GOLFING HOLIDAYS IN VENICE, PADOVA & VENETO
Our complete guide to Venetian golfbreaks.
Golf holidays in Venice
Not your normal golf destination by a fair way but then again, that's what we do best! The Veneto region of Italy has a lot to offer both tourists and golfers alike with a raft of excellent Golf Clubs spread fairly widely across the Veneto region of northeastern Italy from the foothills of the Dolomites in the North down to the shores of the Adriatic in the South. To get an idea of the geography take a look at our Veneto Golf Map
The big tourist attraction is of course the timeless floating city of Venice that is truly remarkable. Venice draws huge crowds all year round to the tiny, car-free speck of land bobbing in the Lido - July and August are best avoided. Crammed with gobsmacking architecture it is more of a floating museum, although people do live amongst the historic canals. It is a place that has to be seen to be believed but with its accessibility limited to aquatic transport only it is not best suited to holidaying golfers.
Our advice therefore, is to base yourself on the mainland (Treviso or Padova would be our choice) and visit Venice by train and boat for the days that you wish to spend there (one full day is the absolute minimum!). Then, when it comes to golfing, you can jump in your car with your clubs and get to the course easily, without having to worry about sailing to shore first. Another solution is to stay over on the Lido di Venezia (with your car) from where you will have access to Venice via a ten-minute vaporetto and can get down to Venezia Golf Club in ten minutes or take the car-ferry back to the mainland. A truly exceptional golfing holiday.
Golf Courses - Venice & Veneto
Where to start? Maybe with Venice's best-kept secret: Venezia Golf Club. Unbelievably, in an Adriatic lagoon where dry land is so scarce, a few acres on the southern tip of the Lido di Venezia has been consecrated to golf. It is a wonderful little Club with a full-size course in thickly wooded land that will keep you entertained for many a round. As it's only ten-minutes from the Lido to St. Mark's it is perfectly feasible to stay on the Lido alternating sightseeing with golf and not play any of the other Veneto courses.
On the mainland there are a number of good courses to choose from, all of which lie on level terrain. Padova is one of the original Veneto Golf Clubs and rather exclusive too. It sits in a broad bowl of mature trees that were planted when the course was created back in the 60s so they are now fully grown adding a feeling of maturity to Padova's 27 holes. More modern courses have sprung-up over the intervening years: Arnold Palmer's Ca della Nave is a hidden gem, Montecchia with its 18 and 9 hole courses is possibly the most active in the region with an enthusiastic membership, Frassenelle is a rustic little Club tucked away amongst woods and peaceful farmland, Villa Condulmer has a stately hotel and the most contrasting front and back nines we have ever seen!
On the arms of the pincer that grips Venice are two more golf courses : Lido di Jesolo on the northern arm - a modern layout with plenty of water and Albarella on the southern arm which has the feel of a nature reserve with wildlife roaming the course (and no we don't just mean the greenkeepers!).
Heading north towards the distant hills you will find Asolo and Asiago. Beautiful places to play in isolation up in the clear mountain air, Asiago in particular is very remote. Either of these make lovely golfing retreats, Asolo possibly the most convenient with main roads nearby and its own hotel on-site.
Hotels - where to stay
To get the best from a golfbreak to Venice we believe ther are three places to stay depending on what balance you wish to strike between golf and sightseeing. For a 50/50 split, Treviso is the ideal spot. It is on the mainland, close to the best golf courses and has a direct train that takes about half-an-hour to the centre of Venice. Treviso hotels are all fairly simple affairs, not really luxurious palazzos, more functional clean, comfortable and well located. The town on the other hand has plenty to offer. A typical northern Italian town with galleried pavements, arcaded cafes, cosy Osterias (and Birrerias for the students) which you are sure to enjoy. What Treviso hotels lack in charm ihey make-up for in convenience.
If your leaning is more towards culture, then the Lido di Venezia is the place to stay. Here you can stay overlooking the waters and dine with a backdrop of Venice away across the lagoon. The northern end of the Lido di Venezia has quite a lively town, San Nicolo, with a goodly supply of trattorias: as you head south down the peninsula it grows progressively quieter although there are some charming little villages in which to stay.
For an out-and-out golf holiday (with maybe a day-trip to Venice) then head for Padova. Here, in the busy yet attractive city, you will be close to the pick of the Veneto golf courses and surrounded by real life Italians as well as myriad opportunities for retail therapy and foodism.
A little further from Venice is Abano Terme, a spa town built around natural hot-springs that offers a fourth style of holiday: golf and spa breaks. Abano is by no means a wild party town, so expect a genteel holiday - but there area few bars and cafés that stay open late if the mood takes you.
Veneto & Venice - what to see and do
The big tourist attraction of the Veneto region is of course Venice. If you've never been you simply must. The whole concept of this enchanting city built on millions of ancient oaken pilings driven into the Adriatic mud is pure fantasy, there really is nowhere else like it in the world. Reams have been written about the headline attractions (St. Marks, Palazzo Ducale, Bridge of Sighs, Murano et al) so we won't try to add to these expert views. We would however, suggest taking a little time to break away from the well-paddled canals and investigate the quieter Jewish Quarter in the north of the island which has a quite different feel and plenty of relaxed canal-side caffeterias.
Aside from Venice, Veneto has quiet hills to the north, nature reserves, thermal springs in the Eugean Hills, vineyards a-plenty - Soave, Valpolicella, Prosecco, Bardolino and Amarone all emanate from northeastern Italy. There are plenty of impressive vineyards to visit and stately wineries particularly around Padova.
For sea and beach lovers there are even sandy beaches to enjoy, particularly on the Lido di Jesolo (the northen arm of the lagoon) where there is a good golf course, plenty of holiday accommodation and easy access to the island too.
Inland Verona and Padova are lovely cities in their own right, filled with magnificent italianate architecture, cathedrals and museums, but always in the shadow of Veneto's big star Venice!
Getting to Veneto & Venice
The Veneto region of Italy is very easy to get to with a surprisingly good supply of flights into Venice and Verona airports with British Airways, EasyJet and many others. From Venice airport to Treviso will only take an hour and about twice that from Verona. If you decide to stay in Abano Terme (or Padova) driving times will be slightly longer, but nothing too taxing.
Once you are on the ground we shall arrange a hire-car for your golf tour or if you prefer to be chauggeured around we have an excellent local coach company that will bring you to your hotel and thence out to your golf courses each day.
