Venice to Padova to Verona to Bellagio - best itinerary recos

I don't get what you want the car for?

It is of no use in Venice and difficult to drive out of Venice.

It is of no use in Padova, very difficult to drive there, very difficult to park there, and there is a fair chance of unintentionally violating the ZTL and winding up with a very expensive ticket.

It is of no use in Verona, same answer as Padova, although if you want to walk around the walled (and 2 castled) Soave on the way, parking outside Soave's walls is easy depending on time of year.

The great attraction to Bellagio is not the shore of the lake where you could drive but the lake itself where you will be on boats.

The train from Venice to Padova is super easy and extremely cheap; if you stay a day longer in Venice it is an easy day trip from there.

The opera finishes pretty late in the Verona arena so I expect you will want to return to a hotel there.

There is very little to see from the Autostrada between Verona and Como except loads of traffic and trucks one after the other. I just drove it last week. I lost over 2 hours between Chiasso and Vicenza, and I have to do that route fairly often so it wasn't exactly news.

What did you want the car for?

Are you taking it out of Italy? Have you looked at drop charges?

Don't forget the mandatory IDP for all drivers, the mandatory expensive insurance, the tolls, the ZTLs and several usual caveats if you do decide to drive the car.

The train to Verona is easy to organize, very convenient, and can be super cheap if planned far enough ahead or if you use the Regionale Veloce.

The train from Verona to Bellagio is easy. Simple run to Milan, change to a local for the short run to Varenna, then a brief walk to the dock and the ferry across to Bellagio. Or change at Milan to the short commuter to Como and take the boat (very romantic) to Bellagio.

I'm with Nigel. Forget the car.

Agreed. All your destinations are served by train, except Bellagio, which you reach by ferry from Varenna. Milano-Varenna train schedules are shown on Trenitalia and www.trenord.it sites, but not DB train schedules. It is safe to leave regular luggage at the train station offices; you should not leave any valuables in them and rules may require that your bag be locked.

FYI The Italo high speed train between Venice and Padua is fifteen minutes. The regional train will be a little slower but much cheaper.

Thanks to all for the very helpful information.

The train it is! at least for this part of our journey.

we will travel to padova via train - leave the baggage at checked baggage; visit Scrovegni and Basilica di Sant'Antonio.

checking the schedules to assure that we can enjoy that visit and travel via train to Verona that same day.

we'd like to arrive in Verona with enough time to check into hotel and get to the Opera in time.

Does this seem like we are pushing it? a stretch?

we'd spend the next day in Verona. then later in the day travel via train Bellagio/Varenna. or maybe we should overnight in Verona again and travel in the morning to Bellagio/Varenna?

Grazie!

Lisamaria, your Venice-Padova-Verona day should be easy and fun, as long as you get a pretty early start from Venice. It will also be a long day since the opera starts mid-evening and goes late. You might think about a little downtime, even a nap, once you get to your lodging in Verona. Trains from Venice to Padova are frequent, easy and cheap. Be sure to validate your ticket, assuming you're on a regional train. Checked baggage at Padova is also easy and cheap, some strange amount like 3,87 euros for 24 hours per bag, as I remember. There is a small TI at the station, with a good free map. You need advance reservations for the beautiful Scrovegni Chapel, and at the chapel you spend 15 minutes in an anti chamber watching a video, then 15 minutes inside, also as I remember. The Chapel facility is about a 5 to 8 minute walk from the train station. A few minutes further into town is the terrific Mercado, one of the best in Italy. Beautifully displayed fruits and vegetables outside, and lots of specialty shops inside -- cheese, bread, pastries, salami, horse meat, fish, spices, etc. Very photogenic and a great place to put together lunch. Basilica of San Antonio is quite a long walk further in the same direction, through the town, or there is a bus. Grom gelato along the way, if you walk. When I was at the Basilica last fall, it was quite heavily covered in scaffolding, for a renovation. Train from Padova to Verona is also easy, about an hour. Sounds like you have tickets for the opera already, a wonderful experience. I loved Verona, more than any other place I've been in Italy, it combines the feel of an ancient city and that of a thoroughly modern lifestyle (other than the horse and donkey meat on many menus). I would encourage you to stay that second night in Verona so you can spend the whole day and stroll the evening away. I also assume you have booked lodging in Verona, as I understand rooms can be heavily booked and more expensive during the opera season. Enjoy those days, they should be among your best in all your trip!