My husband and I are on the October 12th Villages of Italy Tour (our first Rick Steves tour, yay!!) and we are staying in Padua starting on the 10th. We have been to Venice before , so instead, we would like to tour areas of Padua not covered on the official RS tour. We don't want to duplicate what we are going to see, so we would like to know what else we should book in advance that is worth seeing, from those who have been in this situation. We thought we would also spend a day in Verona as well. Thanks!!
Posted by
Green Bay
21274 posts
What else do you want to see in Italy? Lifts in Ortisei in the Dolomites stay open until Oct 13, so that could be an option.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Verona is well worth a day (or three).
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6580 posts
dlhutto: We took this tour a couple of years ago, and loved it. We went to Padua several days early, and are really glad we did. Let me recommend to you the Padova Pass, which gets you into most Padua museums, and also gives you free rides on the public transportation. (Although the only time we used the tram was when we first arrived - from the bus/train station to the hotel.)
We enjoyed the Palazzo della Ragione, (the tour goes there but doesn't go inside,) the Duomo, and the Duomo Baptistry. Also the Basilica St Antonio (I don't remember if we needed the pass for this), and the Caffé Pedrocchi Piano Nobile e Museo del Risorgimento. The archeological museum and Pinacoteca at the Scrovegni chapel were also good. Speaking of the Scrovegni, Chapel, yes, the tour goes there, but if you have any interest in early art at all, you will want to see it more than once. Visits are limited to either 15 or 20 minutes (depending on season) and that's not enough time. The Padova Pass gets you into the Scrovegni (as well as the associated museums,) but you do have to reserve a date and time. Well worth it.
There is more on the Pass, but these are the place we made it to. We got the three day pass, and were glad we did. We arrived on Friday before the Monday afternoon tour start, and had a wonderful time in Padua.
Posted by
OP
North Florida
115 posts
Sam, I think the Dolomites might have to wait for another trip, however I would love to see them. Jane, thanks for the advice about the Padua Pass, I definitely think we will look into that!
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
We very much enjoyed the Botanical Gardens in Padua during our pre VI tour 3 day stay. It was so peaceful and lovely. A few smaller museums are worthwhile and also just sitting on the square and enjoying the Italian ambiance (awesome snacks and aperol spritzes!) is a lovely experience. We didn't book anything in Padua in advance; we traveled in early June. That said, I have seen the Scrovengi frescoes a couple of times and knew a revisit would be part of the tour so didn't do that as an extra activity. However, I think due to the limited time you will spend there with the tour, it might be worthwhile to see it beforehand and from what I have read, it might be a good idea to prebook tickets for that (if you want to see it twice). Didn't go to Verona but someday, I will get there! You will enjoy this tour!