Padova Travel Guide

Here you can find tips that will help guide you through your trip to Padova.

This series of churches was built to house the tomb of St. Anthony, whose remains are spread through 2 of the churches 4 cloisters. The Basilica is massive, with 8 domes and a few bell towers.

A 30 minute walk from the train station will take you to the Prato della Valle, the second largest public square in the world. The massive space of the Prato offers impressive views of statues, water features and the Basicilica di San Giustina. Markets are on Saturdays, but it is worth visiting any day of the week.

The Ragione sits in the center of old Padova, between the Piazzas delle Erbe and delle Frutta. These piazzas are often full of vedors, but sometimes there is a clear view of the grand old building. Once inside you can explore the almost 100 foot long interior hall, which is full of frescos and artifacts.

The Giustina is a beautiful church inside of which you can find a historical library, tombs of saints and works by Verones, Luca Giordano and Sebastiano Ricci. Although it was once suppressed by Napoleon it has been reopened and is now held by Benedectine monks, famous for the book restoring workshops they have.

From the outside this chapel is rather plain, but inside is splendid. The church is dedicated to St. Mary of Charity and hosts masterful frescos done by Giotto. Photography chances are limited, so chose your picture carefully.

There is much lore surrounding the Tomb of Antenor, a Trojan prince featured in Homer’s ‘The Iliad’. Built to house mysterious remains, myth and reality weave an interesting tale in this mausoleum. The Tomb is worth a stop to learn about its history and the founding of Padova.

The Orto Botanical Gardens, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage, was the world’s first academic botanical gardens. Planted by the University in 1545, they remain largely unchanged. Take a stroll through the gardens and admire over 6,000 rare and unusual plants.

Editor's note:The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about exploring Padova, Italy.