Verona Travel Guide: Arena, Old Town and Day Trips
Verona is small enough to cross on foot in an afternoon and rich enough to fill three days. This page shows how to split your time, what needs a booking and where to sleep.
Verona at a glance
Verona sits in a tight bend of the Adige, and nearly everything a first visit needs lies inside it: the Roman Arena on Piazza Bra, the market square of Piazza delle Erbe, Castelvecchio and the stone arches of Ponte Pietra. Distances are short, so good shoes matter more than any pass. The crowds follow the calendar: the Arena opera season fills the city from June to August, and in the other months the old streets belong more to the locals.
How many days
- One day: the Arena, Piazza delle Erbe and the Torre dei Lamberti, then Castelvecchio and Ponte Pietra at sunset.
- Two days: add Juliet's House at opening time, the Roman Theatre and Giardino Giusti on the far bank.
- Three days: give one of them to Lake Garda, Mantua or Vicenza.
A three-day plan
Day 1: Arena and squares
Reach the Arena soon after it opens at 9 am, while the tour groups are still at breakfast. From Piazza Bra walk into the old town to Piazza delle Erbe, then climb the Torre dei Lamberti for the roofs and the river bend. Save dinner for the evening, when the day-trippers have gone and the squares feel local again.
Day 2: river and far bank
Take the first slot at Juliet's House, then cross town to Castelvecchio when it opens at 10 am. From the fortress follow the Adige to Ponte Pietra and finish on the far bank at the Roman Theatre and Giardino Giusti, whose belvedere looks back over the city.
Day 3: out of town
Sirmione is a bus ride of about an hour, while Mantua and Vicenza are plain train rides. Leave after breakfast and be back in the old town for the evening light; every option, with journey times, is on the day trips page.
If it rains
Rain changes the order of your day, not the plan. Several of the main sights are indoors, and the old town is small enough to move between them without a bus.
- Morning: Castelvecchio opens at 10 am, and its halls take 1 h 30 min to 2 h.
- Afternoon: Juliet's House sells online slots only, so a grey day is a fair moment to take one.
- Evening: San Zeno keeps shorter hours in winter, so go in the afternoon and check the church hours first.
- Any time: the Torre dei Lamberti is worth its 84 metres only in a clear spell, because low cloud leaves you a grey view.
Where to stay
- Around Piazza Bra
- You wake up beside the Arena with the old town at your door. On opera nights the square stays busy late, so ask for a room that does not face it.
- Near Porta Nuova station
- The practical choice for a late train or an early flight: the airport shuttle ends here, and regional trains to Mantua leave from this station. The centre is a short walk or bus ride away.
- Veronetta, across the Adige
- The quieter bank, close to the Roman Theatre and Giardino Giusti. In return you cross Ponte Pietra every time you head for the main squares.