Visiting Padua from Venice

Yes it only takes 20 minutes to get there.
Google maps available on the internet is a good source for searching travel.
Or in this case you can search train schedules at trenitalia.com between Venice and Padua.

Yes, very easy trip.

With a little planning, you can travel between Venice and Padua on Regional Veloce (RV) trains that are just as fast as the Freccia trains but cost only a fraction of the price. A couple can buy 2 round trip RV tickets for less than the Base fare for one one-way Freccia ticket.

I did this last fall on my third day in Italy and it went fine. Trains are frequent between Sta. Lucia and Padova (spelled that way on the train line schedules), it's a short interesting ride, a short walk from the station to the Scrovegni Chapel, and a longer walk to the market squares and basilica. A bus runs between the station and the basilica and other sights. I had time to see all I wanted without starting too early or staying too late -- though I understand it can be a lively evening there.

It is Padva if you are trying to look it up on trenitalia.com Roughly a 30 min ride for about 4 euro. Buy you ticket when get at to the station and not on-line.

Padova with an "o".

It is a very interesting city with a large historic district and quite a lot of sights. If you wish to see the Scrovegni Chapel, you need to buy the ticket at least one day ahead of time. As far as I know they do not sell same-day tickets at all.

The Scrovegni chapel is well worth visiting twice. You only have a very short time inside and there is so much to absorb. This works, and it might be of interest to you: get a reservation for early (like soon after you get off the train) and then meander the city (plenty to see that's for sure). Have another reservation for the chapel later in the day - maybe the last stop before getting back on the train. This has been my plan for the past several years. I still look forward to seeing the chapel . . . twice each visit.

Here's a tip we learned the hard way. When you buy your ticket to Padova, buy the return ticket at the same time. Padova is a university town, and at the end of the day when you're ready to go back, the station ticket line and machines might be full of students wanting to leave. Not a problem for you if you already have your return ticket,

To follow up on Michael's excellent point -- buy a Regionale train ticket. That is the only ticket that is open and doesn't require a seat reservation or is a fixed time. That way, when you are ready to leave, find the track/platform for the next Regionale trains, validate the ticket in the validation machine, and get on the next train. The Regionale train could take 45 minutes but you are on vacation.

I like Robert's strategy for the Scrovegni Chapel, see it twice if you can. They also have time slots some evenings that give you more time in the chapel -- though I don't know how well lighted it is.

So you've had a lot of advice on this thread and some things may seem complicated, but -- bottom line -- to answer your question, it's an easy trip.

There's another option if you have the time. You can take a half-day cruise up the Brenta Canal from Venice to Padua and then take the train (or bus) back (or do the reverse trip). I've never done this but it looked interesting.

If you have a whole day, you might consider going to Vicenza in the morning and hitting Padua for the afternoon on the way back to Venice. Vicenza has an interesting Andrea Palladio museum and the Teatro Olimpico is just stunning. It's an easy single day trip to see both from Venice. I would take an AV train to Vicenza and RV trains back the other way...

I liked both Vicenza and Padua. Vicenza is small, but Padua has quite a lot of sights you might wish to visit (not just the Scrovegni Chapel), plus a large historic area made for wandering. Personally, I wouldn't want to squeeze Padua into a half day, but if you're satisfued with seeing the chapel, one other place and a bit of the historic center, I guess it could work.

In both towns there's a bit of a walk from the train station to what you want to see. I believe there's a useful tram or bus in Padua. I don't know about Vicenza.

I went to Padova in April. I tried to get tickets for the chapel the day before and they were completely sold out of all time slots. I would book that ahead if you really want to see it. Instead, I took a tour of the University that was really interesting. The best bit was seeing the anatomy theatre, the oldest surviving theatre of this type. They only do limited English language tours, so get tickets early for this also, if it interests you.

It’s a lovely town to just meander in as well.

I took a bus directly from the airport near Venice to Padua. Then an easy train ride to Venice a few days later.