Key facts
Veneto at a glance
Areas and places
Veneto area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Veneto, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Veneto
Spring and autumn are best for Venice and the cities: soft light and less heat. July and August are humid and crowded on the lagoon, although it's the opera season at the Verona Arena and the hiking season in the Dolomites. In November and December there can be acqua alta in Venice.
How you travel
Veneto your way
The ways of travelling that suit Veneto. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By planeCar-free
Nearby
Near Veneto
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
45.08° N · 13.63° E
Istria
By carBy campervanCampingBy bikeLuxuryBy plane
44.49° N · 11.34° E
Emilia-Romagna
By planeCar-free
47.04° N · 12.84° E
Carinthia
By carBy campervanCampingOn footBy bikeBy motorbike
47.27° N · 11.39° E
Tyrol
By carBy planeCar-free
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Sleep one night in Venice
At dusk, when the day visitors leave, the city recovers its silence. If you sleep there, you also don't pay the access fee.
- 2Book the Scrovegni in advance
You go in small groups every fifteen minutes, after a wait in an acclimatisation room. In high season the slots sell out.
- 3Verona with opera
If you go in summer, buy tickets for a performance at the Arena and sleep in the city: the opera finishes late.
- 4Padua as a cheap base
It's half an hour from Venice by train and less than an hour from Verona, with more affordable accommodation.
Heat, crowded streets and an access fee if it's one of the designated dates. Better two nights in spring or autumn.
Which part of Veneto should you choose?
Almost everyone who goes to Veneto goes to Venice, and that's fine: there's no other city like it. But the region has much more within an hour by train, and sleeping outside the lagoon is also a way to save money and see Venice with different eyes.
Venice needs two or three nights. Sleep inside if you can: the city changes completely when the day visitors leave. Give half a day to the islands of the lagoon, Murano for glass and Burano for coloured houses. If you're only going to spend the day on one of the dates marked by the city council, you'll have to pay the access fee.
Verona is the second city of the trip: the Roman amphitheatre of the Arena, where opera is staged outdoors in summer, Piazza delle Erbe and the River Adige. It can be seen in a day, but deserves a night. Padua, half an hour from Venice by train, has the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto's frescoes, which can only be visited by reservation and in small groups. Vicenza is Palladio's city: its Olympic Theatre and the architect's villas in the countryside are a World Heritage Site.
Outside the cities, Veneto has two more landscapes. The eastern shore of Lake Garda, with Malcesine, Garda, Bardolino and Peschiera, looks towards Monte Baldo and the Bardolino vineyards. And to the north, in the province of Belluno, the Dolomites begin: Cortina d'Ampezzo is the gateway for walking among rock towers in summer and skiing in winter. Between plain and mountain, the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are Prosecco country, also a World Heritage Site.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane, to Venice Marco Polo, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Seville and Alicante. Treviso, about 30 km away, receives mostly low-cost flights from Valencia, Málaga, Seville, Alicante, Palma, Santander and the Canary Islands, among others. Verona has flights from Madrid, Valencia and Palma, and is the best arrival point for Garda.
From Marco Polo there is a bus to Piazzale Roma, at the entrance to Venice, and Alilaguna boats that cross the lagoon. From Treviso, buses to Mestre and to Piazzale Roma.
By car, from Barcelona you cross France and northern Italy by motorway. The car is useful for Garda, the hills and the mountains, but in Venice it stays in a car park at Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto or Mestre.
How do you get around Veneto?
By train, which is best for the cities. Venice, Padua, Vicenza and Verona are on the same line: the Frecciarossa takes about half an hour from Venice to Padua and an hour and ten minutes to Verona. Regional trains cost less and take a little longer. If you sleep in Padua or Mestre, Venice is a short ride away.
In Venice, on foot and by vaporetto: there are no cars or bikes. For the mountains and hills, a car: the villages of the Dolomites and the Prosecco wineries have buses, but few.
When should you go and what does it cost?
From March to June and from September to November. Spring and autumn give good light and mild temperatures for walking around Venice and Verona. Summer is humid on the plain and the lagoon is crowded, although it's the opera season at the Arena and the hiking season in the Dolomites. In autumn and winter the high tide, the acqua alta, can flood part of Venice on some days; Carnival, in February, fills the city.
Venice is expensive for sleeping and for eating in the most touristy areas. Padua, Vicenza and Mestre are considerably cheaper and half an hour away by train.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for Veneto?
Five or six: three in Venice, one in Verona and one in Padua or Vicenza. If you add Garda or the Dolomites, a week or more.
Do you have to pay to enter Venice?
Only if you're going to spend the day and it's one of the dates set by the city council: €5 if you pay in advance and €10 in the final days. If you sleep in Venice or are under 14, you're exempt.
Where do I sleep if Venice is too expensive?
In Mestre or Padua, linked to Venice by train with many services. You miss the city at night, but you save money.
Can you see Verona in a day from Venice?
Yes: the Frecciarossa takes an hour and ten minutes. But if you're going to the opera at the Arena, stay the night.
Are the Dolomites in Veneto?
Part of them are: Cortina d'Ampezzo and the province of Belluno. The rest is in Trentino-Alto Adige.
What is acqua alta?
A high tide that floods part of Venice on some days, mostly from October to January. The MOSE movable barriers hold it back at the strongest tides.