Buy time-slot reservation tickets to see Giotto’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua (Padova) at least a day before visiting. Same evening viewing tickets are sometimes available to see this remarkable artwork near Venice in Italy.
The Scrovegni Chapel in Padua (Padova) is decorated with a large fresco cycle painted by Giotto di Bondone. This early 14th-century Renaissance masterpiece is one of the world’s greatest artistic treasures. The number of visitors is strictly limited. Fortunately, admission tickets for La Capella degli Scrovegni are relatively cheap and not that hard to acquire, but timeslot reservations must be made at least a day in advance. Evening viewings are sometimes still bookable on the day of the visit. A visit to the Scrovegni Chapel is often included in guided tours of Padua, but advance reservations remain essential.
Ticket Options to See the Scrovegni Chapel
Tickets are the cheapest and thus best bought directly through the official website of the Scrovegni Chapel. Unfortunately, the site is spectacularly badly designed, with ticket options unnecessarily confusing. Study the various ticket options before trying to buy tickets.
The following ticket options are available to see the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, and note that same day reservations are NOT possible for the first three standard options:
- €12: Scrovegni Chapel and the Eremitani Civic Museum (only available on non-holiday Mondays)
- €16: Scrovegni Chapel, the Eremitani Civic Museum, and Zuckermann Palace (Tuesday to Sunday)
- €28-35: Biglietto Unico / Urbs Picta Card (48 h or 72 h Sightseeing Pass) including the Scrovegni Chapel, other sights, and transportation in Padua.
- €10: Giotto sotto le stelle (Giotto under the stars) — evening admission to the Scroveni Chapel only. (Bookable on the day of visit!)
Online tickets usually add a €1 booking fee per ticket — money well spent. Include all children in bookings. Admission is free for children under 6, while those under 18 and students pay around half price. EU nationals over 65 also get some discounts. The evening ticket is usually not discounted.
The evening tickets are the cheapest and the only option to see the chapel only. The Urbs Picta pass is potentially a good deal if planning to visit several further sights in Padova. (Note that entry to the Basilica of Saint Anthony is free.)
How to Buy Tickets for the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua
At the official website of the Scrovegni Chapel, change the language to English if necessary. Find the link that leads to Vivaticket, the official booking agent.
Unfortunately, the most obvious Book Now link currently takes visitors to the Vivaticket page with only the Biglietto Unic pass option. If planning to buy any other ticket, find an alternative Book Now or similar ticket link in a submenu on the Scrovegni Chapel’s own website. (Try this link!)
Vivaticket is also not the most intuitive website and it may be necessary to change to English (more than once during the entire booking process).
At Vivaticket, pick the preferred ticket option. A calendar, usually up to two months, will display in green the days on which tickets are available. (If dates are not shown, tickets are not yet bookable that far in advance.) Pick a date and select a time. (You need to be at the museum around half an hour before the selected time!)
To continue the booking process, it is usually necessary to sign in or create a new account. (If you previously bought a ticket through Vivaticket Italy, e.g. for The Last Supper in Milan, you may use the same account.) Registering a new account is a bit of a process, and be careful not to click the options to be bombarded by email offers.
Once the whole process is completed, the ticket will be emailed to you, or you’ll receive a ticket download link. This ticket should have a QR code that may be printed or shown on a mobile phone.
How Far in Advance Should You Book Tickets for a Scrovegni Chapel Visit?
Regular tickets must be booked at least a day in advance. It is not possible to book timeslots on the day of the visit, except for evening visits.
A quick look at the Vivaticket site confirms that it is a lot easier to secure tickets for the Scrovegni Chapel than for example to The Last Supper in Milan or San Marco in Venice. However, it is sensible to buy as soon as your travel dates are known, especially if planning to see the chapel during a stopover en route to or from Venice.
It is usually not difficult to get tickets with a few days’ notice but occasionally, conferences and tour groups book out blocks of time slots, and none may be available for several days in an otherwise quiet period.
Book Tickets to See Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapels Today
While regular tickets must be booked at least a day in advance, evening time-slots to visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua may be reserved for the same day. Evening viewings are from 19:00 to 22:00 and do not include further sights in the tickets. For the evening viewings, it is also possible to but a double slot — this gives two viewings, i.e. 40 minutes total, without having to pass through the acclimatization room twice.
Tickets for the “Giotto under the stars” series may be available on the day of the visit online, or from the IAT tourist information offices at the train station and Vicolo Pedrocchi, or after 17:00 at the Eremitani Museum itself (but here only for the same evening).
Timing on the Day of Visit
The time slot on the ticket is the time that you have to be inside the waiting room at the Scrovegni Chapel and not the time that you have to arrive at the main museum. Once the doors are closed, the ticket loses its validity, and you will not be allowed to enter later. Be at the Scrovegni Chapel itself at least five minutes before the door time.
If your ticket has a QR code, and most online tickets do, you simply scan the ticket upon arrival at the museum (and again at the Scrovegni Chapel). Half an hour before the reserved time is sufficient (15-20 minutes for visits after 19.00). (Allow more time if you have a voucher that must be exchanged for a QR ticket.)
You may also enter the Eremitani Museum earlier and go to the chapel at the required time. It is also possible to return to the museum after visiting the chapel.
Procedure at the Scrovegni Chapel
Tickets are scanned at the main entrance of the museum. Place bags in the coin lockers and proceed to the chapel, which is outside the main museum building.
Tickets are again scanned at the chapel. The group of up to 25 enters an air-conditioned glass room. A short video is shown (Italian with English subtitles) on the history of the chapel while the air-conditioning system regulates temperatures and cleans the air.
After 20 minutes, you are guided into the chapel itself for a further 20 minutes with Giotto’s masterpiece. (Many visitors never notice the altar sculptures by Pisano.) You are allowed to take photos, but no flashes, tripods, selfie sticks, or videos.
After the visit, return to the museum if desired or exit through the garden if not picking up bags from the lockers.
Opening Hours of the Scrovegni Chapel
The Scrovegni Chapel (and the larger Eremitage Museum) is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00. (The Zuckermann Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00.)
The Scrovegni Chapel is also open from 19:00 to 22:00 most evenings from 25 March to 1 November. (It may be open a few evenings in winter.)
Transportation Scrovegni Chapel in Padua
The Scrovegni Chapel is in the gardens of the Eremitani Civic Museum at Piazza Eremitani 8, 35121 Padova, Italy. Use the tram from the station (stop Eremitani) or an easy 15-minute walk. (Many buses are also available, but the tram is simpler — scan a bank card when entering.)
Padua is only around 30 minutes from Venice by frequent train. The regional train requires no reservations and at around €5 is a quarter of the price of high-speed trains (which are often slower on this route).
🎨 Why Visit the Scrovegni Chapel?
The Scrovegni Chapel (also known as the Arena Chapel) is one of the world’s greatest artistic treasures. The revolutionary artist Giotto di Bondone covered the walls and ceiling with frescoes between 1303 and 1305.
The chapel’s walls unfold like a sacred storybook, beginning with the lives of the Virgin Mary and her parents, Joachim and Anne, followed by the life and Passion of Christ. The vaulted ceiling is painted a deep blue, filled with golden stars and medallion portraits of prophets.
At the far end of the chapel looms the Last Judgment, with Christ enthroned in a mandorla, angels, saints, and a vividly imagined Hell where sinners are tormented by demons.
Giotto’s fresco cycle inside the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua represents a turning point in Western art. His use of emotional realism, perspective, and narrative structure set the foundation for the Renaissance to follow.
More on Padua near Venice in Italy
Padua (Padova) is a popular day-trip excursion destination from Venice, but the art and architecture here are worth a journey:
- → Top Sights to See in Padua (Padova)
- → Visit the Basilica of St Anthony — free, long opening hours.
- → How to Buy Tickets for the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua — although not very difficult to secure compulsory time-slot reservations, tickets must be bought a day in advance!
- → Giotto’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel, which include the Life of Joachim and Anne: Parents of the Virgin Mary
- → By Train to Padova (for an easy day-trip or stopover from Venice)
- → Book Hotels in Padua
- → Book Luggage Storage near Padova Station
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