Tiby Hotel Modena Review: My Honest 2-Night Stay Outside Bologna

I stayed at Tiby Hotel in Modena for two nights during my Bologna trip, and the reason was simple: Bologna was extremely busy and hotel prices had gone a bit wild.

Instead of paying inflated Bologna rates, I stayed in Modena and travelled into Bologna by train. That worked, but it came with a trade-off. The hotel itself was comfortable enough, the room was nice, and the breakfast was much better than I expected. But the daily transfer adds time and cost, so this is not the same experience as staying next to Bologna Centrale.

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Quick Verdict: Is Tiby Hotel Modena Worth It?

Yes, Tiby Hotel Modena can be worth it if Bologna hotel prices are too high and you are comfortable using Modena as a cheaper base.

For my stay, the room did the job well. I stayed in room 211, and it had the practical comforts I care about on a short city trip: a nice room, an electric kettle, and coffee in the room. The one issue was that the locker was not functional. We did not ask reception to fix it, so I cannot judge how quickly they would have handled it, but it is something I would check immediately if staying again.

The real charm of the hotel was breakfast. There were not endless hot-food options, but the spread was generous, and the cake selection was genuinely impressive. If you like a sweet Italian-style breakfast, this is where Tiby Hotel punches above what you might expect from a practical 3-star stay.

The main downside is transport. We walked from Modena station to the hotel on the first night, and it was around 2 km. After that, we started taking taxis to the station, which cost around €10-11 per trip. Then we paid around €4.50 per person for the train from Modena to Bologna, booking tickets on the fly through the Trenitalia app.

So the value depends on the price gap. If Bologna is only slightly more expensive, stay in Bologna. If Bologna is heavily overpriced, Tiby Hotel becomes a reasonable workaround.

Chasing Whereabouts Hotel Review Scorecard

Why I Booked Tiby Hotel Modena

I booked Tiby Hotel because Bologna was super busy and hotel prices in Bologna were crazy expensive during my dates.

This is the kind of booking decision that happens often in Italy: the city you want to visit gets expensive because of events, weekends, conferences, or simply high demand, and suddenly nearby towns start looking much more attractive.

Modena made sense because it is connected to Bologna by train. The plan was simple:

• Sleep in Modena.
• Take the train into Bologna during the day.
• Avoid paying peak Bologna hotel rates.
• Use the Trenitalia app to book train tickets as needed.

That plan worked, but I would call it a budget strategy rather than a convenience strategy.

Location: Good for Modena, A Compromise for Bologna

Tiby Hotel is in Modena, on Via Elia Rainusso 108. The hotel describes itself as being about 800 metres from Modena's historic centre and about 1.8 km from Modena Central Station.

That matched my experience. On the first night, we walked from the train station to the hotel. It was around 2 km, and after travelling, that felt like enough of a walk with bags.

For exploring Modena itself, the location is practical. You are not in the middle of Piazza Grande, but the historic centre is reachable on foot. For visiting Bologna, the location is only practical if you are comfortable adding an extra transport layer to every day.

Getting from Tiby Hotel to Bologna

After the first night, we stopped walking to the station and started taking taxis.

The taxi from Tiby Hotel to Modena station cost us around €10-11 each time. From there, we took the train to Bologna, and the train ticket was around €4.50 per person. We booked these tickets on the fly using the Trenitalia app, which was convenient because we did not have to over-plan the exact return timing.

The commute is not difficult, but it adds up.

For two people, one one-way trip into Bologna could look roughly like this:

If you do that both ways, the daily transport cost becomes meaningful. This is why I would only use Tiby Hotel as a Bologna base when Bologna accommodation prices are genuinely high enough to justify the commute.

Check-In and Staff

The staff left a positive impression.

The detail I appreciated most was that they were generous enough to let us overstay and extend checkout by one extra hour. Small gestures like that matter during travel, especially when you are coordinating luggage, trains, and city plans.

I did not ask them to fix the room locker, so I cannot say whether that would have been resolved quickly. In hindsight, I probably should have asked immediately. If you stay here and need to use the safe or locker, check it as soon as you enter the room.

Room 211: What the Room Was Like

We stayed in room 211.

The room was nice for a short stay. It had an electric kettle and coffee, which I always appreciate in European hotels because it gives you a softer start to the morning or a quick warm drink at night without going downstairs.

What worked well:

• The room felt comfortable enough for two nights.
• Kettle and coffee were available.
• It was a good practical base after spending the day outside.
• Nothing about the room made the stay difficult.

What did not work:

• The locker was not functional in room 211.
• We did not report it during the stay, so I cannot say how the hotel would have handled it.

For me, the room was a positive overall. Not luxury, not boutique, but pleasant enough for a short Modena stay.

Bathroom

The bathroom did not become a major memory from the stay, which usually means it did its job.

I would describe it as functional rather than memorable. For a hotel like this, I mainly care that the shower works, the space is clean, and nothing causes friction when you are getting ready to leave for the station. I did not note any specific bathroom issue during the stay.

If you are particular about bathrooms, check the room type before booking. The hotel's public room descriptions mention different room categories, and bathroom size can vary between economy and standard rooms.

Breakfast: The Best Part of the Stay

Breakfast was the charm of Tiby Hotel.

The hotel says breakfast is included and describes it as a generous continental breakfast with both sweet and savoury items. My experience lines up with that, especially on the sweet side. There were many cake options, and the cake inventory was honestly more impressive than I expected.

This is important because when you stay outside Bologna to save money, breakfast can quietly improve the value. If you can eat properly at the hotel before taking the train, you avoid buying an extra cafe breakfast in Bologna every morning.

I would not say there were endless options in every category, but the assortment was generous enough for the price point. If you enjoy Italian breakfast cakes, pastries, and a sweeter morning spread, you will probably like this part of the hotel.

Facilities and Practical Details

Tiby Hotel is a practical 3-star hotel rather than a design hotel.

Useful facilities listed by the hotel include:

• Free Wi-Fi throughout the property.
• Breakfast included.
• Reception open 24 hours.
• Luggage storage.
• Vending machines for coffee, cold drinks, snacks, and small accessories.
• Free unattended street parking in front of the hotel.
• Pets allowed.

For my trip, the main facility that mattered was breakfast. The second was the reception being flexible enough to allow a one-hour checkout extension.

Things to Do Nearby in Modena

If you are using Tiby Hotel as a Bologna overflow stay, do not ignore Modena completely. It is a proper destination, not just a cheaper bed.

From the hotel, you can build a simple Modena plan around:

• Modena historic centre, about 800 metres from the hotel.
• Piazza Grande and Modena Cathedral, the classic first stop.
• Galleria Estense, useful if you like museums and art.
• Enzo Ferrari Museum, a short taxi or longer walk away.
• Local food stops, especially if you want to try balsamic vinegar, tortellini, or Emilia-Romagna classics.

My honest advice: if you are already staying in Modena to save money, give Modena at least a small slice of the trip. It makes the commute trade-off feel much more worthwhile.

What I Liked

• The room was nice for a two-night stay.
• Room 211 had an electric kettle and coffee.
• Breakfast was better than expected.
• The cake selection at breakfast was genuinely strong.
• Staff allowed us to extend checkout by one hour.
• It helped avoid very high Bologna hotel prices.
• Booking train tickets on the Trenitalia app was easy.
• Modena itself is worth seeing, not just sleeping in.

What I Did Not Like

• The locker in room 211 was not functional.
• The hotel is not right next to Modena station.
• Walking around 2 km from the station with luggage was not ideal.
• Taxis to the station added about €10-11 per ride.
• The train to Bologna added around €4.50 per person each way.
• It only makes sense as a Bologna base when the Bologna hotel price gap is big enough.

Who Should Book Tiby Hotel Modena?

Tiby Hotel Modena makes sense if:

• Bologna hotels are too expensive for your dates.
• You are happy to commute from Modena to Bologna by train.
• You want a practical hotel with breakfast included.
• You do not mind taking taxis to Modena station.
• You want to include Modena in your Emilia-Romagna trip.
• You value breakfast more than boutique-hotel styling.

I would be more careful if:

• You want to maximise time in Bologna.
• You are travelling with heavy luggage and no car.
• You dislike taxi-plus-train logistics.
• You want to stay directly beside a major train station.
• You need a fully reliable in-room locker or safe.

My Final Rating

I would rate my stay 3.8 out of 5.

The hotel itself was better than just a backup plan. The room was comfortable, the kettle and coffee were useful, staff were flexible with checkout, and breakfast was the strongest part of the stay.

The missing points are mainly about the commute and the locker. As a Modena hotel, Tiby Hotel is a decent value stay. As a Bologna hotel alternative, it is a compromise you should choose only when Bologna prices make the extra transport worth it.

Check Tiby Hotel Modena rates and availability here

FAQ

Is Tiby Hotel in Bologna?

No. Tiby Hotel is in Modena, not Bologna. I stayed there because Bologna hotel prices were very high during my dates, and Modena is connected to Bologna by train.

How far is Tiby Hotel from Modena train station?

The hotel lists Modena Central Station as about 1.8 km away, or around 20 minutes on foot. My walk from the station to the hotel felt close to 2 km, and after the first night we used taxis instead.

How much was the taxi from Tiby Hotel to Modena station?

My taxi rides from the hotel to Modena station cost around €10-11 per trip.

How much is the train from Modena to Bologna?

During my stay, the train from Modena to Bologna cost around €4.50 per person. I booked tickets on the fly using the Trenitalia app.

Is breakfast included at Tiby Hotel Modena?

The hotel describes breakfast as included, and during my stay breakfast was the highlight. There were not endless options in every category, but the cake selection and sweet breakfast items were very good.

Which room did I stay in at Tiby Hotel?

I stayed in room 211 for two nights. The room was nice and had an electric kettle and coffee, but the locker was not functional.

Would I stay at Tiby Hotel Modena again?

Yes, but only in the right situation. I would stay again if Bologna hotel prices were unusually high and the total cost after taxis and train tickets still made sense. If Bologna prices were normal, I would rather stay in Bologna.

This stay was part of my Bologna trip. For planning the city itself, read my 3 days in Bologna itinerary and Appartamento Galleria 2 Agosto Bologna review.