Day trips from Verona: 11 places you can reach without a car

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Verona Porta Nuova is where the Milan to Venice railway crosses the Brenner line to Austria, so most day trips from the city are one direct train. Vicenza, Peschiera del Garda and Brescia fill half a day; Padua, Mantua, Venice and Bolzano need a full one.

At a glance

• Easiest trips: Peschiera del Garda and Vicenza, on direct trains that take under half an hour on the fastest services.
• Best single trip for art: Padua, for Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. Book the chapel before the day.
• Best for the lake: Peschiera by train, or Lazise, Bardolino and Garda by ATV bus. The Lake Garda guide compares the towns.
• Trains leave from Verona Porta Nuova; see where to stay in Verona.
• Book ahead: high-speed train seats, the Scrovegni Chapel, and in season a timed ticket for the Iceman museum in Bolzano.

How day trips from Verona work

Trenitalia regional trains (Regionale and Regionale Veloce) have no assigned seats, so buy the ticket on the day; see how regional trains work in Italy. Frecciarossa and Italo prices rise as the date gets closer. ATV, the Verona bus company, runs the buses to the east shore of Lake Garda; see the Verona public transport guide.

Journey times below are the fastest times shown by Trainline and ItaliaRail in November 2026. Slower trains on the same route take longer, so check your exact train, and the strike calendar the day before. Keep one full day for the city: see the best things to do in Verona.

The day trips, from easiest to hardest

1. Peschiera del Garda

Getting there: direct trains from Verona Porta Nuova. Trainline lists about 35 trains a day and 13 minutes for the fastest.

What to see: a fortress town on the south-east corner of Lake Garda, built on an island where the Mincio river leaves the lake. The fortress and its outer works have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2017, as part of the Venetian Works of Defense. Walk the walls and the canals, then take a boat: Navigazione Laghi lists Peschiera, Sirmione, Lazise, Bardolino and Garda among its stops.

When it is not worth it: if you expect a full day of sights. The town fills two hours; move on by boat or by ATV bus 164.

2. Vicenza

Getting there: direct trains from Verona Porta Nuova. Trainline shows up to 36 trains a day and 25 minutes for the fastest.

What to see: the architecture of Andrea Palladio. The UNESCO site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto" counts 23 of his buildings in the city and 24 villas in the region. Start at the Teatro Olimpico, at Piazza Matteotti 11. Individual visitors do not need a reservation, and the theater's site gives a standard ticket of €11 and winter hours of 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. Since 27 October 2026 the ticket office has been at Palazzo Chiericati, Corso Palladio 212. The Vicenza guide has the rest.

When it is not worth it: if what you want is the villas. Most are outside the city and need a car. The theater's site gives conflicting information on Monday opening, so confirm before a Monday visit.

3. Sirmione

Getting there: direct train to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione; Trainline lists about 34 trains a day and 19 minutes for the fastest. The station is in Desenzano, not in Sirmione. Continue by boat or local bus, and check both before you leave: the boat company has a separate winter timetable from 5 October 2026 to 25 March 2027.

What to see: the Scaliger castle at the entrance to the old town, begun in 1277, and the Grotte di Catullo at the tip of the peninsula. The "grottoes" are the ruins of a Roman villa of 167 by 105 meters, built around the turn of the 1st century AD. The site is open from 8:30 to 17:00, Tuesday to Saturday, and from 8:30 to 14:00 on Sunday. The full ticket costs €10 (as of November 2026), and a €20 ticket valid seven days adds the castle and the Roman villa in Desenzano. See the Sirmione guide.

When it is not worth it: on a Monday, when the Grotte di Catullo are closed, and on summer weekends, when the old town is crowded by late morning.

4. Padua

Getting there: direct trains from Verona Porta Nuova to Padova. Trainline gives about 34 trains a day and 44 minutes for the fastest Frecciarossa and Italo services.

What to see: the Scrovegni Chapel, with Giotto's fresco cycle. It is one of eight building complexes in the UNESCO site "Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles", with Palazzo della Ragione and the Baptistery. The chapel's booking site says same-day reservations cannot be made, so book before you buy the train ticket. Palazzo della Ragione is open from 9:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and the full ticket is €8. A route is in one day in Padua.

When it is not worth it: from 16 to 27 November 2026, when the chapel is closed for inspection of the frescoes. To choose between the two cities as a base, read Verona or Padua.

5. Mantua

Getting there: regional trains from Verona Porta Nuova to Mantova. Trainline lists 46 minutes for the fastest direct train and about 11 trains a day, of which about 4 are direct. Pick the direct ones.

What to see: the two Gonzaga palaces. In the Ducal Palace, the Camera degli Sposi was frescoed by Andrea Mantegna, who worked in Mantua from 1460. Palazzo Te is open from 9:00 to 19:00, with a 13:00 opening on Tuesdays and last entry an hour before closing. The full ticket is €18 (as of November 2026). See the Mantua guide.

When it is not worth it: if you also want Sabbioneta, which shares Mantua's UNESCO listing. It is a separate town and does not fit the same day. We could not open the Ducal Palace's official page in this check, so confirm its hours and the rules for the Camera degli Sposi on the palace site.

6. Brescia

Getting there: direct trains from Verona Porta Nuova. Trainline shows about 44 trains a day and 35 minutes for the fastest.

What to see: the Santa Giulia Museum is at Via Musei 81/b; in winter (1 October to 31 May) it is open from 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday, with last admission at 17:15. A €18 ticket covers the four civic museums, and a €19 ticket adds the Brixia Roman archaeological area (as of November 2026). Brescia is one of the seven places in the UNESCO site "Longobards in Italy".

When it is not worth it: on a Monday that is not a holiday, when the museum is closed.

7. Lazise, Bardolino and Garda

Getting there: ATV buses from Verona. Lines 162, 163 and 165 run via Bussolengo, and line 164 runs via Peschiera, to Lazise, Bardolino and Garda. Garda Link, sold by Trenitalia, is one ticket for the train to Verona Porta Nuova and the bus to the lake; ATV describes buses every 30 minutes from the station. Download the current timetable from the ATV site.

What to see: three small harbor towns a few kilometers apart on the Veneto shore. Boats link all three, so you can go out by bus and move between towns on the water.

When it is not worth it: for Malcesine or Riva del Garda, at the north end of the lake. They are on line 484 beyond Garda. Stay a night and use the two-day Lake Garda itinerary.

8. Venice

Getting there: direct trains from Verona Porta Nuova to Venezia Santa Lucia. ItaliaRail gives about 1 hour 10 minutes for the fastest high-speed trains and about an hour and a half for Regionale Veloce trains. Stay on past Venezia Mestre, the mainland station.

What to see: walk from the station to Rialto and St Mark's Square, and enter one building, not three. Use one day in Venice.

When it is not worth it: on days when Venice charges day visitors an access fee without paying it in advance. In 2025 it applied on set days from 18 April to 27 July, from 8:30 to 16:00, and cost €5 if paid at least four days ahead or €10 later. We could not confirm the dates for later years, so check the city's access fee site.

9. Trento

Getting there: direct trains north on the Brenner line. Trainline lists about 32 direct trains a day and 55 minutes for the fastest.

What to see: the Castello del Buonconsiglio, at Via Bernardo Clesio 5. The general ticket is €10 (as of November 2026) and, according to the castle's site, the visit includes Torre Aquila. See the Trento guide.

When it is not worth it: without checking the castle calendar. The castle site did not show regular weekly hours when we looked, only the next opening date.

10. Bolzano

Getting there: direct trains on the same line. ItaliaRail lists more than 30 trains a day and about 1 hour 27 minutes for the fastest.

What to see: the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, at Via Museo 43. It opened in 1998 to house Ötzi, the Iceman, a natural mummy from about 3300 BC, with his copper axe and quiver. The museum invites visitors to book online to avoid the queue; see the Ötzi museum guide. The Bolzano guide covers the rest of the city.

When it is not worth it: as a way to "see the Dolomites". The passes and high meadows need onward buses or cable cars and a night or two; see the Dolomites guide. We could not verify the museum's opening days, so check them first.

11. Soave

Getting there: Soave has no railway station of its own. Trenitalia trains reach San Bonifacio, the neighboring town, in 14 minutes on the fastest services, with about 35 trains a day. From there you need a local bus or a taxi; check the connection first.

What to see: a walled wine town about 23 km east of Verona. The Scaliger walls, built by Cansignorio della Scala, run for about 1,600 meters with 24 towers and climb the hill to the castle. The local white wine carries the town's name. Details are in the Soave guide.

When it is not worth it: if the last leg from San Bonifacio does not line up with your train.

How to choose

• One day trip only: Padua for art, Peschiera and a boat for the lake.
• Half a day: Vicenza, Peschiera or Brescia. All three leave time for dinner in Verona.
• Two towns in one day: Vicenza and Padua, on the same line, with an afternoon Scrovegni slot.
• Rainy day: Mantua or Brescia, where the main sights are indoors.
• Monday: Vicenza, Mantua for Palazzo Te, or the lake. Not Sirmione's Roman villa and not Brescia.

Valpolicella, the wine hills north-west of Verona where Amarone is made, is not on this list: we did not verify a bus route, so go by car or with a tour (see the Amarone and Valpolicella wine guide). Villages such as Borghetto sul Mincio are in the list of small towns in Veneto. If you plan three or more day trips, consider changing base once, as in the five-day Veneto itinerary.

Questions travelers ask

Sources

• Trainline train times from Verona Porta Nuova: Peschiera del Garda, Vicenza, Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione, Padova, Mantova, Brescia, Trento, San Bonifacio
• ItaliaRail route pages: Verona to Venice, Verona to Bolzano
• ATV Verona: Lake Garda bus lines and timetables and Garda Link train and bus ticket
• Navigazione Laghi: Lake Garda boat stops and timetable periods
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto; Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles; Mantua and Sabbioneta; Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power
• Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza: official site
• Musei Lombardia (Ministry of Culture): Grotte di Catullo, hours and tickets
• Scrovegni Chapel, Padua: booking site and notices
• Palazzo Te, Mantua: visit information
• Fondazione Brescia Musei: Santa Giulia Museum
• City of Venice: access fee
• Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trento: visit
• South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano
• Wikipedia, for stable history and geography: Peschiera del Garda, Grottoes of Catullus, Sirmione, Ducal Palace, Mantua, South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Soave, Valpolicella