Updated 31 October 2026 with the Juliet's House booking rules that started in April, current Verona Card prices and the winter church hours.
Most things to do in Verona fit inside two days on foot, and a few of the famous ones are better skipped than queued for. This list sorts them into do, skip and only-if, so you spend your time and euros where Verona pays you back.
These are our picks for first-timers, built from official sources and the booking pages we could check, and we haven't claimed a visit or a tour we didn't take. If you only read one thing: Juliet's courtyard stopped being a free walk-in in April 2026, and most museums close on Mondays.
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Short on time? Don't miss these
- Arena di Verona, with a priority-access tour: the Roman amphitheatre is the one sight worth a booked slot.
- Juliet's balcony with museum and audio guide: only if you want the interior, and book a timed slot first.
- Torre dei Lamberti and Ponte Pietra at dusk: the best views of the old town for the money.
- A small-group food and wine walk: the easiest way to eat well on a first visit.
For the overview of the city, our Verona travel guide covers where Verona sits in a northern Italy trip. This page is the item-by-item list.
Things to Do in Verona: the City Centre
1. Walk Into the Arena di Verona
The Arena is a first-century Roman amphitheatre that still hosts opera, which is why it feels alive rather than ruined. Walk the Arena's stone tiers, then stand in the middle and look up at the ring of arches. It's the best-preserved big monument in Verona's centre, and it's worth going inside rather than admiring it from Piazza Bra.
Sources disagree on the ticket price, so budget around €10–12 and check the official ticketing site (museiverona.com) before you go.
Opening hours also shorten on show days, so don't plan a late visit on an opera evening. If you want the history without guessing at queues, a priority-access guided tour is the easy route. Our separate Verona Arena guide covers tickets and seating in detail.
Tip: Go first thing on a weekday, before the tour groups and well before any show-day closing.
2. Decide About Juliet's House Before You Queue
Juliet's House is the most famous thing in Verona and the most disappointing if you arrive unprepared. The balcony was added in the twentieth century to match Shakespeare's play, the "Juliet" story has no historical basis, and the courtyard is usually packed. People come anyway, and it's a fun piece of theatre if you go in with the right expectations.
What changed: since 1 April 2026 the courtyard and house are online-booking only, with timed slots.
You enter through the Teatro Nuovo on Piazzetta Navona, follow a one-way route and exit onto Via Cappello. Several outlets report two tickets, around €5 for the courtyard route and around €12 for the full route through the house, but the city's own notice doesn't list prices, so check at booking. Verona Card holders still have to reserve a slot.
Reported hours are Monday from 2 p.m. and Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with last entry at 6:30 p.m.
Our verdict: the €12 interior is only for people who want to stand on the balcony, which reports suggest needs the full ticket. Everyone else can take the courtyard ticket for a photo with the bronze statue, or skip it. This balcony experience with audio guide covers the entry, balcony and an audio guide in about an hour, at a time you choose.
3. Climb the Torre dei Lamberti
At 84 metres, the Lamberti Tower is the tallest viewpoint in the old town, and it looks straight down onto Piazza delle Erbe. There are 368 steps, or you can take the lift for part of the way. Tickets are €6 (€4.50 reduced), and reservations are recommended.
Weekday hours run roughly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with later opening and closing on weekends, and last entry is 20 minutes before closing. Go in the late afternoon, when the roofs turn orange, and bring a layer because it's windy at the top. If you're wondering whether it beats Castel San Pietro, in Verona it's a different view: this one is straight down into the market square, the other looks across the whole city.
Cost: €6 (€4.50 reduced); free with the Verona Card.
4. Cross Ponte Scaligero and Visit Castelvecchio
In Verona, Castelvecchio is a fortress turned museum, redesigned by the architect Carlo Scarpa, and it's the one museum in Verona we'd call a must for anyone who likes buildings. The route through the rooms is the attraction as much as the paintings. The bridge beside it, Ponte Scaligero, is free to walk across at any time, and it's best at sunset.
Reported admission is about €9, with reduced rates for younger visitors, and it is free with the Verona Card.
It's closed on Mondays, open Tuesday to Sunday roughly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last entry shortly before closing. Check the day before: this is the item that most often catches Monday visitors out.
5. Watch the Sunset From Castel San Pietro
This is the classic postcard view: the red roofs, the river bend and the towers, from the hill above the Roman Theatre.
Take the funicular from Via Fontanelle Santo Stefano, or walk up the steps from Ponte Pietra in about ten minutes. The funicular runs all year, roughly 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter, so in winter you'll need to be up before dusk.
Go about an hour before sunset and bring a drink from town. In our view this is the best free thing in Verona, and the climb is the cheapest way to see the city from above. If you'd rather cover more ground, this e-bike tour of the centre and the panoramic viewpoints fits the hill in.
6. Stroll Across Ponte Pietra at Dusk
Ponte Pietra is Verona's oldest bridge, a Roman crossing over the Adige that was rebuilt after the Second World War. It's pedestrian-only, free and open at all hours, and in the evening it's calm in a way the main squares aren't. Walk over, look back at the old town, then climb to Castel San Pietro if the light is still good.
This is also our favourite area to sleep in. A B&B steps from Ponte Pietra keeps you on the quiet side of the river.
7. Cross Piazza delle Erbe (Eat Elsewhere)
Piazza delle Erbe was the Roman forum and is still the market square, lined with frescoed palaces and stalls. Walk through it, look up at the facades and the winged lion column, and keep going. It's pedestrianised, so there's no entrance fee and no timing to worry about.
Our honest verdict: it's the most photographed square in town and the worst place to eat in it. Menus here carry a view premium, and the better meals are a few streets away. Cross the square, then turn into the side lanes for lunch.
8. Find Dante in Piazza dei Signori
Just through the arch from Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori is quieter and more formal, with a statue of Dante, who lived in Verona in exile. It takes ten minutes, and it's a good place to sit down for a coffee away from the crowds. It's also where part of the Christmas market spills over in December.
9. Look at the Scaliger Tombs
The Scaliger Tombs are the Gothic tombs of the Della Scala family, the rulers who ran medieval Verona, set behind an iron fence beside Santa Maria Antica. You can see the most elaborate monuments from the street for free, which is how we'd do it. We couldn't confirm an entry price or opening hours for going inside, so treat the interior as an extra to check on the day.
Tip: Is the Verona Card Worth It?
The Verona Card costs €27 for 24 hours or €32 for 48 hours, counted from first use.
We found no 72-hour version. It covers the Arena, Juliet's House, the museums, the Chiese Vive churches and Torre dei Lamberti, and it includes the city buses. You still have to book a Juliet's slot even with the card.
Our maths, which is ours rather than the official line: if you do the Arena, Juliet's interior, Lamberti and Castelvecchio in one day, the entries already add up to more than €27. If you skip the Arena or the Juliet's interior, the card is marginal. It's also the practical fix for Mondays, when you can't plan around closed museums.
More Things to Do in Verona: History, Churches and Gardens
10. Step Into the Roman Theatre
The Roman Theatre sits on the hillside across the river, with the Archaeological Museum in the old convent above it. It's smaller and quieter than the Arena, and the setting is lovely. We found only one unofficial source for the entry price, a few euros, so check on the day, including whether Monday opening has changed.
11. Skip Juliet's Tomb Unless You Like Frescoes
Juliet's Tomb is a medieval crypt that has been given a Shakespeare label, and it sits inside a museum of frescoes.
The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. Unless you're a fresco fan or you're in the neighbourhood of San Francesco al Corso, it's the easiest item on this list to drop.
12. Visit San Zeno, the Best of Verona's Churches
San Zeno is a Romanesque basilica with a famous bronze door and a quiet cloister, a short walk from the centre.
It's the one church we'd put at the top of the list, ahead of the Duomo. Winter hours from 1 November 2026 run roughly 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with Sunday opening only in the afternoon, so don't plan a Sunday-morning visit.
13. Use the Four-Church Pass Wisely
Verona's Chiese Vive scheme covers San Zeno, the Duomo complex, Sant'Anastasia and San Fermo.
A single church is €4, and the pass for all four is €8 and valid for 90 days, one entry each. It's free with the Verona Card. San Fermo has steep stairs, and none of the churches needs a booking.
If you'll see two or more churches, buy the pass at the first one. If you'll see just San Zeno, pay the €4. Sunday morning is the time to avoid: the churches open in the afternoon.
14. Wander Giardino Giusti
Giardino Giusti is a Renaissance garden with cypresses, a mask-faced grotto and a lookout above the city.
It's open all year except 25 December, roughly 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter. We couldn't confirm the current admission price, and the garden's own English page mentions restoration work, so check the garden's website before you go and make sure the whole garden is open.
15. Pass Porta Borsari and the Arco dei Gavi
Porta Borsari is a Roman city gate on the street that still follows its ancient line, and the Arco dei Gavi is a Roman arch beside Castelvecchio. Both are outdoors and free, so they're a ten-minute detour rather than a stop. They're a nice way to see how old the street plan really is.
Evenings, Food and Day Trips from Verona
16. Take In an Opera Night at the Arena
Summer opera at the Arena is the reason many people come to Verona. The 2027 season, the 104th, runs from 11 June to 11 September 2027, and tickets are already on sale. The programme includes La Traviata, Nabucco, Carmen, Aida, a Roberto Bolle gala and a Jonas Kaufmann evening.
We couldn't read the seating categories or prices, so look at the Fondazione Arena site for those. If you'd rather book through a reseller, this opera ticket is the one we verified. Bring a cushion for the stone steps, and a layer, because it gets cooler after the sun goes down.
17. Try Local Food (Horse Optional)
Verona's cooking is Veneto cooking with a meaty streak.
Pastissada de caval is horse meat stewed in wine, vegetables and herbs, and served with polenta. Bollito con pearà is boiled meats with a peppery bread-and-broth sauce. Neither is for everyone, and nobody will think less of you for ordering pasta.
For a wine stop, Antica Bottega del Vino, in a lane near Piazza Bra, is a famous wine bar and restaurant. Its listing shows lunch and dinner service every day, but check hours before you go. To eat without choosing, a small-group food and wine walk covers tastings across the old town, and a full-meal walking tour is the heavier option.
18. Take a Cooking or Gelato Class
If you want a hands-on evening, this pasta, tiramisu and Italian dishes class is a well-reviewed option, and a family-friendly gelato-making class works well with kids. Both are rainy-day winners, and both are optional.
19. Do the Valpolicella Wine Day Trip
Valpolicella is the wine country just north-west of the city, and the home of Amarone. A half-day Amarone tasting tour with transport solves the driving problem, since you'll be tasting. We haven't verified individual wineries, so use the tour for that.
20. Day-Trip to Sirmione and Lake Garda
Lake Garda is close enough for a day trip. This Sirmione and Lake Garda day tour with a cruise leaves from Verona, and the town of Sirmione on its peninsula is the draw. If you'd rather base yourself on the lake, read our Lake Garda travel guide and our Sirmione guide, and compare it with Lake Garda vs Lake Como.
21. Visit the Christmas Market (Late November to December)
Verona's Christmas market is expected to run from 20 November to 28 December 2026, mainly in Piazza Bra, with stalls spreading into nearby squares including Piazza dei Signori. We found those dates on a single third-party source and no official 2026 page yet, so confirm the dates before you book a trip around it.
Planning Your Things to Do in Verona
How Many Days in Verona?
Two days in Verona is the sweet spot.
One day covers the Arena, Juliet's House, Lamberti and the squares if you move fast, and a second day adds Castelvecchio, a church or two, the hill and a meal that isn't rushed. Day trips to Garda or Valpolicella need a third day. If you only have a day, see the Arena, Castelvecchio and the view from Castel San Pietro.
What to Do in Verona When It Rains
Plan around Castelvecchio, the churches and the Archaeological Museum, then add the Palazzo Maffei ticket for art in the centre. A cooking class fills the rest of the afternoon. A guided city highlights walk also works in light rain.
Getting Around Verona
Verona's old centre is flat and walkable.
Trains reach Verona Porta Nuova from Milan in roughly an hour and a quarter, from Bologna in around 50 minutes to an hour, from Florence in about an hour and a half and from Venice in roughly an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the train. Compare train times and tickets here, and see our Milan to Verona guide. From the airport, the ATV Verona Air Link runs to Porta Nuova in about 15 minutes for roughly €6–7, or you can book a private pickup.
If you're driving, don't take the car into the centre: the historic centre is a restricted traffic zone with no free entry windows, and a missed gate costs €98.50. Hotel guests can drive in only if the hotel registers the plate, which short-term rentals can't do.
Rental desks at Porta Nuova and the airport sit outside the zone. If you need wheels for the lake or wineries, compare car hire here.
Best Time to Visit Verona
Late spring and early autumn in Verona give you open-air dining and fewer queues.
Summer means the opera season, and the heat that comes with it. In winter the funicular and gardens close earlier, but the Christmas market makes up for it. Check the Monday closures whatever the month.
Where to Stay in Verona
For a first visit, stay inside or just outside the old town.
Near Piazza Bra, City Centre Rooms and Apartments puts the Arena on your doorstep, and Hotel Mastino is a short walk from the station. Across the river in Veronetta, Residenza Vecchia Veronetta is quieter, and Novo Hotel Rossi sits on the hill side. A budget room on Stradone Maffei is a cheaper option in the centre.
We haven't stayed at any of them. They are bookable properties we confirmed are in Verona. For more options, see our best hotels in Verona.
Verona charges a tourist tax per person per night: €1.50 for a one-star stay up to €5 for five stars, with €3.50 for three stars or an unclassified rental and €4.50 for four stars, capped at four nights per person. These are the rates in force since July 2024, which the city confirmed still apply in 2026. You pay it at your accommodation.
Plan Your Verona Trip
- Hotels, tours and tickets: pick from the stays and bookable tours above.
- Trains, airport pickup and car hire: see Getting Around Verona above.
- Mobile data: Yesim eSIM.
- Travel insurance: Visitors Coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Is Verona worth visiting?
Yes. Verona packs a Roman amphitheatre, medieval squares, a castle museum and river views into a walkable centre, and it works as a two-day stop between Milan and Venice or as a base for Lake Garda and the Valpolicella wine country.
Is Juliet's balcony in Verona fake?
In the historical sense, yes. The Juliet story is fiction, and the balcony was added in the twentieth century to match Shakespeare's play. It is still one of the city's most visited places. Since 1 April 2026 the courtyard and house need an online booking with a timed slot.
Is 2 days enough in Verona?
Yes. Two days covers the Arena, Juliet's House, Torre dei Lamberti, Castelvecchio, the main squares, a church or two and the view from Castel San Pietro without rushing. Add a third day for Lake Garda or the Valpolicella wine area.
What should you not miss in Verona?
The Arena di Verona, the view from Castel San Pietro, Castelvecchio with Ponte Scaligero, and a walk across Ponte Pietra at dusk. Juliet's House is optional, and the interior is the easiest paid item to skip.
Is it better to stay in Verona or Lake Garda?
Stay in Verona for sights, restaurants and train links. Stay on Lake Garda if you want lake views, boats and beaches, and visit Verona as a day trip. Lake Garda needs a car or a lot of bus and ferry planning, while Verona is easy without one.
What is there to do in Verona on a rainy day?
Castelvecchio, the churches covered by the four-church pass and the Archaeological Museum are all indoors, and a cooking class or the Palazzo Maffei fill the rest of the day. Remember that most museums close on Mondays.
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