Verona in 1 Day: all you need to know

Verona has so many attractions to offer that touring it in a single day sounds practically impossible, although with the right organization and the right itinerary you can discover some of the main sites of the city that inspired William Shakespeare with the story of Romeo and Juliet, but which is much more than that.

Among the best things to see and do in Verona during a day tour you can visit the Arena of Verona and Piazza Bra, tour Juliet's House and the most famous balcony in the world, contemplate the city from the heights of the Torre dei Lamberti, visit the Cathedral of Verona and the Stone Bridge and discover the sunset from the viewpoint of the Castle of San Pietro.

The Arena of Verona is a Roman amphitheater almost 2000 years old and is also one of the most visited attractions in the city, second only to Juliet's House. Musical events and shows are held there every year, including the Verona Festival, which consists of a series of opera concerts that take place every year between June and August.

I suggest you start the tour at the Arena of Verona because in the morning you will avoid the long queues and you can also enjoy this Roman amphitheater, the best preserved of its style in the world, with less crowds. During the tour, which you can do on your own or with a guided tour, you will be able to know the interior of the Arena and also learn about its history and the multiple uses it had in all these years.

The tour of the Arena of Verona will take you about 1 hour and a half and once outside I recommend you to take a short walk in Piazza Bra, which is located at the exit of the amphitheater and is one of the busiest and most famous public squares in the city and also a meeting point for the best tours of Verona.

Interesting facts

• Price... Tickets to visit the interior of the Arena have an initial cost of approximately 10 euros per person.
• Where... Piazza Bra 1, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 11, 12, 31, 32, 33 and 52 or by the hop on-hop off tourist bus of the city.

The House of Juliet is Verona's most visited attraction and also the focal point of the city that breathes through the dramatic work of Romeo and Juliet, which is one of William Shakespeare's most famous creations. You can get there from the Arena in a 10-minute walk along the seven streets or use the buses of lines 11, 13 and 52.

The Juliet's House Museum is a display of some elements related to Shakespeare's work and also a review of the history of the medieval palace, which has a record of its existence at least since the 12th century, when it was inhabited by the Capulets, Juliet's family. However, most of the house was rebuilt in 1940 and of its original structure only the entrance door remains.

The main attractions of the museum are located outside and are the statue of Juliet, which according to a Veronese urban legend must be touched to attract good fortune, and the balcony where one of the most relevant dialogues of Shakespeare's play takes place.

Note that Juliet's House is always very crowded and you may have to wait in line to visit it or take a picture with the front of the palace. If you want to visit the museum the best option is to buy tickets in advance online.

Interesting facts

• Price... Tickets to visit the museum have an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• Where... Piazzetta Navona, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 11, 13 and 52 or by the hop on-hop off tourist bus of the city.

Two streets away from Juliet's House is the Torre dei Lamberti, which is an ancient medieval civil tower 84 meters high that came to be considered one of the tallest buildings in the city and is now one of the panoramic points to contemplate the skyline of the city and also functions as a clock tower.

The Torre dei Lamberti is striking for the complexity of its construction, for the materials used and for the two bells it has at the top, one that signals the fires and the hours of the day and another that is used to summon the people to arms to defend the city. If you visit it you can also discover the spiral staircase that will take you to the top and an elevator that was added in the early twentieth century.

From the Torre dei Lamberti you will be able to see a wide panoramic view of the city, including the Adige river reaches, the Castle of San Pietro, the old town, the Arena and the Cathedral. If you plan to visit Verona in summer you will also be able to see the first mountain range of the Alps.

Interesting facts

• Price... Tickets to access the belvedere have an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• Where... Via della Costa 1, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 11, 13 and 52 or by the hop on-hop off tourist bus of the city.

One of the best things to do in Verona is to enjoy Italian food and that is why I suggest, once you have finished your visit to the Torre dei Lamberti viewpoint, that you go for lunch at Piazza delle Erbe, which is one of the central points of the city and is located two streets away from the tower.

Piazza delle Erbe is one of the most famous public spaces and if you plan to visit Verona during Christmas you will see that a giant Christmas tree is installed there every year, but it is also known for being the site of some of the best restaurants and bars in the city, so it is the ideal place to have lunch.

Since you won't be able to do a gastronomic tour in Verona due to lack of time , you can at least visit some of the places that are usually included in the food tours, such as Ristorante Maffei, Billy Paletta or Osteria del Bugiardo. In the Piazza delle Erbe area you will find restaurants of all kinds and menus of all prices, so you can choose the option that best suits your palate.

If after lunch you also want to try the traditional Italian ice cream you can opt for the famous Gelateria Impero or Amorino, two of the most famous ice cream parlors in the streets near Piazza delle Erbe.

After lunch in the Piazza delle Erbe area I suggest you move towards the Adige River side to the Verona Cathedral, which is located six blocks away from the square. You can take a 10-minute walk, take the bus line 70 or the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus from the city

The Verona Cathedral stands out for its simple, Romanesque-style structure and striking facade with a gabled roof. In addition, its interior houses Renaissance frescoes and sculptures and the altar is built with the remains of the two churches that formerly occupied the Cathedral grounds and were demolished by an earthquake in the 11th century.

As a distinctive point, the Cathedral of Verona has a bell tower that was not completed and between the characteristic central aisles you can distinguish stained glass windows of a single blue color, which is eye-catching. Although the Cathedral is one of the most important Catholic buildings in the city for its investiture, it is not one of the most visited churches in Verona, since that place is occupied by the convents and chapels mentioned by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet.

You can visit the Cathedral of Verona every day and also attend the religious hospices on Sundays. Admission to the interior of the building is free, but the entrance to the bell tower is currently closed.

Interesting facts

• Price... Admission to the Cathedral is free.
• Where... Piazza Vescovado, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 70 or by the hop on-hop off tourist bus of the city.

Very close to the Cathedral, four streets away, is the Stone Bridge, which is one of the eight Roman bridges that in Antiquity crossed the Adige River and today is the only one still standing, even having been partly rebuilt after the end of World War II. You can reach the bridge in a 10-minute walk or by bus on line 70.

The Stone Bridge is not only the oldest bridge in the city but also one of the protagonists of Verona's skyline, which stands out for the medieval constructions and the Roman influence of its main buildings. From this bridge you can take some of the best pictures of the city and you can also photograph yourself on it.

The importance of the Stone Bridge was central in antiquity, as it connected the old part of the city with the Castle of San Pietro, which crowned the resistance of the city against the invaders. That is why the bridge is included in most of the guided tours that cover the history of the city, even in those that are aimed at children, so if you plan to visit Verona with children to know it can be an ideal choice, as it is very striking.

Interesting facts

• Price... The visit to the bridge is free.
• Where... Stone Bridge, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 70 or by the hop on-hop off tourist bus of the city.

On the other side of the bridge is the Roman Theatre, which is over 2000 years old and is one of the oldest buildings still standing with its original structure in Verona, without having been rebuilt throughout its history. The theater, which hosts concerts and shows, also houses the Archaeological Museum.

The museum is an archaeological exhibition center that includes more than 600 works on display indoors and another 200 outdoors. Among the items you can discover there you will find inscriptions, sculptures, mosaics, bronzes, vases, stelae and funerary altars, Etruscan urns and Greek inscriptions, as well as ceramic bowls and metal furniture.

Visiting this museum will be interesting if you are a history buff, although you can also find curious elements to learn what life was like in the city during Roman times and how social customs changed during the successive conquests. Without a doubt, the archeology museum is one of the best museums in Verona.

Interesting facts

• Price... Admission to the museum has an initial cost of approximately 4.5 euros per person.
• Where... Regaste Redentore 2, Verona.
• How to get there... By bus lines 11, 12, 31, 32, 33 and 90 and by hop on-hop off city tour buses.

A few meters from the Roman Theatre, in height, is located the Castle of San Pietro, which is one of the highest points of the metropolitan area of Verona and also the ideal place to observe, from the viewpoint, a wide panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. To access the main viewpoint, at the top of the castle, you can use the stairs or the San Pietro funicular.

The main attractions of the city that you can glimpse from the Castle of San Pietro are the flowered houses on the banks of the Adige River, the different colors, textures and materials of the Stone Bridge and the narrow streets of the old part of Verona, which is one of the picturesque parts of the city.

From the height of the viewpoint, if you go up during the last turn, you can also contemplate one of the best sunsets in Italy, so I recommend that you leave the visit to the Castle of San Pietro for the end of the tour, so that the sunset catches you watching it from the top.

Interesting facts

• Price... The entrance to the castle and the viewpoint has an initial cost of approximately 10 euros per person.
• Where... San Pietro Castle, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus lines 21, 22, 23, 24 and 61 or by Verona hop on-hop off tourist buses.

Towards the end of the tour I suggest you get off the Castel San Pietro, cross the Stone Bridge and start a slow walk along the banks of the Adige. If you plan to visit Verona in January you will find that the cool breeze from the river will help you combat the heat and if your visit is during a cooler season a light coat will help protect you, but it is worth starting to say goodbye to the city from the river.

If you still feel like walking around the city you can opt for a walk through the old part of the city and if not you can go directly to Via Mazzini to dine in some of the restaurants in the area. I recommend you to choose Le Vecete or Il Bacaro dell'Arena, but you can surely find other interesting places.

The farewell to the city can be done in a local bar or cafe to have a coffee or try some of the local desserts, which are very tasty.