u/vinse81]

If you will use a shuttle between the two museums make sure to purchase the tickets upfront (online). You can buy them onsite, but they prioritize people who already have tickets and in case there are a lot of people you will take the bus first. The buses are not particularly big, I think for around 20 people max.

[u/Jbarmi]

The official Ferrari shuttle is very convenient. We did it this October and did both museums, the factory bus tour and simulator experience . 

We took the regional train from Bologna to Modena. Walked from Modena Station over to the Enzo Ferrari Museum. From there we took the shuttle bus to Museo Ferrari first and did our self guided tour. I dont think a guide is necessary to be honest. I booked the simulator experience on the spot since I wasnt sure how much time I would have before the factory tour started. Did the simulator experience and then did the factory bus tour. Then took the official Shuttle back to Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena and toured that. Then took the train back to Bologna. 

[u/ryokevry]

1. I did the bus and I am not sure there are better public transport. You can book the bus ticket when you book the museum tickets online.

2. I think you can do both museums in one day, but if you are going for the factory tour as well then it may be a bit tight, but I think it should still be manageable. I would strongly recommend the factory bus tour and I quite like the guide. You can book the factory tour when booking museum tickets too.

3. If you want to drive a Ferrari but not rich enough to buy one you can rent a Ferrari to driver around Maranello. Also, you can walk from the museum to the entrance of GeS (or whatever it is called now), which is where the Scuderia is, and when they take the iconic photo. You can see Haas and Scuderia Ferrari staff walking in and out.

4. There are some souvenir shops near the museum. They sell some driver signed merch as well if you are interested.

[u/Joephps]

I did this in April during the WEC weekend.

1. Taxi. It was €40 between the 3 of us each way. We headed back to the station at Modena as there was a taxi rank there. There is a shuttle bus between the two but it only runs twice a day. You can get a ticket that covers both museums.

2. We were in the Modena one for about an hour I’d say. And the Maranello one for about 2 hours. We also had a little stroll around Maranello itself. It’s a town almost entirely dedicated to Ferrari. You can see the entrance to the old factory just up the road.

3. I think you can get an audio guide but personally I prefer visiting places at my own pace.

4. They’re usually just playing a PlayStation Game with a wheel and pedals. If needed you can have all assists on.

5. We did just both the museums as we also wanted to head back and visit the Ducati museum on the same day. If you’re in Bologna, the food is incredible.

6. It’s very expensive. I spent €8 on a Fridge magnet. I don’t think you can take professional photography equipment in, but you’ll be able take as many pictures as you like with a normal camera or phone.

[u/New-Cucumber-7423]

1. Train/bus.

2. Yes but do two days.

3. Unsure, the tour is in English though.

4. Practice before you go, you don’t need much. But the first hour or so playing those is nothing but a crash fest.

5. It’s Italy, explore.

6. Not sure if they still allow it. But I took a 20 min drive in a Ferrari for less than €100.

[u/Sometimes_Stutters]

Go eat at Montana’s. It’s basically an F1 museum with fantastic food

[u/Stumpy493]

We had a fantastic experience at a little cafe just across the road from the factory.

You could sit outside, and every 20 minutes or so a nearly finished Ferrari road car would roll out of the factory to the traffic lights, sometimes still missing a headlight or something.

Then they enthusiastically go away, you hear them up the road, hear them thrash around Fiorano for 10 minutes, then see them trundle back.

Just incredible to see that every Ferrari road car gets driven at Fiorano to shake it down.

I can't remember the place, but an awesome experience.