Day trip from Padua to Verona by train

Is a day trip from Padua to Verona worth it?

Yes, for most visitors staying in Padua. Padova and Verona Porta Nuova sit on the same main rail line, trains leave several times an hour, and the ride is shorter than many city bus journeys. You do not need to book anything far ahead, and the day does not hinge on catching one particular departure.

Verona gives you something Padua does not: a Roman city you can still read on the street. The Arena on Piazza Bra, the Roman gate of Porta Borsari, the Roman theatre and Ponte Pietra over the Adige sit alongside the medieval squares and the Gothic tombs of the Scaliger family who ruled the city. The river setting makes the walk feel very different from Padua's porticoed streets.

The price of a single day is choice, not travel time. Verona could fill two days, so you will see many places from the outside and pick your entrances. The plan takes you inside Juliet's House, up the Torre dei Lamberti, into the archaeological museum above the Roman theatre and into Castelvecchio, and leaves the Arena and the Scaliger Tombs for the outside, which keeps the day full but not rushed.

Who this day trip suits

• Travellers based in Padua who want to see Roman Verona without changing hotels
• First-time visitors to the Veneto who want the Arena and the river setting in one day
• Art and history lovers pairing Giotto's frescoes in Padua with Verona's Roman and Scaliger monuments
• Travellers without a car, since the direct trains make the day independent of driving and parking
• Visitors who prefer a walking day over a museum day, with a long lunch in the middle

Go if you want a well-paced day of Roman monuments, medieval squares and a few chosen entrances; if you want to see the inside of most sights or dislike the crowds around Juliet's House, give Verona an overnight stay instead.

Other day trips from Padua

• Venice30 minVenice is only about half an hour by train from Padua and swaps Verona's Roman monuments and river squares for canals, St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. It is the better pick on a Monday, when the Verona Arena, the archaeological museum, Castelvecchio and the Scaliger Tombs are all closed.

A Padua to Verona day trip itinerary that fits the trains

Day plan for: Tue–Fri

The day hangs on an early direct train, a tour start at the Arena around mid morning and a lunch break in the middle of the old town before the walk turns towards the river.

1. Morning08:46 – 09:30

   Take the direct Trenitalia train shortly before nine from Padova, arriving at Verona Porta Nuova around half past nine. Take the city bus or walk in through Porta Nuova to Piazza Bra.

   Arriving at half past nine gives you an unhurried transfer and a start at the Arena before the old town fills up, with a direct train back in the evening.

2. Tour10:00 – 12:45

   Open the tour in the browser on Piazza Bra. The AI Tour Guide greets you at the Arena, tells its stories and asks what you are curious about, then leads you past San Fermo Maggiore to Juliet's House, where you go inside, and on to the Torre dei Lamberti, your second entrance of the day, Piazza delle Erbe and the quieter Piazza dei Signori.

   The Arena and San Fermo are seen from outside, which leaves the morning's time for Juliet's House before the courtyard gets busiest around midday and for the Torre dei Lamberti right after it.

   1. 1Piazza Bra & Arena di Verona
   2. 2San Fermo Maggiore Church
   3. 3Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House)
   4. 4Torre dei Lamberti
   5. 5Piazza delle Erbe
   6. 6Piazza dei Signori

   Start the Verona tour

3. Lunch12:45 – 13:45

   Have lunch after Piazza dei Signori and before the Scaliger Tombs. Walk two or three streets back from the squares, where food is better value than on Piazza delle Erbe or Piazza Bra.

   Lunch falls at the halfway point of the walk, with the busy squares behind you and the river half of the tour still ahead.

4. Afternoon13:45 – 18:00

   The guide continues at the Scaliger Tombs, seen from outside, then past Sant'Anastasia to Ponte Pietra and across to the Roman theatre, where you go inside the archaeological museum, then on to the cathedral, Porta Borsari and finally Castelvecchio, your last entrance of the day. If you are ahead of time, the climb from Ponte Pietra up to Castel San Pietro is an optional detour for the view over the rooftops, the Arena and the Adige, and it eats into the half hour or so of slack at the end of the day.

   Following the tour order keeps the walking short and gets you to Castelvecchio before it stops admitting visitors in the late afternoon.

   1. 7Arche Scaligere (Scaliger Tombs)
   2. 8Basilica di Sant'Anastasia
   3. 9Ponte Pietra
   4. 10Teatro Romano & Museo Archeologico
   5. 11Duomo di Verona (Cathedral)
   6. 12Porta Borsari (Roman Gate)
   7. 13Castelvecchio Museum
5. Return18:00 – 19:32

   Leave Castelvecchio by about six at the latest, take the bus or walk back to Verona Porta Nuova and board the Italo train shortly before seven, arriving in Padova around half past seven.

   The transfer back to the station needs as much time as the morning one, and a short buffer on the platform keeps the evening stress free.

Arrival to return departure: 9 h 19 min. Time for your visit: about 8 h.

Arrival 09:30, tour start 10:00: 30 min to walk to the start.

Realistically you get about eight hours in Verona; if you arrive later, cut the end of the tour, Porta Borsari and Castelvecchio, rather than rushing the morning.

Verona walking tour in one day: from the Arena to Castelvecchio

Opening hours as of 21 October 2026.

1. 
   1Stop 1

   Piazza Bra & Arena di Verona

   The Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Bra is among the best-preserved ancient amphitheatres to have survived into the modern era.

   Hours (optional interior visit)

   Mon: closed
   Tue–Sun: 09:00–19:00

   Website

   arena.it ↗

   Price

   Optional entry · Piazza Bra & Arena di Verona: €12

   Location

   Piazza Bra & Arena di Verona on Google Maps ↗

2. 
   2Stop 2

   San Fermo Maggiore Church

   The church of Saints Fermo and Rustico, known simply as San Fermo Maggiore, is the first church on the way from the Arena into the old town.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri: 10:00–17:00
   Sat: 10:00–17:30
   Sun: 13:00–17:30

   Location

   San Fermo Maggiore Church on Google Maps ↗

3. 
   3Stop 3

   Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House)

   This medieval house on Via Cappello is the place Verona ties to the story of Romeo and Juliet, with its famous courtyard.

   Hours

   Mon: closed
   Tue–Sun: 09:00–19:00

   Website

   casadigiulietta.comune.verona.it ↗

   Price

   €12

   Location

   Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House) on Google Maps ↗

4. 
   4Stop 4

   Torre dei Lamberti

   The medieval Torre dei Lamberti rises right beside Piazza delle Erbe and marks the centre of the old town.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri: 10:00–18:00
   Sat, Sun: 11:00–19:00

   Website

   torredeilamberti.it ↗

   Price

   €6

   Location

   Torre dei Lamberti on Google Maps ↗

5. 
   5Stop 5

   Piazza delle Erbe

   Piazza delle Erbe is Verona's oldest square and sits roughly where the Roman forum once stood.

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Piazza delle Erbe on Google Maps ↗

6. 
   6Stop 6

   Piazza dei Signori

   Piazza dei Signori, also called Piazza Dante, lies next to Piazza delle Erbe and keeps the same historic character with far fewer people.

   Price

   Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.

   Location

   Piazza dei Signori on Google Maps ↗

7. 
   7Stop 7

   Arche Scaligere (Scaliger Tombs)

   Five Gothic funerary monuments celebrate the Scaliger family, who ruled Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century.

   Hours (optional interior visit)

   Mon–Thu: closed
   Fri–Sun: 10:00–13:00, 14:00–17:00

   Website

   museodicastelvecchio.comune.verona.it ↗

   Price

   Optional entry · Arche Scaligere (Scaliger Tombs): €4.50

   Location

   Arche Scaligere (Scaliger Tombs) on Google Maps ↗

8. 
   8Stop 8

   Basilica di Sant'Anastasia

   Sant'Anastasia, dedicated to San Pietro da Verona, is one of the major churches in the heart of the historic centre.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri: 10:00–17:00
   Sat: 09:30–18:00
   Sun: 13:00–17:30

   Location

   Basilica di Sant'Anastasia on Google Maps ↗

9. 
   9Stop 9

   Ponte Pietra

   Ponte Pietra is Verona's oldest bridge over the Adige and the only one left from Roman times, having survived floods and being blown up in the Second World War.

   Price

   Free

   Website

   comune.verona.it ↗

   Location

   Ponte Pietra on Google Maps ↗

10. 
    10Stop 10

    Teatro Romano & Museo Archeologico

    The archaeological museum sits above the Roman theatre in a former monastery on the hillside across the river.

    Hours

    Mon: closed
    Tue–Sun: 10:00–18:00

    Website

    museoarcheologico.comune.verona.it ↗

    Price

    €9

    Location

    Teatro Romano & Museo Archeologico on Google Maps ↗

11. 
    11Stop 11

    Duomo di Verona (Cathedral)

    Verona's cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Santa Maria Matricolare.

    Hours

    Mon–Fri: 10:00–17:00
    Sat: 10:00–15:30
    Sun: 13:30–17:30

    Location

    Duomo di Verona (Cathedral) on Google Maps ↗

12. 
    12Stop 12

    Porta Borsari (Roman Gate)

    Porta Borsari is a Roman city gate built in the 1st century BC, still standing across the street that leads into the old town.

    Price

    Free

    Website

    verona.info ↗

    Location

    Porta Borsari (Roman Gate) on Google Maps ↗

13. 
    13Stop 13

    Castelvecchio Museum

    The Castelvecchio Museum is one of the city's main museums, devoted mainly to medieval and modern Italian and European art.

    Hours

    Mon: closed
    Tue–Sun: 10:00–18:00 (last admission 17:15)

    Website

    museodicastelvecchio.comune.verona.it ↗

    Location

    Castelvecchio Museum on Google Maps ↗

Getting back from Verona to Padua in the evening