I would like some opinions on what town to visit outside of Venice. I prefer scenery rather than museums. I am also interested in the canal boat tours between Padua and Venice.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
Do you have a copy of RS Venice Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not, I suggest you get a copy (it can be ordered elsewhere on this web site) as it has lots of good information that we are using for our upcoming trip to Venice.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
Padova is nice, Verona is beautiful.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I'll second the recommendation for the RS Italy book or Venice book, as they have lots of detail on both cities. I can tell you what I thought (and will below), but your views may be different from mine. I preferred Padua (Padova). The Scrovegni Chapel was a real highlight, and worth the minimal trouble of booking in advance. Padova was a nice town with a pleasant vibe, and the added bonus that they don't get many tourists, so it was just us and the locals almost everywhere. The friend who went with me loves food markets, and he was in heaven at Padova's. I've read it is the second most impressive after Bologna. This is not my thing, so a quick spin around was fine for me, but I found plenty of other things to see (we were there for 3 days and had a Padova Card). I'd certainly return. And, it's closer than Verona for a day trip. Verona, while not as touristed as Venice, gets lots of visitors. I enjoyed it fine, and it is more scenic to walk around. We were only there 1 day, and overall I didn't find it as interesting as Padova, but I have no complaints. Of course, if you want to see the Roman amphitheater, or Juliet's balcony, or taste the local wines, you can only do that in Verona, so then it's a better choice than Padova. As I said above, only you can determine what you want to see.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
I haven't been to Padova. We did make a short, afternoon stop in Verona. As the previous poster noted, there are a lot of tourists in Verona. We walked around the Roman colosseum but did not find Juliet's balcony. There is lots and lots of stores and shopping. Actually, almost too many stores. There is a castle on the edge of town. It was an o.k. stop.
Posted by
OP
Pawtucket, RI, USA
118 posts
Thanks everyone. I do have a Rick Steves book of course but I do enjoy getting other travelers impressions and opinions.