In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Padua is 26 to 28 minutes from Venezia Santa Lucia by fast train, from €5.00 by regional and fast regional and €20.00 by Frecciarossa. The Scrovegni Chapel (Giotto’s frescoes) is €16 with two museums, and it is booked online by the day before: no same-day tickets, no bags, and a late arrival loses the slot. The visit is about 30 minutes. The station is 13 minutes’ walk from the chapel. The Padova Urbs Picta card is €28 for 48 hours. Or book a tour: the guided Scrovegni Chapel tourad is €39 for 1 to 1½ hours. For the Brenta Riviera by boat, Padua to Venicead is €147 with three villa visits (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
Fares are Trenitalia’s “from” fares for a second-class single; the Trenitalia app shows the exact fare for your date. Trenitalia changes its timetable in December.
| Route | Times | Journey | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Lucia to Padova, fast regional | 07:10 and 07:40 | 27 to 28 minutes | From €5.00 |
| Santa Lucia to Padova, Frecciarossa | 07:18 and 07:26 | 26 to 28 minutes | From €20.00 |
| Santa Lucia to Padova, regional | 07:04, 07:34, 07:51 and 08:04 | 44 to 48 minutes | From €5.00 |
| Padova to Santa Lucia, Frecciarossa | 17:06, 22:29 and 22:49 | 26 to 28 minutes | From €20.00 |
| Padova to Santa Lucia, fast regional | 17:22 and 17:53 | 27 to 30 minutes | From €5.00 |
| Padova to Santa Lucia, regional | 17:10, 17:21 and 22:10 | 48 minutes | From €5.00 |
On a weekday in October the 22:49 Frecciarossa is the last train back and arrives at 23:19. From Padova station to the chapel is 0.9 km, about 13 minutes on foot; the ticket office is in the Museo Eremitani, Piazza Eremitani 8, about 100 m from the chapel’s entrance. ACTV bus 53E also links Piazzale Roma and Padova station by road: see the Brenta Riviera section.
Tours
Padua is a train trip, so a tour is for the chapel’s story or the boat. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
Guided tour of the chapel
€39 · 369 reviews · 1 to 1½ hours
Guided Tour of Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapelad is led by a licensed guide from Italia in Tour and meets at the entrance in Piazza Eremitani 8. It includes the guide, the commentary on Giotto’s frescoes and access to the main works inside. Padua: Private City Walking Tour & Scrovegni’s Chapel Visitad is €167 (195 reviews).
The Brenta Riviera by boat
€147 · 529 reviews · a full day
From Padua: Brenta Riviera Boat Cruise to San Marco, Venicead is Il Burchiello’s own boat, at the operator’s price. It includes the entry and guided tour at Villa Pisani, Villa Widmann and Villa Foscari; lunch and the return to Padua are not included. In Il Burchiello’s 2026 programme the Padua to Venice boat ran on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, leaving the Portello landing at 08:00 and docking at San Marco at about 17:30, so it is a day of its own and not a way to see the chapel first. The day trips page has the Venice to Padua boat.
What to see
Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles have been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2021: eight complexes of buildings in the old city, with Giotto’s cycle first among them (whc.unesco.org). The chapel is one slot; the rest of the day is a walk.
The Scrovegni Chapel
€16 with two museums · booked online · about 30 minutes
Giotto’s cycle of frescoes tells the life of the Virgin Mary and of Christ. The chapel was built between 1303 and 1305 for the banker Enrico Scrovegni. The ticket also covers the Museo Eremitani and the Palazzo Zuckermann (cappelladegliscrovegni.it).
Giotto’s frescoes inside the Scrovegni Chapel. Photo: FrDr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Ticket | Price | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Full | €15 plus €1 pre-sale | Adults |
| Reduced | €11 plus €1 | Over-65 EU citizens, groups of 10 or more, association members |
| Residents | €7 plus €1 | Residents of Padua province |
| Young | €6 plus €1 | Ages 6 to 17 and students |
| Under 6 | Free, plus the €1 booking charge | Children under 6 |
The chapel is open every day from 09:00 to 19:00, and closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January. Booking is online by card or Satispay until the day before, or by phone on +39 049 2010020 (Monday to Friday 09:00 to 19:00, Saturday 09:00 to 18:00) for a bank transfer at least three working days ahead. The ticket is non-refundable.
The south side of the Scrovegni Chapel. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
At the door: be at the access building 5 minutes before your slot; the chapel advises reaching the ticket office in the Museo Eremitani 30 minutes before. Late arrivals cannot enter and must book and pay again. The visit is 15 minutes in an airlock and 15 inside, in groups of up to 25. Bags, trolleys, suitcases, food, drink and animals are not allowed, and phones are silenced. On Mondays, outside holidays, the Palazzo Zuckermann is closed, so single visitors pay the reduced €11. Sites that say there is “no ticket at the door” and sell a booking service are not the chapel; it sells its own.
The rest of the day
The other UNESCO components are the Palazzo della Ragione, the Carraresi Palace, the Baptistery, the buildings of the Basilica of St Anthony and San Michele. The Padova Urbs Picta card is €28 for 48 hours or €35 for 72 hours, includes public transport, and is sold through the chapel’s site. For a single day, the chapel ticket and a walk are enough; the card suits a stay.
The Palazzo della Ragione, with its arcades and curved roof. Photo: Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The statue-lined canal around Prato della Valle. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Before you go
- Book first. The chapel slot decides the day; choose the train to arrive 30 minutes before it.
- Bags. The chapel takes none, so travel light.
- Mondays. The Palazzo Zuckermann is closed outside holidays, which changes the ticket price.
- The last train. The 22:49 Frecciarossa arrives in Venice at 23:19.
Padua is one of the day trips from Venice. The 07:18 Frecciarossa carries on to Verona in 1 hour 12 minutes. Venice public transport covers the way to Santa Lucia, What to book before you go to Venice has the city tickets, Venice in one or two days shows where a day away fits, and where to stay in Venice compares the areas.
Common questions
How do I get from Venice to Padua?
By train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Padova. The fast regional takes 27 to 28 minutes and the Frecciarossa 26 minutes; ordinary regionals take 44 to 48 minutes. Regionals and fast regionals are from €5.00 each way and the Frecciarossa from €20.00. The station is 0.9 km, about 13 minutes' walk, from the Scrovegni Chapel.
How much is the Scrovegni Chapel and can I buy a ticket on the day?
The full ticket is €15 plus a €1 pre-sale charge, €16 in all, and includes the Museo Eremitani and Palazzo Zuckermann. It must be booked in advance online, until the day before the visit; same-day bookings are not possible, and the ticket is non-refundable.
How long is the visit to the Scrovegni Chapel and what are the rules?
About 30 minutes: 15 minutes in an airlock that protects the chapel's microclimate, then 15 minutes inside, in groups of up to 25. Be at the access building 5 minutes before your slot; late arrivals cannot enter. Bags, trolleys, suitcases, food, drink and animals are not allowed.
Is the Padova Urbs Picta card worth it?
It is €28 for 48 hours or €35 for 72 hours, includes public transport, and is sold through the Scrovegni Chapel's own site. It suits a stay of more than a day in Padua; for the chapel alone, the €16 ticket is cheaper.
Can I take a boat from Padua to Venice?
Yes. Il Burchiello runs a full-day boat from Padua to Venice, with three villa visits, on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in its 2026 programme, from €147. It leaves Padua at 08:00 and reaches San Marco at about 17:30.
