Padua worth a side trip from Venice?

It depends on your interests. In my opinion, the 5 star attraction is the Scrovegni Chapel, completely frescoed by Giotto (need to reserve). The baptistery next to the duomo is also beautiful. You can visit the basilica of St. Anthony (not my cup of tea). There are botanical gardens, a famous coffee house (Caffe Pedrocchi) , and the beautifully frescoed Palazzo Della Ragione. The university, where Galileo taught, also has an anatomical theater, where dissections were performed in defiance of the Catholic Church. Easily worth a day, if any of that interests you.

Yes, definitely. Get a reservation to visit the Scrovegni Chapel.
http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/index.php/en/book-now/information-on-ticket-reservation

How many days do you have in Venice? Venice itself can take two to three days just to see it's sights. A day of just wandering around the maze of Venice and enjoying a rest in a outdoor café or a ride through the canals is special. We had two full days in Venice two years ago and we could've easily used another full day, there wasn't time for day trips. However, Padua is a city that I would love to see!

We will be in Venice for 5 days.

What Rosalyn said. We spent 4 or days in Padua a couple of months ago, and loved it. Her list includes everything I was going to say. Buon viaggio!

Is Padua worth a side trip? Absolutely.

The Giotto frescoes at the Scrovegni Chapel are phenomenal. Then there's the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua and the Palazzo della Ragione. Plus the food, the wine....wow.

Yes to Padua!

You should definitely see the Giotto frescoes if you are interested in early Renaissance art. It's a must for art historians.

Are you planning to go to both Verona and Vicenza in the same day? Verona has enough to fill a day and then some. Do you really have 5 full days in Venice (6 nights)? I don't mean to sound snarky, but why are you spending so much time in Venice if you don't want to see it. Venice is not a good base for day trips because of the time it takes to get to/from the train station - unless you are staying close to the station, which is the least attractive part of the city. Added to that, Venice is probably the most expensive city in the area.

Chani has a point (as usual!). When we were in Padua this summer our hotel (Al Santo) cost €84 a night, including a very nice breakfast. The hotel was in walking distance of all the major sights, and very close to St Anthony's. The hotel at which our RS group stayed, al Fagiano, was about 3 blocks away, and the price there was comparable - a little higher, as I recall.

We will be in Venice for 5 nights and have 3 full days in Venice to explore -just enough for us. This is the beginning of a 3 week trip and don't want museum /church burnout. We travel extensively, if we love a place, we can always return. There is only so much you can absorb and we enjoy getting a " flavor" of a city. We think if you pack in too much touring, you miss part of the cultural experience! Thank you to all who took the time to respond to my question.

Then I'd suggest a day trip to Verona only. Leave 3 full days for Venice, including the islands. If you are going south from Venice, you can see Padua en route to wherever - morning train from Venice, check your bags at the station, spend the day in the town and continue by train late in the day. Venice is a great place to relax and soak up the atmosphere . . . ride the vaporetto from one end of the Grand Canal to the other, once in the early morning mists, once after dark. Wander the back canals (called rios), stop for coffee, or gelato, or an aperatif every couple of hours at a square (called campo) - there's only one piazza, San Marco).

Eln, when are you going? I'm planning a similar trip early November. Specially interested in Verona and Vicenza. We plan on touring EatalyBologna and Ravenna before Venice.

We're looking into a river boat tour on the Brenta Canal. http://www.ilburchiello.it/en/

End of September. We are also planned nag on going to Verona with a stop along the way in Vicenza.

In addition to those things mentioned already, Padua has one of the most beautiful central markets in Italy, probably in Europe, both an outside area for produce and flowers, and then also a beautiful and interesting inside section with fish, meats (including horse meat), bakeries, spices, etc. it is closed one day a week, Monday I think but maybe Sunday, be sure to check that. I have also spent time in Verona, and personally did not enjoy it much as a day trip, but loved it when I stayed a few nights. It is a very ancient but liveable town, and the evenings are lovely when people are strolling, window-shopping and dining through the piazzas and along the wide marble pedestrian areas. I have not yet visited Vicenza, on my to-do list next time.

I had forgotten the Brenta Canal boat trip that Gail mentioned above. I recommend it to anyone who has the time. You can start in Padova and head toward Venice, or do it the other way around. It's a great way to see some of the Palladian villas without having to hassle with transportation. Our guide was superb.

I did find the full day tour a bit long. We started at the Padova bus station around 8 (8:30?). After the tour ended in Venice, we were bussed back to Padova in rush hour traffic. My recollection is that it was close to 8 p.m. when we actually arrived back in Padova. The company offers part day tours, with visits to two villas. That would have been enough for me.