2 Days: Venice and the Veneto
Two days, two trains, two of the Veneto’s best sights. This plan bases you in Venice and sends you out to Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel on day one and Verona’s Arena on day two, both under an hour from Venezia Santa Lucia. Want more? The 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 day versions build on this same spine.
Book these before you go:
- Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel: book a timed slot at cappelladegliscrovegni.it days ahead. There is no same-day daytime ticket, period.
- Verona’s Arena, if you are traveling June 12 through September 12, 2026: the Opera Festival sells out its best productions weeks out.
- Your Venice base: check rates on Booking.com near San Polo or Santa Croce for the shortest walk to Venezia Santa Lucia.
| Day | Focus | Distance/Train Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padua, Scrovegni Chapel | 25 to 30 min, EUR 4 to 9 |
| 2 | Verona, the Arena | 54 min, EUR 9 to 12 |
Day 1: Padua and Giotto’s Frescoes
Take an early regionale train, the trip runs as short as 25 to 30 minutes and costs roughly EUR 4 to 9 each way. Head straight to your timed Scrovegni Chapel slot: 15 to 20 minutes inside with Giotto’s 1305 fresco cycle, after a mandatory climate-controlled anteroom wait that exists to protect the paint. Full price is about EUR 15 plus a EUR 1 presale fee, reduced about EUR 6 plus EUR 1.
Afterward, walk to Piazza dei Signori for the clock tower and a coffee, then the Prato della Valle, one of Europe’s largest squares, ringed by statues and a moat. Lunch is easy here, Padua’s university-town energy keeps prices lower than Venice for the same quality of food. Take the early-evening train back and you will still get a full Venice dinner.
Day 2: Verona and the Arena
Verona is a straight regional run, roughly 54 minutes on the fastest trains, fares typically EUR 9 to 12. Walk from Verona Porta Nuova station into the center and head for the Arena first: a first-century Roman amphitheater still seating around 15,000 people for opera every summer, no microphones required because the stone acoustics do the work. Daytime entry to walk the tiers runs roughly EUR 10 to 12.
Piazza delle Erbe, the old Roman forum turned market square, is worth an hour of wandering and a gelato. Skip the queue at “Juliet’s House” if you are short on time, it is a real building with a manufactured 20th-century balcony bolted on for tourists, not an authentic literary site. Catch an evening train back to Venice, or, if you timed it for an opera night, budget for a later return and confirm the last train before you buy your seat.
Buy your Verona and Padua train tickets a day or two ahead through Trenitalia’s app during busy weekends. Regional fares barely move with advance purchase, but seat availability on the earliest departures does.