Padua Italy - The Cambridge of Veneto

Padua Italy is a prosperous town with an attractive old town centre, lovely parks and some great cafes and restaurants.

Where to Stay

There is only one hotel that I can recommend in Padua, this is the Hotel Belludi. The Belludi is a small family run hotel right in the heart of Padua. Everything about the hotel is excellent and the standards are very high. The only thing that is not high is the price.

The first is the university, which was founded in 1222 and which is one of the oldest in the world. Its location here gives the town a pleasant student feel.

The other big attraction is the 14th century Scrovegni Chapel featuring famous frescoes by Giotto. These frescoes have been increasingly damaged over the years by air pollution and a major project of restoration is being undertaken at present though the frescoes are still open to the public.

The chapel is so popular with tourists that you should ideally book in advance – particularly during the summer months. You can do this through the official Chapel site

What else to see?

The Monselice castle, built in the 13th century is most definitely worth a visit and so are some of the museums in Padova and its surrounds.

I particularly like the museum of river boats. River boats have played such a big part in the history of this area and I know nothing about boats so the museum was an interesting learning experience.

The Glass Museum features some beautiful pieces and if you have kids, like me, then I suggest that you take them to Butterfly World where they can walk amongst 400 of the world’s most beautiful butterflies. They claim it is one of the biggest butterfly parks in the world - can't say if that is true though.

The 13th century Il Santo church, officially the Basilica di Sant'Antonio da Padova, is the main church to see in Padua.

Details of all these places and useful maps of Padua can be found at the local tourist office, next to the main station.

Getting Around Padua Italy

Padua has a good public transport network and if you are spending more than 48 hours in the town get the Padova Card which costs from €15 upwards, depending on how long you want it for. The card allows you unlimited use of public transport and free entrance to the Cappella and the other museums in the town

One last thing, or two, to do…

Either take a boat trip up the Brenta, not that cheap but it is an interesting and enjoyable day out with plenty to see.

Then of course there are the famous spas near here – read our spa guide for more - or try our search engine below