VISIT MANTUA: useful information to visit the city

VISIT MANTUA: USEFUL INFORMATION TO VISIT THE CITY

Visit Mantua. After my journey to Mantua it’s time for me to explain how you can arrange your own cultural visit to Mantua, from a practical point of view.

How to move and visit Mantua in a few simple steps

How to move

Mantua is a small and pretty city.
You can reach everything on foot and you don’t need to walk for a long time to admire the most important places of interest.
But, if you want to have a different point of view on the city, you can use the bike sharing service and ride along the bicycle path that will take you from the historic centre to the area of the three lakes that surround Mantua.

If you don’t want to ride a bike, I suggest that you should visit Mantua from the water, as I did.
I joined in a guided tour by boat. It lasted 1 hour, and I assure you that it is the best way to really understand the richness of this land, where food, art and culture are tightly linked to the landscape.
There are several ways to visit Mantua and the Ufficio del Turismo di Mantova (Mantua IAT, Tourist information and reception) will give you good suggestions.

MantovaCard

The MantovaCard allows free admission to the main monuments and museums in the city for 72 hours (including those in the near city of Sabbioneta). Spending € 20 you can have free admission to 17 cultural sites, among which you can’t miss the Ducal Palace, the Te Palace, the Bibiena Theatre, The Palazzo della Ragione (the Palatium Novum of the Municipality) the Torre dell’orologio (the Clock tower) and the Museo del Tempo (the Museum of Time), and the Tazio Nuvolari Museum.
Pay attention!
If you want to admire the Camera degli Sposi (the Bridal Chamber) in the Ducal Palace, it will cost you € 5,50 more (and you have to book your visit. Call centre: +39 041 2411897).

The MantovaCard also includes the transport on public buses, which will take you to Sabbioneta, and the bike sharing service.
In addition, you can get discounts in other associated museums, shops, hotels and restaurants. You may find all the information you need on the website Mantova2016.

A qualified tour guide in Mantua

If you want to visit Mantua together with a qualified tour guide, you can contact Lorenzo Bonoldi. He guided me in the historic centre of the city and gave me all the information I needed.
In addition, he is a very welcoming and hospitable person. He will make you discover Mantua from a different point of view. You may contact him on the website VisitMantua.

Instead, if you like Apps, you may download the app Mantova that will make you discover the city through contents and useful services.

Useful information

How to reach Mantua: The nearest airport is Verona’s Valerio Catullo, only 40 km from Mantua.
By train, Mantua can easily be reached from Milan.

Where to sleep: I stayed at the Hotel ABC. It is not a spectacular hotel, but is clean and very convenient, because it is located in front of the railway station and near the historic centre of Mantua.
Practically, I exited the railway station; I crossed the road and entered the hotel. The rooms are basic, but there’s everything you need, including Wi-Fi, that always worked.