Verona to Padua car or train?

I've driven the A4 along there many times. Not only can you stop at Vicenza (one of my favourite Italian cities) (I think that's what you meant) but also at Soave, a really nice town with a great castle which is tourable.

But,

But,

You need to be prepared for the wall of trucks you get on the A4 as you approach Padova and all the way past Venice. It can be so bad that I, used to driving in the area, missed my exit once because I couldn't get over and break into the wall. Expensive to drive to the next exit and backtrack - 2 extra tolls, and expensive in time.

Train, for sure. I'd be very surprised if it cost that much. Probably need to take a bus from the train station into the old city center.

Even when we have a car (which is often and my husband loves to drive in Italy), we take trains or buses for day trips whenever we can.

Hi,

I've only done the trip by train, so I may not be your best source but I recommend the train. It was very fast (I think about an hour), less than $20.00 when I was there last (late 2018), very direct and you don't have to deal with parking. To me it is a no brainer: both cities are VERY walkable and pedestrian friendly and the trains were frequent enough so you could you plan your day. The train stations are also easily reachable (though some may think Porta Neuva is a bit of hike from Piazza Bra). Unless I'm going to a place that doesn't have public trans, I always use public trans: its economical, better for the environment, and you never have to worry about getting lost, traffic jams, road construction or other delays (so long as the railroad employees aren't on strike). Good luck

You won't save much time at all by taking one of the "fast" trains between those two cities. Check the travel times and choose a less-expensive train that will get you there almost as fast.

Padua has more sights than you can see on one day-trip, so I'm not sure there's a great advantage to being able to stop along the way. Rick's Venice guide book has 33 pages on Padua--considerably more space than on Verona.

Once in Padua, hop on the tram to get from the train station to your first sight. The tourist office has a location right outside the train station, I believe.

If you wish to see the Scrovegni Chapel (Sight #1 in Padua), you must make your entry reservation at least one day ahead of time. That was the rule even pre-COVID.

Yes, there is an hourly Regionale Veloce that costs 7.60 EUR per person and takes 58 minutes. The Freccia trains do it in 44 minutes, but the last minute fare (Standard) is 23 EUR per person. The RV trains depart Verona Porta Nuova station at 22 past the hour. Return trains are at 40 past the hour.

On the Trenitalia.com website, it shows that the Regionale and Regionale Veloce trains are 7.60 €.

Thanks everyone. It seems the return might be 15 euros but maybe I didn’t read the schedule correctly? That would be 30 euros. However, it might cause less stress :)

We have friends in Verona and so are using it as a base. We will send a couple of days there, maybe 1 day at the south end of Garda as well as Padua before going to Dolomites.

if the single is 7,60€ then the return will be priced at twice the one way - makes 15,20€ which is what you see....

Don't forget to validate train tickets before you board the train! On several trips on that area we saw non-Italian tourists being fined (€50?) for non-validated tickets.

If you don’t plan intermediate out of town visits along the way, like the Palladian villas, the train will be faster, cheaper, and more convenient.