7 Easy Day Trips From Vicenza Using Public Transport

UPDATED MAR 2020. Have you just moved to Vicenza? First of all, welcome! If you are stuck in the hotel without your car but want to start exploring the area, then this post is for you. Today’s post is a guide of 7 public transport friendly day trips from Vicenza to get your adventures started ASAP. I think these are a great way to start your time in Italy because they give you a good foundation of the surrounding areas, as well as how to catch a bus and train, order food and other things like that. You’ll be able to do these in the first couple of weekends here, then start branching out from there.

7 Easy Day Trips From Vicenza Using Public Transport

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Make the most of your time in Vicenza

Before we get started, download my Ultimate Vicenza Bucket List that I made after four years of living there. It’s got day trips, events, long weekend ideas, and leave plan itineraries to help you make the most of your time living there.

How to catch a train from Vicenza

Catching public transport for the first time can be a little daunting, but luckily it’s very simple to get around using the bus and trains in Italy.

You can buy your tickets online from Trenitalia, at the self-service booths at the train station, or from a clerk at the station.

The self-service machines have an option to set the language to English which makes purchasing the tickets easy, then you just have to follow the prompts. It’s all quite self explanatory.

Here’s my full guide on how to catch a train in Italy if you want to see the machines and how to use them.

I have listed these as day trips from Vicenza, but they could also be useful to a traveler staying in any one of the towns.

If you are visiting Italy and staying in Venice, for example, you could quite easily use this list as a guide to day trips from Venice.

Downtown Vicenza

1. Take a day trip to Venice

It’s crowded and touristy, but you just have to see Venice don’t you? Thinking of it fills the mind with thoughts of fine food, fine fashion, and, of course, romantic images of gondolas gliding along the water.

I think Venice is a bit overrated, but, at the same time, it is somewhere that everyone has to see at least once. Luckily it is quite easy to get to from Vicenza using public transport.

There are a lot of options for walking tours if you want a knowledgeable guide to get more out of your time there.

Even spending your time strolling without an agenda around town is a nice way to soak it all in. I’ve done that a bunch of times and always seem to find something new.

Things to do in Venice:

• St Mark’s Square
• Visit the colorful Burano
• Take a walking tour or food tour
• Visit the Liberia Aqua Alta
• Take a Gondola ride
• Walk the streets – my favorite thing to do there

How to get to Venice from Vicenza

Take a train to Venezia S. Lucia – approx €6.

Venice

2. Take a day trip to Verona

You can feel the love in the air as you wander through the streets of Verona. Perhaps we have Romeo and Juliet to thank for that. After all, one of the main tourist attractions here is the Casa di Giulietta, the House of Juliet.

It is complete with a balcony overlooking a courtyard filled with love letters, love locks, and tourists with hearts in their eyes.

It is in this crowded courtyard that people can get a photo with the statue of Juliet, leave her a note or stand on the famous balcony.

This isn’t the place to fuss over the fictionality of the characters, it’s a place to simply enjoy the story and the magic it creates. It’s a place to get lost in the romanticism of it all, which is certainly quite easy to do.

Once you arrive at the station, just follow the signs to Centro or Arena which will take you to the main area in the center of town.

Things to do in Verona:

• Casa di Giulietta
• Take a photo with Juliet (holding her breast is good luck)
• Tomba di Giulietta
• Visit the Arena (a colosseum in the main center of town – you can pay to enter and walk the grounds)
• Take a photo with the Colosseum ‘guards’ in character
• Have a spritz by the Arena
• It’s a good place for shopping too

How to get to Verona from Vicenza

Take a train to Verona Porta Nuova – approx €6.

Juliet statue in Verona

3. Day trip to Padova

Padova is one of the oldest towns in northern Italy. History buffs will be kept busy for hours with the museums, chapels, and even the University dating back to 1222.

Some of the most popular historic attractions in the center of town area include the medieval town hall building, The Palazzo della Ragione, the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, and the Scrovegni Chapel.

With many cafes nearby there are plenty of places to stop and grab a bite to eat between attractions.

The Prato della Valle is one of the memorable highlights for me. This grassy park is surrounded by a moat and 78 stone statues, and as if that wasn’t a sight to see on its own, it was also hosting a local market the day I went.

If you’re not a market person, there were also many stores in town to get your shopping fix, though unlike Verona, here in Padova there is more of a range for different budgets.

The train station will take you a short walk from the center of town where you can explore the area from there.

Things to do in Padova:

• See the Prato della Valle statues
• Have a drink at one of the cafes in the Piazza dei Signori
• See the Basilica of St Anthony
• Get a bubble tea at Ruggi Bubble Tea
• Walk the botanical gardens
• Explore the shops and market

How to get to Padova from Vicenza

Take a train to Padova – approx €5.

Padova

4. Day trip to Marostica

If you love cherries, then you will love Marostica. Let’s put it this way, if Bubba from Forest Gump farmed cherries instead of shrimp, he would’ve created this town. There’s cherry everything!

Fresh cherries, cherry liquor, cherry souvenirs and my personal favorite, cherry gelato.

There’s so much more than just cherries though.

Looking around the medieval town of Marostica is like going back in time. The large, defensive walls that surround the town provide a historic ambiance before you even enter.

Once you do, you will see a large chessboard setting that is home to the very popular human chess tournament every second September.

That’s right, you can go and watch a human chess tournament. Near the chessboard, which is surrounded by a range of cafes, you will find a castle and there is another atop a nearby hill which you can visit by walking the steep path up to the top.

Things to do in Marostica:

• See the lower castle in town
• Walk up to the castle on the hill
• See the town chessboard
• Eat something with cherry in it
• Buy some cherries to take back with you

How to get to Marostica from Vicenza

Take a train to Bassano Del Grappa – approx €5, then bus to Marostica for approx €2. The bus will drop you off outside the city walls.

Marostica

5. Day trip to Bassano del Grappa

Though it’s better known for its grappa – a must-try, powerful alcoholic beverage, and the historic Ponte Vecchio – a covered bridge that was designed in 1569, I like Bassano del Grappa as a place to relax by the river Brenta.

If you wander down towards the water it is nice to relax by the river and watch the world go by. I like to go here and just sit in the sun by the water with a snack and chill out.

If you have just moved to Vicenza, it’s a great place to explore some of the shops and get some goodies for when you move into a house. You can easily find some grappa to stock up on, as well as truffle products and other things to cook with.

Things to do in Bassano del Grappa

• Walk the Ponte Vecchio bridge
• Try some grappa
• Walk along the water
• Visit the Poli Grappa Museum
• Stock up on goodies for your house

How to get to Bassano del Grappa from Vicenza

Take a train to Bassano del Grappa – approx €5.

Bassano del Grappa

6. Day trip to Trento

Moving a little further away from Vicenza, Trento is a fantastic choice for a day trip.

It’s about 2 and a half hours away (give or take a little depending on the schedule) on the train and well worth it.

I liked to visit Trento on a day trip for the food – it’s different in different areas of Italy and I really like the Trentino style. It’s a little heavier with a German/Austrian influence. Imagine polenta with all sorts of sauces, hearty stews, and apple strudels.

I also liked walking around town and checking out some of the different stores. There’s a Patagonia store there which always came in handy for getting outdoor adventure supplies.

Things to do in Trento

• Must do – eat at Forst (Forsterbräu Trento) for delicious traditional food and local beer
• See the Trento Cathedral
• Visit MUSE – the Museum of Science
• See the Piazza del Duomo and Neptune Fountain
• Via Rodolfo Belenzani – check out the street and don’t miss looking at the beautifully painted buildings
• Stroll around the town exploring the local shops

How to get to Trento

A train to Trento ranges from €10 to €30 depending on which train option you choose. I recommend using TrenItalia and taking the Regionale Veloce that has one change of station in Verona Puerto Nova. It usually costs around €10.

The cheaper options with more changes are a waste of time and the trains aren’t as nice, while the more expensive options aren’t fast enough to justify the price in my opinion.

7. Day trip to Bologna

Bologna can easily be a destination for a weekend away, but also makes a nice day trip. It’s about 1 and a half – 2 and a half hours away on the train depending on which route you choose.

Why would you go to Bologna? The food. With only a day to spend there and a longer transit each way, it’s a good idea to stroll around looking at sites like the palaces and statues and check out the stores while snacking your way through town.

Start with cheese and meat tasting boards, pasta in rich meat sauce – Tagliatelle with ragú is a traditional dish here, and of course finish it all off with gelato.

Things to do in Bologna

• Walk around the town square – Piazza Maggiore
• Visit the Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio – a medieval palace with theater
• See the Neptune Fountain
• Walk and eat through the picture perfect Quadrilatero neighborhood
• Find the hidden canals
• FICO Eataly is a food theme park in Bologna that doesn’t work as well using public transport from Vicenza, but worth adding to your list when you can drive there

How to get to Bologna

A train to Bologna Centrale ranges from about €12 to €40 depending on which option you choose and the time of day.

I hope this post on public transport friendly day trips from Vicenza can help get you started on your own adventures.

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