Find a pharmacy in Padova
Padova's pharmacy network reflects a compact university city of roughly 210,000 residents that also serves a wider provincial catchment of nearly a million people drawn to the Azienda Ospedaliera, one of northern Italy's largest teaching hospitals. PillsCard lists 43 verified pharmacies across the comune, weighted toward the historic centre around Prato della Valle and Piazza dei Signori, the dense residential ring of Arcella and Stanga, and the medical corridor near Via Giustiniani where the university polyclinic sits. The student population — over 60,000 enrolled at the Università degli Studi di Padova — sustains steady demand for contraception, dermatology, and travel-medicine counters, while an established Eastern European and North African expat community shapes multilingual service in the northern quartieri. Sunday and night cover is unusually well organised compared with smaller Veneto towns.
The market is fragmented in the Italian tradition, with independents still dominant alongside selective chain expansion. Farmacia Santa Giustina anchors the southern centro storico beside the basilica, while Farmacia Cappellini and Farmacia Moderna Bartoli serve the dense streets between the station and the Cappella degli Scrovegni. Farmacia alla Stanga has long handled the commuter flow on the eastern ring road, and the municipal Farmacia Comunale Santa Rita represents the small Padova AsSP-managed network providing regulated pricing in outlying neighbourhoods. Specialist herbal and galenic compounding is concentrated at Scientia Naturæ, while Lafarmacia. and Farmacia Benessere illustrate the cautious entry of national banners. Hospital-adjacent dispensaries such as Farmacia Genta and Farmacia Giuliani lean toward oncology support and chronic-disease repeat prescriptions tied to the Azienda Ospedale-Università.
Pricing & coverage
Over-the-counter analgesics such as ibuprofen 400 mg typically run €4–€7 for a 24-tablet pack, while a basic flu-symptom bundle sits around €12–€18. A privately purchased course of amoxicillin without SSN reimbursement is roughly €8–€14, and lipid-lowering statins outside the prontuario can reach €20–€35 monthly. Prescriptions issued by an SSN general practitioner and dispensed against a ricetta elettronica usually require only the regional ticket (€1–€4 per package in Veneto, with exemptions for chronic conditions and low-income brackets). Reimbursement classes (A, C, H) are set nationally by AIFA; Class A drugs are largely free at the counter for residents enrolled with a Veneto ULSS.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Padova operates a turno notturno e festivo rota coordinated by Federfarma Padova: at any hour, several designated pharmacies stay open across the city, with the list posted on every pharmacy door and on the Comune di Padova website. The reference hospital for after-hours dispensing of urgent therapies is the Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova on Via Giustiniani, which also houses the 24-hour pronto soccorso. For genuine medical emergencies — chest pain, severe trauma, anaphylaxis — call 118 directly, or the pan-European 112, which routes to the Veneto regional dispatch. Guardia Medica covers non-urgent night calls between 20:00 and 08:00.
Frequently asked questions
Are pharmacies in Padova open on Sundays?
Yes, but on rotation. The Ordine dei Farmacisti della Provincia di Padova publishes a monthly schedule assigning Sunday and public-holiday shifts to roughly six to ten pharmacies spread across the comune. Centro storico locations such as those near Prato della Valle frequently appear in tourist-season rotations. Outside scheduled hours, the green cross sign will be illuminated at the duty pharmacy nearest you, and 24-hour outlets near the railway station provide a permanent fallback.
Can tourists buy prescription medication without an Italian doctor?
Generally no for Class A and Class H drugs, which require a valid prescription. EU citizens may present a cross-border prescription issued in any member state and have it honoured under the 2011/24/EU framework. Non-EU visitors typically need to consult a private GP or the pronto soccorso for an Italian-issued ricetta. Many over-the-counter products — antihistamines, basic analgesics, rehydration salts — are sold freely after a brief pharmacist consultation.
Do Padova pharmacies handle vaccinations?
Since 2021, Italian pharmacies have been authorised to administer adult flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, and Veneto was an early adopter. Many Padova pharmacies participate, particularly larger ones in Arcella and along the hospital axis. Travel vaccinations beyond this scope are handled by the ULSS 6 Euganea vaccination service, not at the pharmacy counter.
Is English spoken at the counter?
In central Padova and near the university, basic to fluent English is common, reflecting the international student body and Erasmus traffic. Suburban pharmacies in Mortise or Camin may operate primarily in Italian, though pharmacists are trained to use generic INN drug names, which transfer across languages.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. For individual clinical decisions, dosing questions, or interactions with existing therapy, consult a licensed pharmacist or your SSN general practitioner in person.