Welcome back to the Italian Buddy travel guide friends. Today we’ll be exploring a bit of the area surrounding Venice to find out what are the best Places to visit near Venice. We always recommend coupling Venice with other cities and town to make the most of your trip to Italy. There are amazing places to visit at just one our two hours by train or car and it would be a shame to miss them. Let’s have a look at the ones we recommend the most.

By Car

5. Villa Pisani (Strà)

Villa Pisani

One of the many Villas in the “Riviera del Brenta”, Villa Pisani is located in Stra, on the road between Venice and Padova. It was build in the 18th century and has 168 rooms, with frescos and original furnitures. It also has a 15.000 square meters park, also featuring a hedge maze.

4. Marostica

Marostica

Marostica is a small town up on the hills near Bassano Del Grappa. It features once a year a live chess game but also has a beautiful castle on the hilltop that offers a splendid view of the valley below. It’s excellent for a day out but we do recommend wearing comfortable shoes to get up on the castle the hike is not super easy

Marostica Castello Superiore

3. Asolo

Asolo

Easily one of my personal favorite towns in Italy. This is a small town near Marostica (see above) and can potentially be seen on the same day, however if you have the time I’d visit both towns on separate days to enjoy them thoroughly. The town center is closed to traffic so you can walk around slowly and living it like a true local. It has also an incredibly high concentration of excellent family run restaurants that I definitely recommend.

By Train

2. Trieste

Christmas in Trieste

Sometimes called the pearl of the Adriatic sea, Trieste is almost at the border with Slovenia and Austria. As a matter of fact, its architecture reminds much more Austrian and Viennese architecture than Italian/Roman and this is why Trieste is such a peculiar sight.

Things to see:

• Piazza Unità D’Italia: this is the main square in Trieste, you can’t miss it, it’s the most famous sight of the city.
• Castello Miramare: was build as the house of Duke Massimiliano D’Asburgo and Carlotta. It’s kept in excellent conditions to this day and has amazing interiors.
• Grotta gigante: if you’re into caves and speleology, this cave, not far from the city, is one of the most beautiful and famous caves in Italy, excellent tours are organized.

How to get there from Venice: take the train to Trieste Centrale. Prices from 14.80€ to 19.60€ and get there in about 2 hours.

1. Verona

Verona by Night

Verona is known as one of the most romantic cities in the world, thanks to William Shakespeare and his Romeo and Juliet, set in this beautiful city. Verona is located in mainland Italy, in the Veneto region, it’s a medium size city, that offers all that big cities offer. It has excellent connections with trains, airports and highways, a buys nightlife and a huge list of landmarks to visit. Just to mention a few of the ones you can’t miss:

• The Arena: the arena of Verona is an ancient Roman area, preserved perfectly to this day. If you have the change, listening to a concert or an opera here is an experience everybody should have in their life.
• Juliet’s balcony: one of the most visited spots of the city, the actual Juliet’s balcony. Many people come here with their lovers and leave a token on the wall to represent their everlasting love.
• Piazza delle Erbe: considered one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, this is the center of life in Verona, filled with locals enjoying their evening. If you like to mingle with locals and while having a glass of wine or a Spritz, this is the perfect spot for you.

How to get there from Venice: take the train to Verona Porta Nuova. Prices from 9.45€ to 28€ and get there in about 1 and half hours.

Important: never ever take the “regionale” trains, they take forever. Take instead “regionale veloce” they’re the cheapest and still fast.

If you want to find out more about Venice and places to visit, download our free travel guide here: Italian buddy travel guide

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