If you’re lucky enough to be travelling in northern Italy, consider spending 1 day in Verona. Famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it attracts people from all over, intent on discovering their own love story. Or getting swept up in the romanticism of it all. Yet, there is so much more to Verona than Romeo and Juliet.
You could easily spend a few days here soaking in the ambience of the city, as we did. However, one day is a perfect amount of time to pack in all the highlights.
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How to get to Verona
If you’re spending 1 day in Verona, it’s likely you’ll be arriving from another Italian city. The good news is, Verona is easily accessible by train.
The Verona Porta Nuova station is the main train station in the city. Trains arrive directly from many cities, including Venice, Turin, Florence, Bologna and Rome. The train from Venice to Verona only takes just over an hour, so it’s easily do-able as a self-managed day trip too. Make sure to book your train ticket in advance, to secure a good price. We always use Omio for booking our trains in Italy.
Flixbus also runs direct services from Verona to many cities. This includes Turin, Venice, and Bolzano in the Dolomites.
Your best value purchase: the Verona Card
If you’re intent on making the most of your 1 day in Verona, we highly recommend purchasing the Verona Card.
For only €20 you can get a 24 hour pass which will give you access to most of our recommended things to do, and more.
It activates on your first use. So if you want to make the most of it, simply take note of when you activate and slip into your final attraction just before your 24 hours cuts off.
BUY ONLINE NOW: Verona Card || From €20
The perfect day in Verona
You’re in for a jam packed day with plenty of walking. So make sure you grab a quick breakfast and a caffeine fix to get you into full sightseeing mode.
The below itinerary will work every day of the week, except for Mondays. On a Monday, the Verona Arena does not open until 1:30pm. So you’ll need to do some jiggling around to maximise your day in this city.
Start at the Verona Arena
A Roman amphitheatre older than the Colosseum and still in use? Welcome to the Verona Arena. This spectacular construction was completed in the first century AD and still hosts concerts regularly. The Italian Music Awards were on whilst we were in town and we can tell you, the place was thumping.
Holding 15,000 people, the best experience would be to attend a performance. Those lucky enough to be here during the height of summer can be treated to a variety of summer shows.
If you can’t witness a production, you can get in for a look around. It’s such an impressive amphitheater and beggars belief that it is still in use today. You can walk through the tunnels that lead out to the centre of the arena. Back in the Roman days, it would hold up to 30,000 people. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be on centre stage back in the day?!
Tickets at entry: Verona Arena || 1 hour || €10
Also included in the Verona card.
Walk down the main shopping street
From the Verona Arena, you should be able to see the main pedestrian shopping street, Via Giuseppe Mazzini. Home to mainstream clothes stores, gelato shops and cafes, it’s a pleasant stroll down this busy strip.
Once you reach the end of pedestrian strip, turn right onto Via Cappello. Now it’s time to get your Romeo and Juliet fix.
See the Juliet balcony
“Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…” William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.
Verona is the setting for one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, Romeo and Juliet. It’s impossible not to spend 1 day in Verona and not see the impact that this play has had on this area. It’s without a doubt the most popular thing to do and see in Verona. But I’m going to go out on a limb and likely be very unpopular for this opinion.
This is an overhyped tourist attraction, and Verona has so much more to offer the visitor than the balcony. A few points of note. Romeo and Juliet were fictional. Remember that. As real as Simba and Nala. Yes, there are some stories of a lady living here who was unlucky in love with some loose attachments to Shakespeare’s play.
Overall though, you’ll be elbow to elbow in the small courtyard which includes a statue of Juliet. You can visit the balcony and look out over the courtyard if you so desire to (it’s included in the Verona card). The story of Romeo and Juliet is certainly a memorable tale, but Juliet’s balcony is far less so. Drop by to see what the fuss is about, but our view is that Verona offers so much, but this is not the highlight.
People watch in Piazza Erbe
Close to Juliet’s House is Piazza Erbe. One of the main squares of the city, it’s hard to miss. This stunning square is packed with restaurants and market stalls by day. In many respects it feels like a set from a movie scene. Detailed balconies, marble lining the ground and the clinking of aperol spritz’s make this a quintessentially Italian scene. Spend some time here and soak up the vibe.
If you’ll be staying late in Verona, head here in the evening too. It’s much quieter later in the day when the markets close up and the day trippers head home.
Climb the Torre dei Lamberti
The tall tower that dominates the skyline in Piazza Erbe is called Torre dei Lamberti. For a small fee, it’s possible to reach the top of this tower for panoramic views of the city. If time permits, you can climb all 368 steps. If that doesn’t sound appealing, a lift will take you all the way to the top too.
Once you’re done, take a peep inside the Modern Art Gallery which is included in your ticket. There are some lovely paintings from the region and some beautiful paintings of Verona in the 18th and 19th century. You’ll find not much has changed, except for the fashion!
Tickets at entry: Torre dei Lamberti || 30 mins – 1 hour || €8
Or included in the Verona card.
Grab lunch at a foccaceria
By now, you’ve well and truly worked up an appetite for lunch.
You’ll spot loads of restaurants in and around Piazza Erbe, so you can take a break and re-fuel at a spot that takes your fancy.
If you’re in the mood for a quick pit stop, I’d highly recommend Foccaceria Ponte Pietra.
This foccaceria is located down by the River Adige, tucked away in a corner. They have over a dozen different types of foccacia for just €2 a slice. We’ve eaten a good variety of them, and can recommend the pomodoro, zucchini & mozzarella and a salami & mozzarella foccacia. There’s a bench with a few chairs inside. Alternatively, you could take your slices and sit down by the nearby river Adige. This find for us was an ‘easy on the wallet and tastebuds’ Italian selection.
Cross the river on the Ponte Pietra
Head to the Ponte Pietra, which is one of the beautiful bridges that runs over the river Adige. The Ponte Pietra is old, very old, in fact! Built around 100BC, it dates back to Roman times. The views from the bridge over the fast-running river are absolutely stunning. Being a pedestrian only bridge, you’re not in any rush. Take your time, and grab a picture or two.
Head up to St Peter’s lookout for spectacular views
After crossing the Ponte Pietra, your next stop is up at the Castel San Pietro (St Peter’s). Whilst the castle is closed to the public, this spot offers the most beautiful panoramic views of the old town of Verona below.
The great news is, there is a funicular which can take you up to Castel San Pietro. it’s just €2 each way. There are stairs you can use to get up or down too, but if you’re visiting in the middle of an Italian summer like we were, the funicular on the way up is a blessing.
The views with the river curving around Verona are indelibly printed in our memories. The terracotta rooftops contrasting with the green cypress trees is such an impressive sight.
If you head back down via the stairs, you’ll be able to see the Roman Theatre. If you’ve bought the Verona Card, consider stopping in here to view the theatre as well as the Museum of Archeology too.
Stroll back into town and grab some gelato
When the afternoon hits and you’re in Italy, it means one thing: gelato time! If you’ve followed this Verona itinerary, you’ve definitely earned a gelato.
If you cross back into the old town by the Ponte Pietra, you’re sure to find a gelato shop or two (or three). If you’d prefer to just choose one closest to your location, check out our guide to avoiding bad gelato.
The best gelato we found in Verona was Grom. A gelato chain with stores all over northern Italy, you can always rely on Grom to deliver good, consistent quality gelato. Head here to cool down and give your taste buds a treat.
Grom is located back up towards the Verona Arena on Via Giuseppe Mazzini. If you decide to head up this way, consider taking some of the back streets. Strolling off the tourist trail was one of our favourite things to do Verona. The earthy coloured buildings with coloured shutters and cute balconies are plentiful throughout the town.
Head to the Castelvecchio Bridge
If you’ve got some some extra steps left in you, it’s now time to head towards the imposing Castelvecchio Museum and Bridge. A grand old castle dating back to the 1300s sits next to the river. It has now been turned into an art museum. If you’ve bought the Verona Card, head inside for a quick look. Alternatively, the bridge (Ponte di Castelvecchio) is accessible to the public. It’s a fascinating walk across the fortified bridge which I highly recommend.
Enjoy an aperol spritz or two
Enjoy a break before dinner by partaking in the Italian tradition of aperitivo. An aperol spritz is sure to cool you down after a jam packed day full of sightseeing.
Our favourite thing to do at spritz o’clock is to just find the most appealing spot nearby to us with a free table. Piazza Erbe has quite a few options in this regard. Dal Medico is a highly rated bar with views out to the square that was recommended to us by our AirBnB hosts.
Grab dinner
For dinner, I’d highly recommend grabbing a table at Trattoria La Molinara.
This little eatery was located a whole one minute away from our apartment. We picked it for convenience but recommend it now because of the sensational food, particularly if you only have 1 day in Verona. It’s located on Via Ottolini, a short walk from the touristy centre in the heart of neighbourhood streets.
A coperto of €1.50 is mandatory, but this is supplemented with some mortadella to start. We enjoyed two pastas here. By far and away, the highlight was the paccheri with bacon and a pistachio pesto. A crunchy bacon with a soft pasta and the nuttiness of psitachios made for a wonderful meal.
It was possible for us to book this restaurant online via The Fork Italy too. So, there’s no excuse for not being able to get a reservation here!
Where to stay in Verona?
If you choose to stay overnight on your 1 day in Verona, there are some great accommodation options. We stayed in a self-hosted apartment called “Be My Juliet” (see, I told you there is no escaping the Romeo and Juliet!). It was a cosy, one room apartment within the old town of Verona, a short stroll away from the touristic centre.
BOOK NOW: Be My Juliet || From €90
That’s the end of our 1 day in Verona itinerary. We hope you have a wonderful time in this amazing northern Italian city.
