Verona in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

If it is said of Rome that a lifetime is not enough to know it, something similar could be said of Verona, because the city that inspired William Shakespeare to set one of the most famous love stories of all time, has many more attractions to offer besides the popular balcony of Juliet's House.

Below, you can discover the best things to see and do in Verona to get to know the city in 3 days:

The main attractions of Verona are in the historic center, so for the first day I suggest a tour around the old part of the city, which is highlighted by Juliet's House, Piazza delle Erbe, the Lamberti Tower, which offers the best views of the city, and the Arena.

Visit Juliet's House

Verona's main attraction is the Juliet's House Museum, which consists of a medieval palace built in the center of the city that served as the home of the Capulet family, one of the main characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

In its balcony, which is the most famous in the world, takes place one of the memorable scenes of the play and the most famous dialogue Romeo and Juliet. Today it is the most visited site in Verona and all tourists seek to be photographed next to the balcony.

Juliet's House is located in the center of the old town and is often included in the best tours of Verona, which also usually pass by Romeo's House, which is located a few streets away but is not open to the public.

• Price: general admission to the museum has an approximate initial cost of €6 per person.
• Where... Piazzetta Navona, Verona.
• How to get there... with buses lines 31, 32, 33 and 95 and on the hop on-hop off tourist buses of the city.

Stroll through Piazza delle Erbe and have lunch in the ancient city

Very close to Juliet's House, 4 streets away, is Piazza delle Erbe, which is one of the most famous public spaces in the city. If you plan to visit Verona during Christmas, you will meet the giant Christmas tree that is installed every year and on site you can visit some of the best restaurants and bars.

Since you may not be able to make a gastronomic tour in Verona due to lack of time, you can at least visit some of the places that are included in these tours, such as the Ristorante Maffei, which stands out for its pasta, Billy Paletta or the Osteria del Bugiardo. There you can have lunch before continuing your tour.

If you are also fond of ice cream in the area of Piazza delle Erbe you will come across two of the most famous ice cream parlors in Verona, which are Gelateria Impero and Amorino.

Climb to the top of the Lamberti Tower

The Torre dei Lamberti, is a medieval civil tower 84 meters high that came to be considered one of the tallest buildings in the city and currently serves as a lookout, being one of the places to contemplate the skyline of the city.

This construction, which also functions as a clock tower, is striking for the complexity of the materials and its architecture. In addition, it has two bells at the top, one that signals the fires of the city and the hours of the day and another that summons the people to take up arms to defend themselves from invaders.

You can visit the tower to see a wide panoramic view of the city that includes the Adige River, the Castle of San Pietro, the old town, the Arena and the Cathedral. If you visit Verona in summer, you can also see the Alps mountain range.

• Price... Tickets to access the belvedere have an initial cost of approximately €6 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.

Visit the Cathedral of Verona

Five blocks away from the Torre dei Lamberti is the Cathedral of Verona, which you can reach after a 10-minute walk, taking the bus line 70 or the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus of the city.

This Cathedral stands out for the simplicity of its Romanesque structure and the gabled roof, something unusual in religious buildings. Inside you can discover frescoes and sculptures of the Renaissance and the altar that was built with the ruins of the two previous churches that occupied that land and were demolished by an earthquake.

Verona Cathedral is open every day and you can also attend religious ceremonies on Sundays.

• 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.

Walk around the Arena of Verona and attend a show

The Arena of Verona is one of the most important Roman amphitheaters in Italy and with its 2000 years of antiquity would be the main attraction of the city if it were not for the House of Juliet. Musical concerts are held there every year as well as the Verona Festival, a series of opera performances that take place every year between June and August.

You can tour the Arena of Verona on your own or in a group with a guided tour. With the ticket you will be able to know the inside of the Arena, learn about its history and also about the multiple uses it had in all these years.

The total tour of the Arena will take you about 1 hour and a half, so you will have plenty of time to visit also Piazza Bra, which is located at the exit of the amphitheater is one of the busiest squares in the city and a meeting point for tours of Verona.

If you want, and as night has already fallen, you can choose to see a show at the Arena of Verona, which is available throughout the year, and at the exit have dinner in the restaurants of the ancient city.

• Price... Tickets to see inside 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.

For the second day, and after having visited the main sites during the first day, I suggest a visit to the outskirts of the historic center, to visit Castelvecchio, the picturesque Stone Bridge where you can take some of the best pictures of the city and the Roman Theater with its museum, before climbing to the top of the Castle of San Pietro to watch the sunset.

Visit Castelvecchio and the most famous museum of Verona

The most famous museum in the city is Castelvecchio, which is characterized by its 20 exhibits, which have some of the most important works of art in the country and is also notable for the architecture of the building.

The museum also has two 14th century Veronese bells, frescoes from the royal residences, paintings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the largest number of 15th century Venetian works. There you can also find some of the main sculptures of the city, which were removed from the public squares during World War II.

You can take guided tours of the museum or tour it on your own and if you plan to visit Verona during the summer you can also participate in the evening exhibitions.

• Price... Entrance to the museum has an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• Where... Corso Castelvecchio 2, Verona.
• How to get there... Buses 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95 and the hop on-hop off tourist buses of the city.

Take a picture on the Stone Bridge

From Castelvecchio you can reach the Stone Bridge on bus line 70 and there you can take some of the best pictures of the city on the only Roman bridge still standing in the city and used since ancient times to cross the Adige River.

The Stone Bridge is not only the oldest bridge in the city, but it is also one of the protagonists of the Veronese skyline, which stands out for its medieval constructions and the Roman influence in its main buildings. Moreover, due to its strange architecture, it is a favorite of children, so visiting it will be an ideal plan if you plan to visit Verona with children.

The importance of the Stone Bridge was central in the past, 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.

• Price... The visit to the bridge is free of charge.
• 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.

Visit the Roman Theatre and the Archaeological Museum

Crossing the Stone Bridge you will find the Roman Theater, which is 2000 years old, the oldest in the city and still in operation! Today the theater is the stage for concerts and shows and also houses the Archaeological Museum.

This museum includes more than 600 works on display indoors and another 200 outside and there you will find inscriptions, sculptures, mosaics, bronzes, vases, steles and funerary altars, Etruscan urns and Greek inscriptions.

If you are a history buff you will enjoy the theater and the show visiting the exhibitions that will let you know what life was like in the city during Roman times. Without a doubt, the archeology museum is one of the best museums in Verona.

• Price... entrance 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.

Contemplate the sunset over the city from Castel San Pietro

At the top of the hill adjacent to the Roman Theater you will find the Castle of San Pietro, which is the highest point of the metropolitan area of Verona and the ideal place to contemplate, from the viewpoint, a wide panoramic view of the city during sunset. To get there you can use the stairs or the San Pietro funicular.

From the San Pietro viewpoint you can discover the colorful houses on the banks of the Adige River, the textures and materials of the Stone Bridge and the narrow streets of the old part of Verona, which shelters the main attractions of the city.

To contemplate the sunset from the viewpoint you will have to go up during the last shift, that is why I suggest that you visit the Castle of San Pietro towards the end of the tour of the second day.

• 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.

On the last day of your visit I propose a tour of the outskirts of Verona so you can discover the famous Lake Garda, the thermal baths of Sirmione and the cool breeze on the banks of the Adige River.

Take a trip to Lake Garda

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and also has some of the best scenery you can find at any time of the year outside of Verona. If you plan to visit Verona during the Christmas season you can have a magical experience in its flea markets and in June you will experience the best weather on the lake.

In Garda you can go on water tours, visit the thermal baths, visit the spas and discover the lakeside villages, including Sirmione, Salò and Torri del Benaco.

Touring Lake Garda is one of the best activities you can do from Verona and also a different alternative to leave the ancient buildings and medieval architecture of Verona during its intensive 3-day tour.

• Price... the entrance to the lake sector is free of charge.
• Where... Lake Garda, Verona.
• How to get there... by Flixbus private buses.

Enjoy the thermal baths of Sirmione

One of the most beautiful villages in Garda is Sirmione, but it is also the best place to enjoy the thermal waters inside a complex overlooking the lake. In the town's thermal center you can find bubble beds, whirlpools and freshwater pools.

Unlike the thermal complexes in the area, Sirmione offers a natural setting on the shore of the lake with one of the best open views of Garda and also medical services, so for a long time Sirmione was considered a clinic for body recovery.

You can visit Sirmione for half a day on your tour of Lake Garda or take a full day excursion, although in this case a couple of hours to relax will be enough before returning to the city to close your Verona trip.

• Price... entrance to the thermal complex of Sirmione has an approximate initial cost of 68 euros for the day pass.
• Where... Piazza Don A. Piatti 1, Sirmione.
• How to get there... you can get there by Flixbus private service buses.

Walk along the banks of the Adige River and dine at a restaurant in Via Mazzini

To say goodbye to Verona I suggest a walk along the banks of the Adige to cool off with the river breeze, which will help you fight the heat, especially if you plan to visit the city in summer. If you do it during the winter, a coat will be enough to keep you warm.

Also, if you still feel like walking around the city you can opt for a stroll through the old part of the city or you can go directly to Via Mazzini to dine in some of the best restaurants. I recommend you to choose Le Vecete or Il Bacaro dell'Arena, but you can certainly find many interesting places.

You can say goodbye to the city in a bar or in a coffee shop to taste the coffee and the delicious local desserts.