A Venice day trip with a private driver starts where the road starts, at Piazzale Roma, and heads for the Veneto mainland, which most visitors to Venice never see. Within about an hour and a quarter of the lagoon are the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, the Palladian villas along the Brenta canal, Padua and Giotto's frescoes, Vicenza, and the hill towns of Asolo and Bassano del Grappa. Verona is a little further, about an hour and a half.
Venice's published price list has two bookings built for these days. The eight-hour Prosecco hills day costs from US$665 in a business sedan to US$1,325 in an Executive Sprinter, and the eight-hour full-day chauffeur covers any other route at the same prices. Below are six routes with routed drive times, sample days, and the cases where the train does the job just as well.
What is the best day trip from Venice with a driver?
For wine lovers, the Prosecco hills: Valdobbiadene is about 78 km (49 mi) from Piazzale Roma, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes on a clear road, and the eight-hour day costs from US$665. For art and architecture, Padua with a Brenta villa, or Vicenza. For a first view of the mountains, the Dolomites, a much longer day.
All distances and times in this guide are routed estimates from the public OSRM network, from Piazzale Roma, on a clear road. The causeway and the Mestre ring road can be slow at commuter hours.
| Day trip | Distance from Piazzale Roma | Clear-road drive | Best booking | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prosecco hills, Valdobbiadene and Conegliano | 78 km / 49 mi to Valdobbiadene | about 1 h 10 min | Prosecco hills day, 8 hours | Wine, vineyard landscapes |
| Padua and the Scrovegni Chapel | 42 km / 26 mi | about 41 min | Full day, or by the hour | Art, a university city |
| The Brenta villas, Villa Pisani at Stra | 33 km / 21 mi | about 36 min | By the hour, or with Padua | Gardens, Palladian architecture |
| Vicenza | 72 km / 45 mi | about 57 min | Full-day chauffeur | Palladio, architecture lovers |
| Verona | 121 km / 75 mi | about 1 h 23 min | Full-day chauffeur | First visits to the Veneto |
| Asolo and Bassano del Grappa | 79 km / 49 mi to Asolo | about 1 h 11 min | Full-day chauffeur | Hill towns, quieter days |
| Treviso | 30 km / 19 mi | about 38 min | By the hour, 3-hour minimum | A half-day, canals without crowds |
The bookings and prices
Every Venice day trip uses one of three published bookings from the Venice price list. Prices are per vehicle, never per person, and include the chauffeur, taxes and standard gratuity. Tolls and parking are billed at cost.
| Venice booking | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class Sedan | First Class SUV | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day trip: Prosecco hills of Valdobbiadene, 8 hours | US$665 | US$850 | US$1,070 | US$995 | US$1,325 |
| Full-day chauffeur | US$665 | US$850 | US$1,070 | US$995 | US$1,325 |
| By the hour, 3-hour minimum | US$90 / hour | US$115 / hour | US$145 / hour | US$135 / hour | US$180 / hour |
| Private city highlights tour | US$360 | US$460 | US$580 | US$540 | US$720 |
Capacities, from the fleet page: three passengers in a Business Sedan or First Class Sedan, six in a Business SUV or First Class SUV, twelve in an Executive Sprinter.
Before the day: getting to the car
Every one of these days begins and ends with a boat or a walk, because the car cannot enter the historic city. If your hotel is in San Marco, Rialto or Dorsoduro, take a water taxi or the vaporetto to Piazzale Roma; the chauffeur meets you there at the agreed time. Mainland and Lido hotels are ordinary pickups. Give us your hotel when you book and we will suggest a meeting time that leaves room for the boat. Elly8.net books the car only; the water taxi is booked with a licensed operator or through your hotel. Our guide to the water taxi from Marco Polo to Venice explains how Venice's boats work.
Route 1: the Prosecco hills
The signature Venice day trip. The hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, north of Treviso, are on the UNESCO World Heritage list as Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene, a landscape of steep vineyards, small farms and hilltop churches. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco consortium lists wineries that welcome visitors.
The day usually runs north to Valdobbiadene, about 1 hour 10 minutes from Piazzale Roma, then east along the hills to Conegliano, about 39 minutes, and back to Venice in about 51 minutes. Book the tastings first, with the estates directly, and send us the times; most producers take visits by appointment. The chauffeur drives the route between them and follows local rules in the vehicle. See wine tours for how these days work.
Route 2: Padua and a Brenta villa
Padua is close: about 42 km (26 mi), roughly 41 minutes. Its great sight is Giotto's fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel, visited by booked slot only. The chapel's site says same-day bookings are not possible, groups should be at the ticket office at least 45 minutes before their visit, and the chapel is closed to the public from 16 to 27 November for its annual fresco inspection. Book the slot before anything else.
On the way, the Riviera del Brenta is lined with the villas that Venetian families built on the mainland. The Museo Nazionale di Villa Pisani at Stra, with its gardens and a labyrinth, is about 33 km (21 mi) from Piazzale Roma. Its site lists opening hours of 10.00 to 18.00, Tuesday to Sunday and on holidays, and in March 2026 posted a notice of a temporary closure of the park, so check the gardens are open before you plan around them. Padua plus Villa Pisani fits comfortably in a six-hour day by the hour, or in the full day with a long lunch.
Route 3: Vicenza and Palladio
Vicenza is the city of Andrea Palladio, and with the villas around it forms the UNESCO site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto. It is about 72 km (45 mi), roughly 57 minutes from Piazzale Roma. The Teatro Olimpico, Palladio's indoor theatre, is the essential visit; then the streets of palaces in the centre. The car is useful here because many of the Palladian villas stand in the countryside outside the city, where trains do not go.
Route 4: Verona
Verona is the furthest of the classic day trips, about 121 km (75 mi) and roughly 1 hour 23 minutes. The Roman Arena, the old town and the river make a full day on their own. The train serves Verona well from Venice, so this is a day where we would say: two people visiting only Verona should take the train. A car makes sense for a group, for a stop at Vicenza or Padua on the way, or for an afternoon at Lake Garda after the city.
Route 5: Asolo and Bassano del Grappa
The quiet day. Asolo, a small hill town with views across the plain, is about 79 km (49 mi), roughly 1 hour 11 minutes; Bassano del Grappa, on the river Brenta at the foot of the mountains, about 90 km (56 mi). They pair easily, and the Prosecco hills are close by if you want to add a single tasting. This is a good day for repeat visitors to Italy who want small towns rather than famous sights.
Route 6: Treviso, a half-day
Treviso is about 30 km (19 mi), roughly 38 minutes, a walled city with canals of its own and far fewer visitors than Venice. It suits a half-day booked by the hour, three hours minimum, at US$90 an hour in a business sedan. Four hours in a business sedan is US$360, arithmetic for comparison only.
Half-days and evenings on the mainland
Not every outing needs eight hours. The three-hour minimum on hourly bookings makes short mainland trips easy: a morning at Villa Pisani, an afternoon in Treviso, or an outlet or shopping trip on the edge of the lagoon. Add hours at the desk if the day runs long.
The private city highlights tour, from US$360 in a business sedan, is a mainland and lagoon-edge tour by car rather than a tour of the canals. For an evening out on the mainland, a dinner at a country restaurant or a concert, the evening out and event night package keeps a car on call, from US$450 in a business sedan; see event transportation.
The Dolomites: the long day
The mountains are the most spectacular day out from Venice and the longest: Cortina d'Ampezzo is about 2 hours each way on a clear road. Our guide to Venice to the Dolomites by car covers the routes, the summer access rules at Lake Braies, and when a night in the mountains is the better plan.
When the train is the better choice
A private driver is not the answer to every day out from Venice.
- Padua alone, or Verona alone, for one or two people. Both are on the main railway from Santa Lucia, a short walk from Piazzale Roma, and the train is cheaper.
- Vicenza city only. Also on the line. The car earns its place for the villas outside the city.
- The islands. Murano, Burano and Torcello are reached by water, not by road. A car does not help.
The car wins for the Prosecco hills, where public transport between estates is impractical; for the Brenta villas and the Palladian countryside; for combining two places in one day; for groups of four or more sharing one vehicle; and for days with children or older travellers. As arithmetic for comparison only, four friends in a Business SUV on the Prosecco day from US$850 are comparing about US$213 each with organising trains, taxis between wineries and a designated driver.
Planning tips from the desk
- Book fixed-time visits first. Tastings, the Scrovegni Chapel, a restaurant lunch: send us the times.
- Allow for the boat. The meeting time at Piazzale Roma depends on your hotel's distance by water.
- Child seats. Fitted on request before pickup; give the ages when you book.
- Gratuity. Already included in every Elly8.net fare.
- Groups and events. For a wedding party or corporate group, one Executive Sprinter with driver carries twelve; see group transportation. Business days on the mainland suit a corporate car service booking.
- Arriving from Milan. Verona, Vicenza and Padua also make good stops on the drive into Venice; see Milan to Venice by car.
Three sample days
A couple who came for the wine. The Prosecco day in a Business Sedan from US$665: Valdobbiadene at ten, two tastings, lunch in the hills, Conegliano in the afternoon, back at Piazzale Roma by six.
A family with teenagers. Padua and Villa Pisani by the hour in a Business SUV: the chapel slot in the morning, Villa Pisani in the afternoon, home for dinner.
Architecture lovers on a second visit. Vicenza and the Palladian villas outside it on the full-day chauffeur, with lunch in the city and a villa visit in the afternoon.
How to book
- Enter Piazzale Roma or your mainland hotel, and choose the Prosecco day, the full-day chauffeur or an hourly booking.
- Choose the vehicle class and add your stops and fixed times in the notes.
- Reserve and pay in US dollars, or use the web booker for a custom route. Confirmation comes by email.
Rides in Venice are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Every fare is on the Venice chauffeur service page. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. For flights and hotels, our travel partner is BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car only. Travelling on? The same desk books Florence, Milan and Lake Como.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Venice day trip with a private driver?
The eight-hour Prosecco hills day and the eight-hour full-day chauffeur both cost from US$665 in a business sedan, US$850 in a business SUV and US$1,325 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle. Hourly bookings start at US$90 an hour with a three-hour minimum. Tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Where does the driver pick us up in Venice?
At Piazzale Roma, the road terminus of the historic city, or at your hotel if it is on the mainland or the Lido. From a hotel in the centre, take a water taxi or vaporetto to Piazzale Roma; give us your hotel and we suggest a meeting time.
Can we visit the Prosecco wineries with a driver?
Yes. Book tastings directly with the estates, which usually take visits by appointment, and send us the times. The chauffeur drives between them and follows local rules in the vehicle, so everyone else can taste. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene consortium lists wineries that welcome visitors.
Do we need to book the Scrovegni Chapel in advance?
Yes. Visits are by booked slot, and the chapel's site says same-day bookings are not possible. Groups should be at the ticket office at least 45 minutes before the visit time, and the chapel closes to the public from 16 to 27 November for fresco inspections.
Can a driver take us to Murano and Burano?
No. Murano, Burano and Torcello are islands reached by water, not by road, so use the vaporetto or a water taxi for them. A car is for the mainland: the Prosecco hills, Padua, the Brenta villas, Vicenza, Verona and the hill towns of Asolo and Bassano.
Is Verona worth a day trip from Venice by car?
For two people visiting only Verona, the train is cheaper and easy. A car is worth it for a group, for a stop at Vicenza or Padua on the way, or for adding Lake Garda after the city. Verona is about 1 hour 23 minutes from Piazzale Roma on a clear road.
