Vacation In Verona
Verona — the city of Romeo and Juliet. Of love and hate. Of stunning palaces, beautiful squares and narrow streets. Verona is Italy’s most romantic city and a world heritage site, where ancient history and modern culture melt into a whole.
Verona, the city of Romeo & Juliet, is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Its rich history is visible in its architecture and artworks but also through its past. Walking on one of Verona’s many streets you will certainly feel how its ancient walls are surround you. Although the country is full of amazing sights Verona still remains one of the best visited by tourist every year. This isn’t a place to be missed because it is not just a city but a symbol
Verona is a fascinating city. In a short time you can see the Arena, watch a world-class opera at the famous Arena, take in a great museum—the Pitti Palace—and tour some of the city’s many lovely churches. It is also an easy city to walk, with lots of streets lined with charming houses.
In a nutshell, Verona is a beautiful city with a rich history. If you are looking for things to do in Verona and are checking out our recommendations, well then this post will be very useful for you. So let’s get started!
Originally a fortified town of the Etruscans, Verona was conquered by the Romans in 191 BC. These ancient people named it Borgo Leoni and built a strong municipal wall that took another century to beat, as in 181 BC the city became part of the Roman Empire. Already with its past history, this Italian city has become very well known due to William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, a tribute to love that has been told around the world with all films, music, plays and books inspired by it. Nowadays you’ll find Verona the perfect place to visit during your vacation: its nature surrounding it is simply breathtaking and offers many activities for fun-filled days.
Why Should You Visit Verona?
If you want an Italian city that’s packed with romance, beauty and culture, (plus really good gelato), then Verona is for you.
It has a heart and soul and isn’t as overpopulated as other Italian destinations such as Rome or Venice.
How To Get To Verona
You can get to Verona in a variety of ways.
- Drive: If you’re from the UK or any other part of Europe, you could choose to drive to Verona. It would make part of an awesome European road trip idea.
- Train: The train network in Italy is brilliant and there are trains from all over the country connecting you to Verona. I went from Venice and it wasn’t a long train ride, nor expensive one either.
- Fly: Of course your other option is to fly into Verona. It’s only 10 km outside of the main city, so it’s very easy to get to and from.
- Bus: You can get the Aerobus which connects the city and the airport, or the Verona Porta Nuova railway station leaves every 20 minutes. It’s only a fifteen-minute journey costing €6. You can buy tickets from a machine at the airport, or buy on board for a slightly higher cost.
When Is The Best Time To Visit Verona?
The best time to visit Verona is between late May to early October, but of course, the summer months will be peak time so if you hate crowds, then it’s better to head in the Autumn seasons where the weather is cooler and the crowds are lower.
I visited in peak time however and I was fine with the crowds. It’s not as crowded as say, Venice or Rome.
How Long Should You Stay In Verona?
For me, Verona isn’t a week-long destination. Rather it’s the perfect spot for a city break which means 2 to 3 nights is sufficient enough.
3 nights is optimal! But you could do four if you really want to relax and take day trips (to Venice could be one!)
12 Wonderful Things To Do In Verona Italy
Okay, now it’s time for the part you came for, the list of great things to do in Verona!
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When it comes to what to do in Verona, you are actually spoilt for choice. A lot of the best Verona attractions are romantic, so open your heart and you’ll have an amazing time.
1. Visit Juliet’s House
This is probably one of the top things to do in Verona (if not the top!). Juliet’s house is like a museum that basically tells the fictional Shakespeare story of Romeo and Juliet.
As you walk through the house you will read sections of the play in each room as it tells the story. It’s a gothic style 1300s house and it’s said to have inspired Shakespeare.
As you walk in there is a wall where people have written love letters or phrases to their loved ones. It’s basically a graffiti wall. But since it’s been a few years since I went there, I am unsure as to whether it’s still in existence, so if you know, then let me know!
There is a statue of Juliet in the garden area, and you’re supposed to kiss her for good luck in love.
Vacation In Verona
The highlight of Juliet’s house is the balcony in which you can recreate your very own “Romeo, Romeo, where there art thou Romeo?” and have someone take your picture from below. It’s good fun, so stay light-hearted!
If you’re a fan of the play and the story of Romeo and Juliet, then you’ll like this visit. If you don’t then I don’t think you’ll be a fan. It’s all about romance.
The names Montecchi and Capuleti (from which we get the Capulets and Montagues) were at the time genuine rival political factions, and it is possible to visit their respective houses as well.
2. Visit The Church In Which Romeo And Juliet Got Married
Okay okay, I know the whole Romeo and Juliet thing isn’t real, but I did say I loved the play, so this church was “supposedly” where they got married, so I wanted to visit it as such.
The church is called Basilica di San Zeno and despite the whole marriage, it’s a beautiful church with lovely gardens and worth a visit just for that. They also hold masses.
3. Eat A LOT Of Gelato
Italians are famous for it, and they make the best gelato in the world. Verona delivers well on the gelato front. It gets warm in Verona, so I would be eating as much as you possibly could.
It’s typically around 2 euro for a cone in Verona (tourist prices), but there are lots of flavors to choose from.
I don’t have a typical shop in mind, I prefer pondering upon random ones.
4. Check Out The Verona Arena
This is often known as Verona’s version of the Colosseum. Back in its peak days (circa 130-1100 AD), it was one of the biggest of its kind in the world and could seat up to 30,000 people.
Today, each year, the arena hosts the Arena Opera festival which hosts famous operatic singers. Both then and now it attracts an impressive crowd of visitors from around the world.
Get your Arena-De-Verona Tickets right here!
5. Visit The Brilliant Castelvecchio
Castelvecchio is a brilliant castle in Verona, and easily one of the best places to visit in Verona. It’s now home to a museum which provides lots of interesting history and context of the castle.
An interesting fact is that during World War II, the castle suffered serious damages as in 1945 after the Allies had bombed the eastern wing of the castle, the Germans on the run blew the bridge up!
But the Museum tour is interesting and fun and you can see a weapons room which has a lot of interesting items too.
There are also some beautiful viewpoints that overlook the bridge and river, and these make for romantic photos, so ask someone to take your photo together, or bring a tripod!
We headed early and there weren’t that many people around, which was quite nice. I felt like I had a whole castle to myself!
Ps, there is actually a wine vineyard around here, which is another one of the great things to do in Verona if you’re a wine lover (I am a wine lover!)
