Porretta Terme is on the Bologna–Pistoia railway line and has its own station — the journey from Bologna takes about an hour, with trains running several times daily. This makes it a genuinely easy day trip from Bologna, and some visitors come just for the day.
By car from Bologna, take the A1 motorway south and then follow signs west toward Vergato and the Reno valley. The road is scenic and the drive takes about 50 minutes depending on traffic. From Florence, you can approach from the south via Pistoia — a slightly longer but equally scenic route through the Tuscan Apennines.