Yes, Verona is worth visiting, and it works best as an overnight stop rather than a quick lunch between trains. Give it a full day and one night and you can see the arena, the squares, the river and the hill terrace, then catch the evening stroll that day trippers miss.
Verona is the stop people add because it is on the way, and they remember it more fondly than half the places they planned. It has a Roman amphitheatre in the main square that has been in use for two thousand years and still is, a compact centre of pink marble streets you can cross in twenty minutes, a river looping around it, food from a region that takes it seriously, and a fraction of the visitors that Venice absorbs an hour down the line. It also has a balcony that has nothing to do with anybody in a play, which is its own kind of fun.
How long should you give Verona?
Day trip, one night or two
The town is small enough that the answer depends on what you want from the evening rather than on the sights.
| Your plan | What fits | What you miss |
|---|---|---|
| Day trip from Venice or Lake Garda | The arena, the two main squares, the balcony courtyard, a walk over the river | The evening passeggiata, the hill terrace at sunset, any opera |
| One night | All of the above, plus the terrace at dusk and a proper dinner away from the main square | Little, if you start early |
| Two nights | An opera night on the steps, a slower second day, the Roman theatre and castle, or a day out to the southern lake or the wine hills | Nothing important |
Who should choose what
If you are moving fast between Venice and the lakes, one night is the best trade, because Verona sits on the line between them and the evening is the part that changes how the town feels. If you are travelling by public transport and want a base with good rail links, two nights lets you use it as a hub. If you only have a day, start at the arena early and save the terrace for the end, when the light is best.
The arena
A first-century Roman amphitheatre
It is smaller than the Colosseum and in considerably better condition, standing in the middle of the main square rather than in a ruin field. It is still working. The summer opera festival stages enormous productions inside it, with audiences on the original stone steps, which is the reason the building has been maintained for two millennia rather than quarried.
Going inside
You can go inside on non-performance days. Access is sometimes limited while staging is built or dismantled, so check the official site if the interior is the point of your visit. Climb to the top tier if the steps allow, because the view back over the square and the roofs is part of the point.
Opera nights: choosing a seat
Opera tickets run from cheap unreserved places on the stone terraces to expensive seats near the stage. Book through the official festival site once your dates are set, since popular nights sell out. Categories and prices change by season, so confirm them there.
| Seat type | Good for | The downside |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved stone steps | Budget, atmosphere, the feel of the original arena | Hard stone, a distant stage, and arriving early to pick a spot |
| Numbered stone seats | A guaranteed place without paying for the stage | Still stone, still a long evening |
| Seats near the stage | Comfort and the best view of the production | The highest price, and the least ancient-theatre feel |
Bring a cushion for the stone if you are on the steps, and something warm, because a summer night is long. If an opera night is the reason for your trip, book accommodation as soon as you book the ticket, as the town is busy on popular dates.
The centre, square by square
Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza Bra, the big open square the arena stands on, is where the town gathers and eats outdoors. Piazza delle Erbe, the old market square, is the prettier one: frescoed facades, a fountain, stalls and cafes. Walk from one to the other along the main pedestrian street and you have crossed the heart of town.
Piazza dei Signori and the Scaliger tombs
Piazza dei Signori, through an arch behind Piazza delle Erbe, is quieter and more architectural. The Scaliger tombs, elaborate gothic monuments to the family that ran the city, sit just off it and cost nothing to look at through the railings.
The far bank
The Roman theatre and the castle on the far bank are the second tier of sights, and both are worth an hour. Crossing the river also gets you away from the busiest streets.
The balcony, honestly
The courtyard with the balcony attributed to Juliet is free to enter, permanently crowded, covered in graffiti and love notes, and takes about five minutes.
The balcony was added in the twentieth century to a medieval house, which is worth knowing before you queue for a photograph.
The house itself is a separate small ticket and is a decent enough restored interior. Pay for it only if you like to see inside things; the courtyard is the part most people come for.
Nobody should plan around it and almost nobody manages to walk past. Go early if you want the courtyard without a scrum, treat it as a piece of tourism history rather than literary history, and move on to the squares.
Eating and drinking
The wine
This is a wine region and the reds from the hills around the city are among the best known in Italy, from the light everyday style to the big dried-grape wines such as Amarone. Valpolicella, Bardolino and the white Soave all come from the surrounding countryside, so a glass of the house wine is usually a local one.
What to order
A bar with cicchetti-style snacks at aperitivo hour is the local habit, and it is cheap. Horse and donkey feature in traditional Veronese cooking, which surprises visitors and is worth knowing before you order at random. Pastissada de caval is the horse stew, and bollito, boiled meats served with a peppery sauce called pearà, is another regional classic. Risotto cooked with Amarone is the safer choice if you want something local without the surprise.
Where to sit
The market square restaurants are convenient and priced for the view; two streets back is better. Look for short menus, handwritten specials and tables of locals rather than laminated photographs.
How it fits a northern Italy trip
Verona sits on the main east to west rail line, which is what makes it so easy to add.
From Venice it is a short train, and the two make an obvious pair. Our first-time guide to Venice covers the city an hour east.
From Lake Garda it is very close, and Verona works well as a base for the southern end of the lake. Our guide to Lake Garda covers the towns and the ferries. Verona has better rail links, cheaper accommodation and more to do in the evening than most lakeside towns, so going out to the lake for the day often works better than the reverse.
By rail generally, the north is the easiest part of Italy to travel without a car, and our guide to trains in Italy covers ticket types, the fast network and the regional lines that reach the smaller towns.
Common mistakes in Verona
Treating it as a two-hour stop. The arena and the balcony can be ticked off quickly, but the town only reveals itself in the evening.
Eating on the first square you reach. Prices on Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Bra reflect the setting. Walk two streets away and the food improves.
Assuming the arena is always open inside. Staging for the opera season can limit access, so check before you go.
Booking an opera night without a plan for the stone. Cushion, a warm layer and a long evening are part of the deal on the cheaper seats.
Staying on the flat side of the river. The terrace and the Roman theatre are the best things most visitors never reach.
The short version
Give Verona a full day and preferably a night, because the evening in the squares is the best part and the day visitors miss it. Go inside the arena if it is not being staged, and book the official site early if you want an opera night on the stone steps. Walk up to the terrace above the river before sunset for the view nobody queues for. Give the balcony five minutes and no expectations. Eat two streets back from the market square, drink the local red, and use the town as a base for the southern lake rather than the other way round.
North east of here the hills are terraced with vines and carry the oldest signposted wine road in the country. Our guide to the Prosecco hills covers the route, the cellars and how to drive it.
