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PadovaThe statements and opinions on this page are solely those of its authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of CouchSurfing International.
Padova is surrounded by Euganei Hills and crossed by several waterways. Padova unites the historical and cultural tradition with the evolution of the economic and services sectors. Art town, with a rich architectonic and museum heritage, visited every year by 800,000 tourists. Its squares, arcades and old paved roads are narrating the richness and the beauty of extraordinary Middle Ages for the art and the culture. The central location in the region enables to get very easily to Abano and Montegrotto, Venice and nearby towns, Dolomites and Garda Lake. About.com in one of its articles mentioned Padova in the top ten Italian cities to visit!
Padova CouchsurfingIn July 2008 there are more than 241 CouchSurfers. Padova is the seventh Couchsurfing city of Italy, after Rome, Milano, Bologna, Torino, Florence, Naples, despite being the 14th biggest city of Italy. Padova is home to a quite active hospitality exchange community (CS and HC) that hosts, organizes meetings and activities, takes care of this wiki page and of the related resources. We prepared a Padova for Couchsurfers map. MeetingsLocal meetings are usually held informally once or more times a week in presence of guests of the local members. Typical activities include meeting in the central squares to drink spritz, the local cocktail and talk, pizza meetings or dinners at hosts' houses. Other CS/HC events include tours of the nearby cities with lunch/pic nics or attending at big and not big events in the Veneto area (such as for White nights, free concerts and exhibitions). Ask to your host to keep you updated about local meetings through the local Yahoo! Group [1] or joining the local CS groups (Veneto, Padova). You can also check the CS Veneto Google Calendar: the local community keeps it updated with all the upcoming events! Also, it might be a good idea to contact one or two active members through CS to know if there is anything going on. An almost regular meeting has been established on every Wednesday at 21:30, working in partnership with AEGEE: you are welcome to join CSers and AEGEEers in this events. The location varies from time to time, but it's always set in the center of Padova. Currently the meeting point is set at the Bar Lume, Via Antonio Francesco Bonporti, 26. Check the Padova group to be sure! Italian Adriatic Surfing NetworkPadova is a member city of the Adriatic Surfing Network, a network of CS members and cities located on the eastern cost of Italy with the aim to help and host those travellers who want to discover the eastern part of Italy and foster cooperation between the local communities.
Emergency CouchYou can contact Tiziano if you find yourself in an emergency situation like your planned host is not reacheable, the hostel is full, or other similar situations (and not because you can't find a host ahead of time!). In that case, despite not being always available for hosting, he will try to help you finding an alternative solution. Please mention the fact that you have read this wiki page! For a similar purpose, there is a group available for all the Veneto Region here. Getting to PadovaBy trainPadova is an important railway crossing and it has one Central Station where all long-distance and commuter trains stop. The main lines are the Torino-Milano-Verona-Venice-Trieste, the Venice-Padova-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples, as well as minor routes like Padova-Castelfranco-Feltre-Belluno-Calalzo or the Padova-Cittadella-Bassano del Grappa-Trento that lead to the north of the region till the mountains. Several international trains from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France stop by in Padova and some in Venezia Mestre (20 minutes from Padova) from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. Look at the Italy page for more information about the railway system in Italy. Exploring other townsPadova is very well connected with Venice through regional, interregional, and fast trains, running all the day from 5 till 24, every half hour usually. It takes from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the train and the cheapest costs only 2.90€. Usually, if your host lives in the Padova city area, it will take no longer than 50 minutes - 1 hour totally to reach Venice. By planePadova itself has a very small airport (IATA code: QPA; ICAO code: LIPU), without any scheduled flights, where you can fly from for short panoramic flights over the city. The nearest and most important airports are Venice Tessera Marco Polo Airport (IATA code: VCE; ICAO code: LIPZ) and Treviso Sant'Angelo Canova Airport (IATA code: TSF; ICAO code: LIPH), both located at around 50km from Padova. VCE is mainly used by normal airlines, but as well as by some low cost airlines like EasyJet, TUIFly, while TSF is could be defined as the Ryanair Airport of Venice. Other airports are within a reasonable distance from Padova like:
Most of them are served by several lowcost airlines. From Venice Airport to PadovaBusWhen exiting from the Arrivals, continue crossing the first lane. On the second one, search the exact stop turning on your right, the Padova stop is the last one at the right. Buy a ticket at the automatic machine as it costs 3,60€ instead of 5,00€ on the bus. You can select the ticket for Padova selecting other destinations in the menu. There is a bus every 30 minutes on peak hours and one every hour in off-peak and it takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get to Padova bus station (Autostazione – Piazzale Boschetti). You can find the timetables here. Instructions: under “fermate di Partenza” write “Tessera Aeroporto” and you will see the stop selected in the box below, under “fermate di Arrivo” write “Padova Autostazione”. On “Data di Viaggio” select the day of choice, on “Orario di Partenza” select “Intera Giornata” to see the complete timetable of the day. Then click on “Corse di Andata” to show the timetables. You will arrive in Padova Bus station, from there you reach the railway station with buses number 9, 7, 19, 24 and then follow to your final destination (for the centre take the Tramway) or just reach by foot Corso Garibaldi crossing the Arena Gardens and from there you will find other bus routes. Bus + trainFrom the Airport take one of the buses to Mestre Train Station, there is ACTV (cheaper) or ATVO (more expensive). When in Mestre train station take one of the trains - better regional, they are cheaper - to Padova with direction Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Bologna, Milano. When you are in Padova train station follow to your final destination. This solution is not direct and requires a change, but it could be somewhat better if you have to wait a lot for the SITA direct bus (especially at evenings). From Treviso AirportBusWhen outside the airport building, cross the national road and seek for the bus stop. There is a bus every 30 minutes and it takes about 1 hour to get to Padova bus station (Autostazione – Piazzale Boschetti) You can find the timetables here. Instructions: under “fermate di Partenza” write “Treviso Aeroporto” and you will see the stop selected in the box below, under “fermate di Arrivo” write “Padova Autostazione”. On “Data di Viaggio” select the day of choice, on “Orario di Partenza” select “Intera Giornata” to see the complete timetable of the day. Then click on “Corse di Andata” to show the timetables. Bus+trainWhen outside the airport building, turn on your right till you'll find, after 100mt, the city bus stop along the national road. The city bus to take is line 6, that connects to the terminus, the train station, in 15-20 minutes, every 15 minutes. Once there, cross the road to reach the station. Going to Padova requires a change in Venezia Mestre. You can catch all the trains going to Venice - better cheaper Regional ones. When in Mestre change train and catch one - again better Regional - to Padova with direction Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Bologna, Milano. When you are in Padova train station follow to your final destination. This option requires two changes and it's convenient arriving at evenings, when the direct bus to Padova is not running (after 20:30). Going around PadovaTo reach your host, you might need either to walk or take a bus. By tramway and busPadova public transportation system (run by APS-Mobilità is based on one tramway line northbound-southbound (frequency 4 minutes - temporarily every 8 minutes, that is way faster than buses on that route) and several bus lines that usually run from 7 till 20, only a few run until midnight. A ticket for 75 minutes and unlimited changes for tram and bus costs 1€ (1,50€ if taken onboard). A daily ticket costs 2,70€. A weekly ticket is 9€ (reduced for students 6€), but you need an ID photo. To reach your CouchSurf host, this map could be useful. By bicycleWhen touring the city, using the bus is not a must, because distances are short and you can see better the city on foot or by bike. A convenient option is to use the bike, the most favorite mean of transport among Padova's students and not only. Some hosts have more than one bike and they might lend it to you. You can find a map of the bike lanes in the center here and in the whole city here.
Visiting PadovaPlaces to see Some of the places you can visit:
GuidesTiziano is an active CouchSurfer who, if not too busy with other activities, will be glad to show you around the city for a bit, have a pizza or a spritz. Places (eat, drink, etc...)..::work in progress::.. Free InternetPadova City Council has activated an experimental wireless network in two hotspots in the city centre located:
To use them you need to register at:
Just address to the desk and show a valid ID/passport. You will get an id and a password to connect to the wireless hotspots in the City of Padova. Apparently with the same account it is possible to access for free also the wifi hotspots located at the stops along the tramway line (that are usually accessible only with a pay-for-use contract), but this info has to be verified. The Padova City Council offers also some fixed Internet kiosks to surf for free that are located in:
The kiosks can be usually booked by phone or on place for limited amounts of time. More infos here. You can also use the computers located in some of the City Libraries, but in this case, you will probably be asked to register to the library (for free). EatPadova and its province are filled with many restaurants, trattorie, osterie which serve delicious traditional Italian and local dishes. If you are willing to eat fish, you can try these affordable restaurants:
..::Work in progress::.. Alternative AccomodationIf you are unable to find a Couchsurfing Host, we suggest you to check the availability of the only Padova City Hostel, located in Via Aleardo Aleardi 30, near Prato della Valle. It has beds with prices starting from 16.50€ and it's quite close to everything. In Case of Emergency
External links
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