The Ducal Palace with the National Gallery of the Marche, Raphael's house and the Oratory of San Giovanni.
The city of Federico da Montefeltro and Raphael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. In the fifteenth century, the court of Urbino was one of the most refined in Europe and its palace 'a city in the form of a palace'. From Rimini, this is the most important art trip within an hour's drive, if you've already seen Ravenna or want a Renaissance masterpiece.
When to goAll year round (the Ducal Palace is closed on Mondays)
The plan from Bologna
Leave Bologna for Urbino centre2 h 10 driving, 172 km
Urbino centre3 h 00 of visits: Ducal Palace and National Gallery of the Marche, Raphael's birthplace, Oratory of San Giovanni Battista, Cathedral and streets of the centre
Drive back to Bologna2 h 10 driving, 172 km
Back in Bologna
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
What you will see
1Urbino centre
Ducal Palace and National Gallery of the Marche 90 min
Federico da Montefeltro's palace, built with Luciano Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini: from outside, the two slender towers of the Torricini; inside, the courtyard of honour, one of the most harmonious of the Renaissance, and the duke's Studiolo, entirely lined with wood inlay that looks like half-open cupboards. The Gallery holds masterpieces including Piero della Francesca's Flagellation and Madonna of Senigallia, and Raphael's Ideal City and La Muta.
Closed on Mondays; booking is advisable for groups.
Raphael's birthplace 25 min
The house where Raphael Sanzio was born in 1483, son of the painter Giovanni Santi. In the room where he was born there's a fresco of the Madonna and Child that tradition attributes to the very young Raphael. His father's workshop is on the ground floor, with the courtyard and the stone for grinding colours.
Separate ticket.
Oratory of San Giovanni Battista 15 min
A small church entirely frescoed in 1416 by the brothers Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist: vivid colours, scenes full of everyday life, the finest Gothic painting in the Marche.
Limited opening hours: check beforehand.
Cathedral and streets of the centre 15 min
The neoclassical cathedral next to the palace, the steep brick streets with students from the university, one of the oldest in Italy, and the view over the hills from the square of the Fortezza Albornoz if you have time.
Tips
On Mondays the Ducal Palace is closed: choose San Leo or Gradara that day.
Urbino combines well with San Leo for a full day with lunch.
The same trip from other towns
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
This trip with a driver
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
Trips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
