5 Day Trips from Verona by Train or Car

Published on Updated on 7 min read
Aerial view of Verona, with the Adige River winding through the historic city centre.
The Adige runs through Verona, the starting point for the day trips covered in the article. (Michael · Pexels License · Edited)

Choose Peschiera del Garda for a short Lake Garda outing, or Padua and Mantua for a full day of art and palaces. From Verona Porta Nuova, trains also reach Vicenza for Palladian architecture; a car makes Soave’s castle and walled town a separate half-day option. The sight you most want to enter matters as much as the journey: several close on Mondays, while Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel needs advance planning.

Five trips at a glance

Outward journeys start at Verona Porta Nuova and end at the first sight, including station walks. Admissions are ordinary adult prices.
CriterionPeschiera del GardaSoaveVicenzaPaduaMantua
Outward journeyabout 28 minutesBestabout 31 minutesabout three quarters of an hourjust over an hourjust over an hour
Mode or lineRE6 + walkCarFR + walkMilano Centrale–Venezia Santa Lucia + walkREG + walk
Time for the outingHalf dayHalf dayHalf dayFull dayFull day
Principal paid sight——Teatro Olimpico €12Scrovegni €16; non-holiday Monday €12 (presale included)Ducal Palace €15
Supported return departure———00:35 daily, 29 September–31 October; arrival 02:05 next morningFinal direct REG 20:29 daily; arrival 21:17; 14 June–12 December 2026

Peschiera is the shortest outing without a car, and Vicenza adds a major indoor architectural sight. Both leave room for time in Verona afterwards. Soave suits a castle visit with your own transport. Give Padua and Mantua a full day once you include the return journey, lunch and time beyond their headline sights.

Padua’s seasonal after-midnight departure is a late-night fallback rather than a same-day return. Choose an earlier train for a conventional day trip.

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera del Garda brings Lake Garda within a half-day rail outing from Verona. Start at Porta Brescia, where the Venetian fortifications frame the entrance to the old town. Follow the canals through the centre, then turn towards the harbour and waterfront rather than immediately continuing to another lake town.

From Verona Porta Nuova, the direct RE6 train takes about 13 minutes to Peschiera del Garda station. The walk to Porta Brescia is about 1.1 km and takes about 15 minutes. Together, the train and walk take about 28 minutes, but getting to the Verona station and waiting to board are additional.

The harbour gives you a natural place to pause after the fortified centre. Leave room for a drink or lunch beside the water, then return to the station for Verona. Keeping the visit here lets you enjoy the lake without adding another transfer.

The harbour at Peschiera del Garda, with water and boats beside the waterfront.
The port of Peschiera del Garda on Lake Garda.
Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

For a longer car-free outing built around a castle and Roman remains, choose a full-day trip to Sirmione instead. Peschiera is the simpler choice when you want the waterfront and still have time in Verona.

Soave

Soave pairs a hilltop Scaliger castle with a walk through a medieval walled town. Soave Castle’s battlements and enclosing walls make the fortifications the focus of this half-day outing, and the vineyards around town add a different setting from the rail-accessible cities.

The driving approach from Verona Porta Nuova to the castle is about 31 km and takes about 31 minutes. Allow separately for parking and reaching the entrance. Ordinary individual visits do not require advance reservation.

The Scaliger Castle of Soave beneath rain and mist.
The Scaliger Castle of Soave in rain and mist.
Alberto Colognato · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

After the castle, explore the streets inside the town walls. An optional Soave wine tasting extends the visit into the surrounding wine landscape, but leave the tasting to passengers if you are driving back to Verona. Choose one of the rail trips instead if everyone wants to drink.

Vicenza

Vicenza suits a half-day devoted to Palladian architecture, starting with Teatro Olimpico. Its fixed stage scenery uses perspective to make streets appear to recede far beyond the stage. Continue to Palazzo Chiericati and the central Palladian streets, and add the palace’s art collection if you want to extend the outing.

The hall and tiered seating inside the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza.
The interior of the Teatro Olimpico, with its hall and tiered seating.
Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

From Verona Porta Nuova, the direct Frecciarossa (FR) journey to Vicenza takes about 26 minutes. The station-to-theatre walk is about 1.4 km and takes about 19 minutes. The train and walk together take about three quarters of an hour.

The Milan–Brescia–Verona–Vicenza–Padua–Venice corridor has over 40 Frecciarossa trains daily, counting both directions. Individual visitors can buy Teatro Olimpico tickets at the ticket office without compulsory advance reservation. Ordinary admission is €12.

Visit the theatre before lingering over the city centre, so its admission window does not determine when you have to leave a square or lunch table. Return to Vicenza station for the train back to Verona.

Padua

Padua rewards a full day centred on Giotto’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. Their narrative scenes and painted figures are the reason to plan ahead. Continue to the Basilica of St Anthony, with its domes and pilgrimage shrines, then Prato della Valle’s island and ring of statues.

Giotto’s frescoes inside the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.
Frescoes by Giotto inside the Scrovegni Chapel.
Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

From Verona Porta Nuova, the Milano Centrale–Venezia Santa Lucia service takes about three quarters of an hour to Padua. The chapel walk is about 1.3 km and takes about 18 minutes: train and walk total just over an hour. The corridor has 44 Frecciarossa connections daily, with the offer varying at weekends and in some seasons.

Ordinary daytime admission is €15 plus €1 presale, while on non-holiday Mondays it is €11 plus €1.

Mantua

Mantua is a full-day Renaissance outing focused on the Gonzaga family’s Ducal Palace. Its interconnected buildings and decorated rooms reveal the scale of the court. Piazza Sordello, outside the palace, anchors a walk through the historic squares before a lakeside break. Palazzo Te, with Giulio Romano’s dramatic illusionistic frescoes, is an alternative palace focus rather than an automatic extra.

Piazza Sordello in Mantua, with the Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Bonacolsi, the bishop’s palace and the cathedral.
Piazza Sordello, with the Palazzo Ducale at its centre.
Carlo Pelagalli · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited

Look for Mantova, the local station name. From Verona Porta Nuova, the direct regional (REG) train takes about three quarters of an hour. The walk to the Ducal Palace is about 1.3 km and takes about 19 minutes. Train and walk total just over an hour.

For the full-day visit, travel in the morning and leave time to return to Mantova station before the final direct train. Later REG departures from Verona Porta Nuova include:

  • 14:31
  • 16:00
  • 17:00
  • 18:00
  • 19:00

Ordinary palace admission is €15. Booking a time slot is strongly recommended but not compulsory. The Camera degli Sposi, the Bridal Chamber, contains Mantegna’s painted court scenes and illusionistic ceiling. Its individual booking is also recommended, not mandatory.

Train tickets and driving

Match the ticket to the train: Peschiera’s RE6 and Mantua’s REG are regional services, while the fast Vicenza and Padua options are high-speed services. High-speed tickets are tied to a particular departure and reserved seat. Follow the validation or activation instructions for your regional ticket.

Allow separately for reaching Verona Porta Nuova, boarding and walking back from the sights to their stations. Independent rail trips let you set your own pace, but an organised excursion is an optional alternative if you prefer a guide and arranged transport.

For Soave, treat car hire, fuel and parking as separate expenses. A short drive does not remove the need to fit the castle’s split opening windows.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services, fares and charges, opening hours, and closures.

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