April - Venice/Tuscany itinerary advice

Day 4 seems problematic
Rental agencies close by 6 and you’ve got at least 2 hour drive to Assisi once you get car picked up

Can you overnight in Padua to take some of the pressure off that day?

Maybe take one night from Siena?

Hello Nancy,

Since Padua is so close to Venice would you think about doing Padua as day trip from Venice on Day 3 and then spending as much of Day 4 in Venice as you wanted before getting on the train for Florence?
I would never want to short change Venice because I love it, but if you want to see Padua this seems like a compromise that would solve a lot of these problems.

Just a thought,
=Tod

If you're staying near the rail station in Siena, perhaps you might flip your stays in Assisi and Siena. You can take the train from Padua directly to Siena. The trip from Venice to Siena is even quicker if you make Padua a day trip as others have suggested.

Pick up the car the next morning in Siena (or perhaps even a day later and save on rental). On the morning of Day 12, drive from Assisi back to Siena to drop off the car where you picked it up and take a quick rail trip to Florence. Added bonus is you avoid driving in Florence.

No direct trains Venice to Siena
Must change in Florence

Thank you for your input!! Yes, I was concerned about Day 4. I was trying to cut out some driving. I had originally thought about picking up the car in Venice then driving to Padua and Ravenna to see the Basilica of San Vitale, staying overnight in Ravenna then going to Assisi for an overnight. Would that make more sense?

I, too, would be a fan of fewer short stays for you and instead do bases+daytrips, even though looking at a map it may seem silly to train from Venice to Padua and back again. Short stays seem like the opposite of taking it easy.

We've stayed for at least a week in all the places you've mentioned except we spent the day in Assisi and have never been to Pienza. So, naturally, I wonder what would take you to Pienza and wonder if you could cut that one out and add nights to other places. Pienza seems like the outlier. So is Ravenna, but sooooooo worth the trip.

Yes, take trains as much as you possibly can.

You don’t need to bother with renting a car if you cut out Pienza. All your other destinations can be reached by train which is a hassle free way to travel. Perhaps pick another town on the train route such as Perugia instead.

We love Pienza and surrounding area so I wouldn’t drop that

We spent 3 nights in Padua and 2 nights in Ravenna and enjoyed both very much

I don’t see how you could fit the sights in both locations in basically 1 day with a lot of driving between

You have 9 nights in Tuscany- if Padua and Ravenna are calling to you maybe shorten Tuscany time?

Can you give Ravenna 2 nights and pick up car there?

Venice to Padua via train for the 2 sights then onward to Ravenna that evening
Next day Ravenna sights (5 in town can be done in a day) and overnight
Pick up car in am drive to Assisi

Or could train Ravenna to Assisi and pick up car there as you leave

You really only need the car for a few days in Tuscany