Things to do in Verona
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Verona
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Late spring is best overall for most travellers, warm with gardens, Garda and e biking at their best.
Opera Festival season mid June to early September, hot and humid, sightseeing best before 11am and after 5pm.
Autumn is locals' favourite, harvest in Valpolicella and Soave, golden light and opera crowds gone.
Winter is quiet, romantic and cheapest, cold with fog possible and museums and churches almost empty.
January after Epiphany is the single cheapest, emptiest window.
What's on
- Vinitaly April
World's largest wine trade fair at Veronafiere, the city fills and hotel prices surge.
- Festa di San Zeno 21 May
Patron saint's feast around the basilica in San Zeno.
- Arena Opera Festival Mid June to early September
103rd festival with about 52 opera, concert and ballet evenings, Aida is the signature production.
- Estate Teatrale through summer
Shakespeare festival and Verona Jazz at the Roman Theatre through summer.
- Festa dell'Uva September to October
Harvest and grape festivals in Bardolino and Valpolicella towns, dates shift yearly.
- Christmas markets late November to 26/28 December
Christkindlmarkt style market in Piazza dei Signori plus the Christmas Star by the Arena in Piazza Bra.
- Verona in Love around Valentine's Day, about 5 days in February
Romeo and Juliet themed events around Valentine's Day.
- Bacanal del Gnoco February
Historic carnival with a Friday gnocchi parade ending in Piazza San Zeno, led by Papa del Gnoco.
Best things to do in Verona
Arena di Verona
Ancient Roman amphitheatre still hosting open air opera, with candles, huge sets and stone glowing after dark.
Castelvecchio Museum
The one museum to do in Verona, a Scaliger castle restored by Carlo Scarpa holding medieval and Renaissance art.
Ponte Scaligero
Crenellated bridge behind Castelvecchio giving one of Verona's best free river views at golden hour.
Castel San Pietro
The single best view in Verona, looking back over the Adige bend, Roman Theatre and terracotta centre at sunset.
Teatro Romano
First century theatre below Castel San Pietro, still used for summer Shakespeare and jazz and far less crowded.
Piazza delle Erbe
Verona's living room, the old Roman forum and still a market square under frescoed palazzi.
Torre dei Lamberti
Verona's tallest tower at 84 metres, with a rooftop panorama that orients the whole city.
Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore
Verona's masterpiece Romanesque church, famous for bronze doors, rose window and the Mantegna altarpiece.
Where to stay in Verona
Citta Antica / Centro Storico
first visit, couples, opera trips
Everything in the centre is a walk, evenings are magical, but prices are highest and driving in the ZTL is a liability.
Cittadella
practical base, station access with centre walk
Five to ten minutes to the Arena, flatter and easier with luggage, parking and the station, with better value four star comfort.
San Zeno
local, quiet, longer stay
Residential streets and local trattorias around the basilica, cheaper and calmer, 10 to 15 minutes on foot to the Arena.
Veronetta
budget, young, nightlife leaning
University quarter across Ponte Pietra with cheaper rooms, good cheap eating and bars, Giardino Giusti on your doorstep.
Borgo Trento
families and value with space
Leafy and residential with larger apartments and easier parking, the river path reaches the centre in about 15 minutes.
Valpolicella and Lake Garda agriturismi
different trip with a car, not a Verona base
Relais and agriturismi among vineyards offer pools and views, but every city sight becomes a drive and parking problem.
Think twice about
- Immediate Porta Nuova station blocks and roads south toward Borgo Roma and Verona Sud
Industrial, traffic heavy and charmless with late night station loitering. Fine to transit in daylight, a poor base when Cittadella exists.
- Porta Vescovo and far east Veronetta beyond the university streets
Isolated at night and poorly served on foot, singled out in local advice as a place locals would not choose for a late stroll.
- A4 motorway and Tangenziale motel strips
Stranded without a car based trip, chosen only by people passing through, with no walkable Verona.
- Inside the ZTL with a car
Hotels in the restricted traffic zone without a pre registered plate generate automatic fines for each entry.
Best restaurants in Verona
Il Desco
Verona's fine dining flagship in a 15th century palazzo, the anniversary and proposal dinner in the city.
Osteria La Fontanina
Starred, family run osteria in an antique filled room near Santo Stefano, personal and rooted in regional produce.
L'Evangelista Ristorante & Enoteca
Refined modern Italian cooking plus a serious enoteca list a few minutes from Castelvecchio.
Ristorante Maffei
Luxury meal with the famous square address in Palazzo Maffei on Piazza delle Erbe, best in the courtyard in summer.
Casa Perbellini
Destination starred table a short drive or train east, for those building a food trip around Verona.
Trattoria Al Pompiere
The classic Veronese trattoria off Erbe, famous for salumi, risotto al tastasal and bollito with peara.
Osteria Ponte Pietra
Romantic refined osteria by Ponte Pietra with a river terrace, the pick for a special but not starred dinner.
Osteria Sottoriva
Rustic, wine led osteria on the arcaded old street under the Adige embankment, a local favourite in Veronetta.
Best bars in Verona
Archivio
Small, serious cocktail bar near the Arena with house made ingredients, Verona's top ranked cocktail pick.
Terrazza Bar al Ponte
Terrace literally at Ponte Pietra with front row river and tower views, open from brunch to a late glass.
Best coffee in Verona
Amaza Caffe
Specialty coffee on Piazza Bra with rotating European roasters, filter and espresso tastings and plant based bakes.
Outdoor things to do in Verona
Valpolicella
Vineyard valley 20 minutes away producing Classico, Ripasso and Amarone, best tasted at estates where it is made.
Lake Garda
Italy's largest lake, best done as Sirmione early then a ferry to Lazise or Bardolino for a swim and lunch.
Adige Rafting Verona
Guided raft float through Verona itself, under its bridges and past its walls, suitable for children from about six.
Itinera Bike
E bike rides along the flat Adige path to Lake Garda at Peschiera, or loops through the Valpolicella hills.
Golf Club Verona
Shady 18 hole parkland course at the foot of the Custoza hills, the city golfer's pick near Verona.
Golf Club Paradiso del Garda
18 holes by Jim Fazio with water hazards and fast greens, the most resort convenient course for a Garda day.
Chervo Golf San Vigilio
Luxury step up with 27 holes plus a 9 hole executive course and a spa resort attached, 45 minutes from Verona.
Gardagolf Country Club
Championship golf on the Garda hills worth a dedicated day or a night at the resort.
Best hotels in Verona
Vista Verona
Modern luxury benchmark in a restored palazzo near Piazza Erbe, with rooftop views and a serious spa.
Due Torri Hotel
Verona's grand dame in a 14th century palazzo by Sant'Anastasia, with frescoes, antiques and a panoramic terrace.
NH Collection Palazzo Verona
Best reviewed large luxury option, built around visible Roman ruins with contemporary rooms on Porta Borsari.
Hotel Gabbia d'Oro
Intimate, antique filled hotel by Piazza Erbe, the romantic splurge in the centre.
Relais Fra' Lorenzo
Hilltop luxury above the centre with a garden and pool, resort calm a short taxi from the Arena.
Hotel Milano & SPA
Mid range pick by Piazza Bra for a first visit or opera night, with a rooftop terrace and small spa.
Hotel Accademia
Reliable four star in a historic building on Via Scala, near luxury location at a clear step down in price.
Hotel Indigo Verona - Grand Hotel Des Arts
Liberty style building on the Cittadella edge with a garden courtyard, calm and a ten minute Arena walk.
Is Verona expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €80 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €180 a person |
| Splurge | €400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Arena di Verona: months ahead
- Casa di Giulietta: a few days ahead
- Valpolicella: weeks ahead
- Adige Rafting Verona: a few days ahead
- Golf Club Verona: a few days ahead
- Golf Club Paradiso del Garda: a few days ahead
- Chervo Golf San Vigilio: a few days ahead
- Gardagolf Country Club: a few days ahead
- Arena opera tickets months ahead for good seats and weekend Aida, from the official Arena site only.
- Juliet's House timed entry if you insist on the museum, even Card holders need the slot.
- Il Desco, La Fontanina, Al Pompiere and Ponte Pietra for dinner, especially Thursday to Saturday and opera nights.
- Valpolicella estates are mostly appointment only, book ahead.
- Hotels for opera weekends, Vinitaly week and Christmas markets, when prices can double.
- Scrovegni Chapel weeks ahead, and Gardaland and Aquardens in school holidays.
Is Verona safe?
- Watch bags in Arena, market and station crowds, pickpocketing is the realistic crime.
- Ignore unofficial helpers and vending machine scams at Porta Nuova station.
- Tap water is drinkable, refill at fountains in summer heat.
- Emergency number 112.
Verona travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Juliet's House at midday, Verona's worst crowd crush.
- Piazza Bra photo menu restaurants with Arena view mark ups, walk two streets away to eat.
- Buying opera tickets from touts outside the Arena.
- Verona Card bought for a half day stroll, it only pays with three or more paid entries.
- Driving into the ZTL, cameras fine automatically and repeatedly.
- Cafe terraces on Piazza delle Erbe are for a view and an aperitivo, not a serious meal.
Getting around Verona: public transport and more
- Walk the flat, compact, largely pedestrianised centre.
- City buses cover San Zeno, Borgo Trento, the stadium and the station, and are included on the Verona Card.
- Aerobus runs from Verona Airport to Porta Nuova in about 15 minutes.
- Use official taxi ranks late after opera, ride hailing is limited.
- Park outside the centre and walk in, a car is a liability in the city.
Who Verona suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Verona your trip
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