The best things to do in Verona make this one of the most rewarding and underrated cities in northern Italy. Verona is internationally famous as the city of Romeo and Juliet — but Shakespeare’s choice of setting was inspired by the city’s extraordinary real qualities rather than inventing them.
Verona is a genuinely magnificent city: one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world, a spectacular medieval centre, extraordinary frescoed churches, elegant piazzas and a position at the southern tip of Lake Garda that makes it one of the finest bases in the Veneto region. The best things to do in Verona span 2,000 years of history from Roman gladiatorial combat to Renaissance painting.
1. Visit the Roman Arena
The Roman Arena is the finest of all the best things to do in Verona — one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world and one of the most extraordinary ancient monuments in Italy. Built in the 1st century AD, the Arena seated 30,000 spectators for gladiatorial combat. Today it remains in active use — world-famous opera performances are staged here every summer under the stars in front of massive audiences.
Visiting the Arena during the day gives you extraordinary access to the ancient interior. Attending an opera performance in the evening — with the entire arena lit by thousands of candles — is one of the most unforgettable experiences Italy offers.
Daytime entry from €10. Opera performances from €35 — book on ourcheap train tickets page. ✅
2. Visit Juliet’s Balcony
Visiting Juliet’s House and the famous balcony is one of the most popular best things to do in Verona — and one of the most romantic experiences in Italy. The 13th-century house on Via Cappello with its small Gothic balcony has become the most visited site in Verona, drawing millions of visitors who come to stand on the balcony, read the thousands of love notes left on the entrance walls and rub the bronze statue of Juliet for good luck.
The interior of the house is a museum of Romeo and Juliet memorabilia. Entry costs €6, but viewing the courtyard and balcony from outside is free.
Courtyard free. Museum entry €6. ✅
3. Explore Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza delle Erbe — the Market Square — is the most beautiful of all the best free things to do in Verona. Built on the site of the ancient Roman forum, this magnificent medieval square is surrounded by extraordinary frescoed palaces, medieval towers and the Baroque fountain of Madonna Verona at its centre. A daily market has been held here for over a thousand years.
The surrounding streets of the medieval centre — Piazza dei Signori with its elegant Renaissance buildings, the Arche Scaligere medieval tombs — are equally magnificent and completely free to explore.
Free — no ticket needed. ✅
4. Climb the Torre dei Lamberti
Climbing the Torre dei Lamberti — Verona’s medieval tower overlooking Piazza delle Erbe — is one of the best things to do in Verona for panoramic views. The 84-metre tower offers extraordinary views over Verona’s rooftops, the meandering River Adige and the surrounding hills. A lift makes the tower accessible to all visitors.
Entry from €8 including lift. ✅
5. Visit Castelvecchio
The Castelvecchio — Verona’s magnificent medieval fortress — is one of the best things to do in Verona for history and art. Built by the Scaligeri family in the 14th century as both fortress and palace, the Castelvecchio was converted into one of Italy’s finest civic art museums in the 1960s by the great architect Carlo Scarpa. The extraordinary museum houses important paintings, sculptures and medieval artefacts in a brilliantly designed space where ancient and modern architecture dialogue perfectly.
The adjacent Ponte Scaligero — the medieval fortified bridge across the Adige — is free to walk and offers magnificent views.
Museum entry from €6. Bridge free. ✅
6. Walk Along the River Adige
Walking along the River Adige — which curves in an extraordinary horseshoe bend around Verona’s historic centre — is one of the best free things to do in Verona. The riverside paths on both banks offer beautiful views of the medieval bridges, the ancient city walls climbing the hillside and the extraordinary panorama of the historic centre reflected in the water.
The hilltop neighbourhood of San Pietro across the river — reached by a steep staircase or funicular — offers the finest panoramic views of Verona and is completely free.
Free — no ticket needed. ✅
7. Visit the Basilica di San Zeno
The Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Italy and one of the best things to do in Verona for art and architecture lovers. The extraordinary 12th-century bronze doors — depicting scenes from the Bible and the life of San Zeno — are masterpieces of medieval metalwork. Inside, Mantegna’s magnificent altarpiece — the San Zeno Altarpiece — is one of the greatest paintings of the Italian Renaissance.
Entry from €3. ✅
8. Day Trip to Lake Garda
Taking a day trip to Lake Garda — Italy’s largest lake — is one of the best things to do in Verona as a base. The southern tip of Lake Garda is just 30 minutes from Verona by bus or car, and the lakeside towns of Sirmione, Peschiera del Garda and Lazise are all charming and easily reachable.
Sirmione in particular is extraordinary — a medieval walled town on a narrow peninsula jutting into the lake, with Roman ruins at its tip and crystal-clear water all around.
Bus from Verona to Sirmione: 30 minutes, from €3. Rent a car on ourcar rental Verona page.
9. Attend an Arena Opera Performance
Attending an opera performance at the Verona Arena is one of the most unforgettable best things to do in Verona — and one of the greatest cultural experiences Italy offers. The summer opera season (June-August) fills the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre with audiences of 15,000 people watching performances of Verdi, Puccini and Mozart under the open night sky.
The tradition of audience members lighting thousands of candles as darkness falls — transforming the ancient Arena into a sea of flickering light — is one of the most beautiful sights in Italian culture.
Tickets from €35. Book well in advance — performances sell out. ✅
10. Eat Amarone Wine and Local Food
Eating and drinking in Verona’s extraordinary food culture is one of the best things to do in Verona for gourmets. The Valpolicella wine zone just north of Verona produces Amarone — one of Italy’s most powerful and prestigious red wines. The local cuisine — bigoli pasta with horse meat ragù, risotto all’Amarone, pandoro cake (invented in Verona) — is outstanding.
The wine bars (osterie) around Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori offer excellent local food and wine at reasonable prices.
Budget: €15-25 for excellent dinner with Amarone wine. ✅
Practical Tips for Verona
- Book opera tickets months ahead.The Verona Arena opera season is one of the most popular events in Italy — tickets sell out months in advance.
- Visit early morning.Juliet’s House and Piazza delle Erbe are most magical before the crowds arrive.
- Use Verona as a Lake Garda base.Sirmione and the southern Lake Garda towns are easily accessible from Verona by bus — much cheaper than staying on the lake itself.
- Walk everywhere.Verona’s historic centre is compact and walkable — you don’t need public transport within the city.
For official travel information visit theItalian Tourism Board.
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