Transportation and Trains to Padua (Padova) in Italy

Getting to Padua (Padova) is easy on public transportation (train or bus) for day trips and stopovers from Venice, Verona, Milan, Ravenna, and Bologna.

Although Padua is an interesting city to visit, many foreign tourists are only interested in seeing the top sights: the Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel and the Basilica of St Anthony. Good public transportation, including frequent and cheap trains, makes it easy to visit Padua as a stopover or on a (half) day trip from Venice and other destinations in Northern Italy. Transportation to Padua from Venice airports (Marco Polo or Treviso) is easiest by direct bus.

Padua or Padova?

Padua is the common name used in English and many other languages, but the Italian name of the city (and the train station) is Padova. Many apps and websites will recognize either version but some, including Trenitalia, only accept Padova.

Public Transportation to Padua (Padova)

The Basilica of St. Anthony (Basilica di Sant'Antonio in Padova), Italy, is one of the two top sights to visit in Padua, even on the shortest stopover or day-trip excursion.

Trains are generally the best way to reach Padua (Padova) on public transportation. However, buses are also convenient to nearby towns, including to both Venice airports — Marco Polo (VCE) and Treviso (TSF), which is popular with low-cost airlines.

By Train to Padua (Padova)

Padova is a stop on almost all trains traveling from Venice, making it an easy day trip or a stopover when en route from other Italian cities such as Verona, Milan, Bologna, Ferrara, and Ravenna. Traveling time from Venice is only around half an hour on very frequent trains.

Padova train station is to the north of the city center. From here, it is around a ten-minute walk to the Scrovegni Chapel and Emeritani Museum, a further five minutes to the center, and another 10-15 minutes to the Basilica of St Anthony. A great alternative is the tram that departs from in front of the station — use your bank card to check in (don’t swipe again when getting off!), or buy tickets from the kiosk.

Trains from Venice to Padua (Padova)

Depending on the time of day, around five or six trains per hour connect Padus (Padova) and Venice (Venezia S. Lucia) stations. On this route, both the high-speed Frecciarossa trains and the local regional trains take just less than half an hour, stopping only at Venice-Mestre en route. However, once per hour, a regional train stops more frequently for a total journey time of 45 minutes.

The regional trains are reasonably comfortable with plenty of space for luggage, and the tickets are currently less than €5 one way. The high-speed trains require seat reservations and cost €20 one way, with the occasional intercity train coming in at around €10.

Buying Tickets for Trains from Venice to Padua

Regional trains are not only cheaper but also allow for more flexibility — local trains never sell out, while high-speed train tickets are only sold if seats are available. It is possible to buy tickets online (Trenitalia), from vending machines, or from station ticket windows. (The Trenitalia app is handy but does not work on all foreign phones. The website works fairly easily, but sometimes it is necessary to start over completely to force new journey searches!)

When buying tickets online, note that it is not possible to buy a ticket for a regional train within five minutes of the scheduled departure time! Online tickets are automatically validated as soon as the train departs, so make changes if necessary earlier. Some paper tickets must be validated — ask the station staff; this cannot be done on the train.

Regional trains usually have only standard (second-class) wagons. First-class tickets and passes are valid.

From Padua to Venice, almost all trains stop at both Venice Mestre and Santa Lucia. (A few intercity trains only stop in Mestre.) From Venice, most regional trains to Padua have Verona or Bologna as the final destination.

Trains for Stopovers in Padua

Frecciarossa High-Speed Italian Train in Venice

Padua is an interesting city but for visitors on a rushed trip through Italy, the main reasons to call here are the magnificent Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel and the large Basilica of St Anthony. Both can easily be enjoyed on a half-day stopover.

In addition to the frequent trains to Venice, it is also easy to reach Padua on frequent trains from cities such as:

Vicenza — 20 minutes
Verona — 44 to 60 minutes
Milan — 2 hours (4 hours with transfer on regional trains)
Ferrara — 30 to 60 minutes
Bologna — 60 to 90 minutes
Ravenna — 2h to 2h40 (change in Ferrara)

On longer journeys, use the fantastic high-speed railways, but on shorter journeys, the regional trains are not only much cheaper but also allow for more flexibility.

It is possible to leave luggage at the Padova station or book online, e.g., through Radical Storage.

Padua to Venice Marco Polo Airport and Treviso Airport

By far the simplest way to travel between Padua and the two airports in Venice is by direct bus:

For Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE): Busitalia bus e015 takes around 45 minutes.
For Venice Treviso Airport (TSF): Busitalia bus e060, takes 70 minutes)

The buses generally run every 40 minutes and depart from the bus station (Autostazione Busitalia Veneto Extraurbana), which is to the south (city center) side of Padova train station. After exiting the train station, walk a bit to the left — the buses stopping right in front of the station entrance are local city buses.

Tickets (€13) are available from the kiosk at the bus station, vending machines, online, or from the driver (correct cash).

Alternative options are the train to Venice-Mestre station and then by bus to Marco Polo airport, or another train to Treviso and then the local bus if traveling to Treviso Airport. The train and bus combinations bring no real time or price advantage, but could be handy if just missing the direct bus.