Padua is a northern Italian city in the Veneto region, on the Bacchiglione River, connected by canals to the Brenta River. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It has 212,500 inhabitants, and 440,000 in the whole agglomeration.

Padua is about half an hour by train from world-famous Venice. Padua is one of the oldest cities in Italy and legend has it that the city was founded before Rome itself.

The city is home to the famous University of Padua, one of the oldest in the world. John of Nepomuk or Galileo Galilei himself taught at this university between 1592 and 1610. There are many artistic and cultural monuments preserved here, but they hardly attract as many tourists as Venice, 30 km away. Padua is an important economic centre of the region and one of the most important logistical and transport hubs in the whole of Italy.

Discover the beauty of Padua as a tourist destination, offering historical monuments and a place of pilgrimage thanks to the Basilica and Monastery of St Anthony, who died here in 1231 and is also buried here. In the basilica you can see the relics of Saint Anthony. Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew" is also set here.

Padua will welcome you with open arms, with its many narrow streets and pleasant Italian restaurants where you can relax while exploring the historical sights.

During your excursions, don't forget that the square called Prato della Valle, with its size of over 88,000 square meters, is one of the largest you can visit in the world and is surrounded by 78 statues of historical figures of the city.

The oldest university botanical garden with more than 7,000 species of plants is also worth a visit, as are the Baptistery, the Palazzo della Ragione, the Scrovegni Chapel, the Chiesa degli Eremitani and the Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta.

Don't forget this city during your stay in Venice or Verona.