Padua ( Padova ) is a large town (population 210,000) in the Veneto region in north-eastern Italy. Padua is home to an ancient university, and parts of the town centre have a very studenty feel to them: young people revising under shady trees or meeting up before lectures. Successful modern business exists alongside unspoilt historical sights, and there's lots for the visitor to do. There are some troubled housing areas in the outskirts, but these don't impinge on the tourist's experience. Padua's nearest equivalent in Britain would probably be Oxford, and while the Italian town may lack punting undergraduates, it can match Oxford's dangerous cyclists.

Padua's biggest tourist attraction is the Scrovegni Chapel ( Cappella degli Scrovegni ), with its priceless frescoes by Giotto. Despite the town's many other interesting sights, this is the only place in Padua where tourism has taken over. The Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua (known simply as Il Santo ) is also on some tourism/pilgrimage circuits but through the rest of town you're more likely to encounter students and smartly-dressed businesspeople than tourists. You can consider buying a PadovaCard, which costs €14 and includes admission to the chapel and to most of the other central tourist attractions. It lasts 48 hours, and also offers free travel on local buses and discounts for additional attractions. It can be bought at museums and local tourist offices, or online when you are making a booking for the Scrovegni Chapel

There is a lot more to Padua than these two sights, however. The town centre is an attractive place to explore, with many historic streets to wander. It's always been a wealthy town, and has fine architecture dating to different eras. Giotto's are not the only frescoes in town, and the art-lover has masses to admire in the town's churches and art gallery. And after the visitor has enjoyed Padua's lovely parks and gardens, and strolled the pleasant arcaded streets, there is still plenty to do in the area around the town: villas to visit, boat trips and thermal spas.

The keen traveller really needs more than one day in Padua. Many of the town's attractions have limited opening hours, with those infuriatingly long Italian lunch breaks, meaning that you will need to plan your schedule carefully to fit everything in. If Padua appeals to you, we'd recommend staying several days and giving yourself time to potter around, visit local villas and maybe take a boat trip. If you really only want to see the highlights, though, you can get an idea of the city in a shorter visit.

Padova More to see

We've barely touched upon the interesting churches of Padua. Other places to visit include the Oratorio di San Michele , an oratory originally founded in the sixth or seventh century, now decorated with frescoes painted by Jacopo da Verona in 1379. A walk around the town centre will allow you to see some fine architecture, such as the Palazzo del Capitanio , another work by Falconetto, which incorporates a grand clocktower over an arch. The ancient University of Padua has its principal headquarters in the Palazzo Bo (guided tours available), which features architecture ranging from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century.

Padua travel

The most convenient airports for cheap UK flights are Venice Marco Polo (Easyjet, BA) and Venice Treviso (Ryanair). Padua can also be reached by train from Brescia, another Ryanair destination (they call it Verona Brescia). From Treviso Centrale station, the journey to Padova is an hour by train (change at Mestre). The Treviso Airport - Venice ATVO bus service stops by Mestre station. If you're arriving at Venice Marco Polo Airport, you can catch a bus to Mestre and then take the train to Padua. There is a direct bus service, run by SITA from Marco Polo Airport to Padua bus station - the journey takes an hour and ten minutes, and the frequency of buses varies from half-hourly to hourly during the day. Don't forget the destination will be listed as Padova, not Padua.

Padua has an efficient local transport network, with several bus routes linking the main attractions and the railway station. It helps if you've already picked up a streetplan, as bus information boards tend to list abbreviations of street names as destinations. If in doubt, check with the driver or a local.