On our last day in Venice, my husband and I were considering taking the train from Venice to Verona, with stops on the return trip in Vicenza and Padua. Is 3 hours in each town sufficient to see the main sites?
Posted by
Vicenza, Italy
319 posts
If you were to just wander the downtown of each town and not spend any time in a museume, then maybe 3 hours is enough. I would pick two of the towns and see one in the morning and one in the afternoon. All are worth taking your time. I would do Padova in the morning because there is a beautiful fruit/outdoor market every morning, and Verona in the afternoon. Although I live in (and love) Vicenza, as a tourist I would choose Verona and Padova over Vicenza. I really feel this way because the best parts of Vicenza (the Villas) are on the outskirts of town. You can walk to the Villas from the train station; it takes longer than most tourists want to spend.
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
Michelle has a great plan! Verona is one of my favorite cities in Italy and Padua is on our list of places to visit. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
WALNUT, CA, USA
2 posts
Thank you both very much! We've decided to follow your advice and visit Padua and Verona, stopping in Padua first.
Posted by
Newbury, VT, USA
75 posts
You should read the Padua and Verona chapters in Rick's Venice 2009 guidebook; I think it is exactly the guidance you may seek!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
For maximum flexibility of staying as long as you want in any of the three cities, walk up to the train station and buy your tickets for the next high-speed train. You'll be surprised on how many are passing through in each direction. The reason that I am not suggesting that you purchase the high-speed tickets in advance is that you will be locked in to a specific train and departure time. Your flexibility is diminished. You'll get seats on the next high-speed.
Option B is that you can ride the Regionale (R) trains between the towns. Total flexibility. You simply hop on the next one through to your destination. R tickets are open tickets that are good for 60 days. No seat reservations permitted. It's like BART. Buy your ticket, get on and find a seat. The downside of riding on the R trains is that they take double the time of the high-speeds. They are not slow - they simply stop at every stop whereas the high-speeds whiz through most stops.