Verona Travel Guide: Ideal 3-Day Itinerary

Day 1

You're likely arriving from Porta Nuova train station or Verona's airport. From the airport, you'll want to take a bus to your hotel but from the train station, you can either walk or take a bus. The train station is a little on the outskirts of town but each time I've visited, I've walked...albeit with just a small backpack each time.

You can use Google Maps to plan either your walk or which bus to take.

There are also taxis waiting at the train station but unless you have a lot of luggage, the bus should be easy to navigate. Just be sure to purchase a ticket from the kiosks at the bus station before hopping on your route.

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Check-In to Your Hotel

Now that you're in town, go ahead and check into your hotel. Or, at the very least, drop your bags so you can start exploring without them weighing you down.

If your hotel or rental doesn't allow you to drop your bags, use Radical Storage to find drop off points around the city.

Don't yet have a hotel? Based on experience and your budget, I recommend a stay at any of these options:

• Carrera Home: This apartment is perfectly located next to Castelvecchio Museum and Piazza Bra. It's pet-friendly and large enough for 5 guests.
• Verona House Aparthotel: This hotel is situated near Carrera Home, giving you a great view but small space. It's perfect for those that prefer a hotel than an apartment rental.
• Casa Archi: Another pet-friendly apartment, this one is seriously unique. It's hard to beat the river views and staying in San Zeno is a nice alternative to being in the middle of the city center.

I've personally stayed in each of these 3 hotels/apartments and feel confident recommending them.

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Ease into the City

Verona is a small, charmingcity best seen on foot. Transportation doesn't really exist within old town since most of the main streets are pedestrian-only. While you can get nearby by bus or private car, you'll want to rely on your own two feet to show you the city.

Because of this, it can actually take a lot of time to get to know Verona, especially if you're interested in more than just the famous sights.

So for today, I recommend you ease into the city and simply explore the area right around where you're staying or one of the outlying neighborhoods. For tomorrow I've built you a walking tour of the historic center.

To get acquainted with the city without overdoing it right when you arrive, I recommend you visit:

San Zeno

This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Verona. It's accessible by walking along the Adige River from the city center or by bus. If you can make the walk, I highly recommend it for the river views.

San Zeno has a lot of charm as well but on a much smaller scale than the direct center of Verona has. There's a small piazza, colorful buildings, and great restaurants to choose from. It's also home to a really large park, ideal if you travel with your pets like we often do.

One of the main attractions in San Zeno is the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore. It's said to be one of the most beautiful examples of romanesque architecture in all of Italy, so if you're a big fan of churches, architecture, history, or all three, it's worth a visit.

Borgo Trento

Another neighborhood to visit in Verona is Borgo Trento. This one is just on the other side of Adige River from both San Zeno and Verona's historical center.

This neighborhood is much more residential but has some cool hidden gems to discover.

I suggest you either walk from San Zeno and take the scenic route across the Ponte Risorgimento or head directly to the heart of the neighborhood from the Ponte della Vittoria.

The best street to explore in Borgo Trento is right off that bridge, Via IV Novembre. Here you'll find brunch spots, cool coffee shops turned bars, and a few very delicious restaurants. The weekends are buzzing over here if you'd rather mingle with locals than other tourists.

An alternative is for you to save these neighborhoods for day 2 or 3 and jump right into the walking tour I have planned for tomorrow.

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Enjoy a Great Meal

Now that you've worked up an appetite, it's time to dive into a great dinner. In general across Italy, restaurants don't open up for dinner until around 7 p.m. Even if Maps show they're open, it's common that just the bar is open.

I've eaten a lot of fab restaurants in Verona and don't think you need to go to just one for a great meal. Instead, I recommend you look for somewhere serving a few Verona classics.

All regions and even cities in Italy offer specialized food. Pizza is best in Naples, carbonara best in Rome, and lasagna is best in Bologna.

For a true taste of Verona, look for menus serving:

• Risotto all'amarone: A variety of risotto can be found in Verona but the most famous is certainly risotto all'amarone. This is risotto cooked in Amarone wine from the nearby Valpolicella wine region.
• Gnocchi: Gnocchi are small potato dumplings that I absolutely adore. If you visit in fall, I highly suggest that instead of the classic version made from potato, you try the pumpkin (zucca) option instead.
• Bollito e pearà: This is boiled beef served with a creamy sauce based out of breadcrumbs and cheese. I haven't personally tried this one because I don't eat beef but do know it's one of the most ancient of all the Veronese dishes.
• Horse meat: It's quite common to see horse (caval) served here. I know it comes in a variety of dishes. I've only tried it as a meatball with an aperitivo and actually, it wasn't half bad. It's also served as a stew or with polenta.

With your meal, I highly recommend you try wine from the nearby Valpolicella wine region. While they specialize in red wines, prosecco is from nearby so that's usually a great option if you prefer a bubbly like I do.

Just a heads up if eating horse freaks you out, if you plan to do any of your own cooking in Verona and want to go to butchers to get fresh ingredients, know that "Macelleria Equina" are butcher shops specifically for horse meat.

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Day 2

Now that you've had a great introduction to Verona, today we're here for the real deal.

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Grab a Coffee & Risino

But first, we need to start off on a true Italian foot: with a coffee. In Italy, your morning coffee is likely going to be an espresso or a cappuccino. Different parts of Italy have different alternatives but these two are the most common throughout the country.

Italy isn't big on breakfast so unless you go to one of the brunch spots in Borgo Trento, start your day the Italian way with a coffee and a risino. Throughout Italy, the most common side to your coffee is a croissant but to try something unique to Verona, opt for risino instead.

This is a small rice-based pastry. The inside of the pastry is creamy and tastes similar to arroz con leche.

A number of coffee shops offer this but if you want it with a great view, head to any of the cafes in front of the arena and Piazza Bra.

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Take Yourself on a Walking Tour of Old Town

If you take a look at Verona on Google Maps, the yellow area that's surrounded on 3 sides by the Adige River is the old town. That's where you'll want to spend more, or ideally all, of your time today.

Roaming around a new city is easily one of my favorite things to do and in Verona, it's the top of my list but here are some other great things to do in Verona for more variety.

Although Verona is small, it's full of small, twisting alleyways. While there are just a handful of "main" walking streets, do yourself a favor and let yourself wander. Since this area is surrounded by the river, it's hard to get lost.

A few of the top streets for shopping, eating, and people watching are:

• Corso Porta Borsari: If you have time for just one walking street in Verona, let it be this one. This shopping street has a nice mix of local and international brands, including my favorite, Paper Wardrobe. Their men's shop, Wooden Store, is just a block off this street. Start under the Roman archway and make your way down to the river, or vice versa.
• Via Giuseppe Mazzini: This is the main shopping street in Verona that starts right next to the Verona arena and ends at Juliet's house, at another shopping street. It's pedestrian-only and home to many known brands.
• Via Capello: Coming from Ponte delle Navi, you'll pass Roman ruins as you walk along this street towards the beautiful Piazza delle Erbe.
• Via IV Novembre: Walk across Ponte della Vittoria to Via IV November to see a more residential area, Borgo Trento. This street, just across the bridge, is home to trendy brunch spots, cafes, and bars.

After or between traversing these, see what else you can stumble upon! Even after visiting Verona three times, I'm still finding cute corners and local shops to explore.

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Have an Aperitivo

An aperitivo is similar to the Italian version of happy hour. It's a before dinner drink, usually around 5-7pm, and oftentimes comes with a small snack.

There's really no shortage of bars to visit for an aperitivo. Although it can be tempting to head to a piazza (plaza) for your drink, unless you're not on a strict budget, I'd go somewhere on a quiet alleyway instead.

The quality of drinks and food is pretty high in Italy, so long as you avoid places with giant menus posted out front and workers trying to entice you to come in. Typically, those are for tourists and go for quantity rather than quality.

As I mentioned above, this would be a good time to try Valpolicella wine. Otherwise go for a classic spritz or a Prosecco.

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Enjoy a Great View of the City

After your drink, embark on a short but scenic uphill walk to Castel San Pietro.

To get here, you'll cross Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) at the north end of old town and either walk up a few flights of stairs or take the short funicular to the top.

Early in the morning or sunset are the best time of the day to go, otherwise the sun will be directly over the city, obscuring your view - trust me, I've learned the hard way!

From the top, you can simply admire the view from the park or go to the bar or restaurant to grab a bite and soak it up for longer. Or, if you want to learn more about Verona's history, you can go inside the Roman Archeology Museum that's connected to the castle.

After your view, head back down for a meal, trying any local dish you didn't get to try the night before.

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Day 3

Although this is your last day in Verona, there's still plenty of fun ahead. I hope you had a good rest because there's still plenty to see and do.

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Check-Out of Your Hotel

If you want to go out for the day trip suggested below, go ahead and check out of your hotel in the morning. Ideally, they'll hold your bags for you but if not, you can store them somewhere convenient with Radical Storage.

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Head Off on a Day Trip to Lake Garda

Lake Garda, alongside Lake Como and Lake Iseo, is one of 3 main alpine lakes in Northern Italy. If you love great scenery and charming waterfront towns, you'll love spending the day at Lake Garda.

Just know, given Verona's central location in Northern Italy, there are more day trips to choose from if the lake isn't your thing.

The lake is really big though so the travel time to get there will depend on where exactly you'd like to visit. Southern Lake Garda is much easier to get to from Verona and only takes about 15 minutes by train, making it extremely do-able.

The northern half of the lake requires a car or at least 2 buses to access and will take you closer to 1.5 hours. The western side is equally time consuming to arrive to.

Given the travel tips, most people choose to spend their day trip to Lake Garda visiting the southern towns of:

• Peschiera del Garda: The closest town, easy to get to by train, charming and unique.
• Desenzano del Garda: Just the next stop on the train, a bit of a larger town. Best place to go for boat trips to other towns.
• Sirmione: Located directly between the two above but without a train spot. Super picturesque but will need a boat, bus, or car to arrive.

For a day trip, I highly recommend you visit one of these 3 towns but to be honest with you, I much prefer to Northern end of the lake. It's quieter, more mountainous, and has far less tourists since it's harder to get to.

If you have a night or two to stay and would love somewhere super picturesque, I adore Malcesine.

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Alternative Idea: Visit a Museum or Two

If you don't have either the time, desire, or energy for a day trip, there are plenty of museums in Verona to visit.

While there are more than just list, a few of the top recommendations are:

• Juliet's House: Inspired by the real life Romeo and Juliet, you can either just see Juliet's Balcony for free or visit the museum dedicated to the play and love itself.
• Castelvecchio Museum: If you walked to San Zeno along the river, you would have walked right by this castle. Here there is an art museum that covers medieval, Renaissance, and modern art. At the very least, I recommend you walk over the Ponte Scaligero, the bridge connected to the castle. It's open to the public.
• Arena di Verona: This is the Roman amphitheatre that sits right in the center of town. While it doesn't specifically have a museum, it is an important piece of Verona's history. You can take a tour or in the summer months, you can even watch an opera concert here or catch other live music.

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Verona Travel Tips

Full of rich history, great restaurants, charming alleyways, and plenty of things to do to keep yourself entertained, I hope you fall in love with Verona just as much as we have.

To ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible, here's a few more things to keep in mind.

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Best Areas to Stay

Although I already mentioned my favorite hotels above, if you want some more options, I'd consider staying in one of these areas:

• Old Town: Here is the best area for those that want most things within walking distance. Just know that this area can be the most expensive and it can also get loud if you stay near bars on the weekend.
• Borgo Trento: This neighborhood is pretty big but if you choose the area closest to the old town, it'll be pretty convenient. It just might be hard to find places to stay here as it's mainly residential.
• San Zeno: If you want a quiet area still near all the sights, I highly recommend San Zeno, especially if you can find a place on the river.

I would not recommend staying near the train station unless you can't avoid it. Yes, this area will be the most affordable but it's definitely not as charming as the rest of the city. This area might not be good to walk around at night alone.

If you're looking to save money, remember that you can take the public bus wherever you need to go, except the center of old town because it's pedestrian-only. There's no need to take a taxi. If you're able, you should be able to walk pretty much everywhere you want to go since the city is relatively compact.

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Best Time to Visit

Verona gets 4 true seasons so the time you visit will be based more on the weather you're hoping to enjoy. There's not really a low season in Verona since it's a city that doesn't rely on outdoor activities to attract people.

Here's a little breakdown about what you can expect from each season:

• Spring: This is a good time to visit for less crowds and cool weather. Some things on Lake Garda will be closed.
• Summer: This is definitely high season. You can expect the largest number of tourists but there are perks like the summer concerts at the arena and fully enjoying Lake Garda.
• Fall: I'm a sucker for fall and really enjoy traveling during this season. Early fall the temperatures start to drop but you'll just need a light sweater. Late fall does get quite cold. Some things on Lake Garda will be closed.
• Winter: You likely won't see snow during your trip but the weather will likely be cold. Verona has a cute Christmas market though in Piazza dei Signori. Most things on Lake Garda will be closed.

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How Will You Spend Your 3 Days in Verona?

You're now ready for 3 fantastic days in Verona! I've been to Verona on a solo trip, with my partner and pets, and also with family who came to visit us. Each time I've thoroughly enjoyed myself and know you will too.

Get ready to walk, eat, drink, and hopefully romanticize your life just a little bit while visiting Verona, Italy.