Italy

Verona

Skip the Juliet balcony — a twentieth-century add-on with a permanent scrum beneath it — because Verona's real seductions lie elsewhere.

Best forCouples · Culture seekers · Foodies
In May22°C · 17 rainy days
Ideal stay2 nights
Approx. flying time~12h 15m from Los Angeles

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Verona, Italy Open in Google Maps Powered by Geoapify · © OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenMapTiles

CurrencyEUREuro
LanguageItalian
Local time14:091h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / F / LBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+39

Why go

Set inside a loop of the Adige river between Venice and Milan, this is a compact Roman city wrapped in a medieval centre of pink marble streets. The amphitheatre on the main square is one of the largest surviving anywhere and is still in use. It is prosperous, well fed and, once you leave the Juliet courtyard, surprisingly unbothered by mass tourism.

Two nights covers it comfortably, and it makes a good base for Lake Garda, half an hour west, and the Valpolicella hills just north. The opera season runs through July and August, when the city is hot, full and at its best after dark. Spring and autumn are gentler. It pairs neatly with Venice, a little over an hour away by fast train.

Ideal stay: 2 nights
The vibe: Roman, well-dressed, pleasantly unhurried

From our guides

A Roman arena stages open-air opera all summer, wine bars pour Valpolicella by the glass, and the evening passeggiata along Via Mazzini is a spectator sport in itself. Cross Ponte Pietra at dusk and climb to Castel San Pietro for the terracotta panorama, then book an osteria table in Veronetta, where the locals actually eat.

Featured in Ten of Europe's most romantic city breaks

Things to do

The Arena

A first-century amphitheatre in the middle of Piazza Bra that stages open-air opera on summer nights, with the stone steps as the cheap seats.
Castel San Pietro

Steps or a funicular climb from the river to a terrace with the whole terracotta city laid out below, best an hour before sunset.
Piazza delle Erbe

The old Roman forum, now a market square framed by frescoed facades, with the Torre dei Lamberti climbable for a view straight down onto it.
Basilica di San Zeno

A Romanesque church west of the centre with carved bronze door panels and a Mantegna altarpiece, and rarely more than a handful of visitors.
Valpolicella

The hills north of the city produce Amarone and Valpolicella Classico, close enough for an afternoon among the vineyards and back for dinner.
Veronetta

Across the river, the university quarter holds the everyday osterie, cheaper wine by the glass and no coach parties whatsoever.

Getting there

Fly to
Caselle (VRN)

Nearest airport to Verona, about 9km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Verona

Verona Villafranca (VRN) is about fifteen minutes from the centre by shuttle bus or taxi.
On the ground
Getting around

The historic centre is small and flat enough to walk everywhere, with city buses for the outskirts and the climb to Castel San Pietro done on foot or by funicular.

Public transport: Good. Verona sits on the main Milan to Venice railway and city buses cover what walking does not.

Flights

Los Angeles Verona, Italy

Flying from

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Roughly 12h 15m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 8°C in January to 30°C in July. Driest in February; wettest in May, with rain on about 17 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

May22° · rain 17 daysMild and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to stay

Converted townhouse hotels, bed and breakfasts and apartments inside the walls, plus a few business hotels near the station. Nothing is far from the arena.

Best base overall
Città Antica

Inside the river bend, with the arena, Piazza Erbe and the passeggiata all on foot, which matters after a late opera. Expect noise from the bars until midnight.
Find stays in Città Antica
Best value
Veronetta

Across Ponte Nuovo, the university quarter, where the osterie are cheaper and the locals eat. Rooms are plainer and it is fifteen minutes back to the arena.
Find stays in Veronetta
Best with children
Borgo Trento

A calm residential district north of the river with parks, apartments and easy parking, a short walk from the centre. Little happens there in the evenings.
Find stays in Borgo Trento
Best for couples
San Zeno

Around the Romanesque basilica west of the centre, quiet and handsome, with small hotels and good trattorie. You are ten minutes from the main squares on foot.
Find stays in San Zeno

Worth knowing before you book: Opera nights from June to early September empty the city of rooms and push rates up, so book the same day you buy tickets. Historic-centre driving is restricted and fined.

Search everything else in Verona by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

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Good to know

Opera nights: Performances start after dark and run late. Take a cushion for the stone steps, and expect the square to be impassable beforehand.
Getting there: Porta Nuova station is on the fast line between Milan and Venice, and the airport runs a shuttle bus into the city.
City card: A pass covers the main churches, towers and museums plus buses, and pays for itself if you visit more than three or four.
Timing: Many churches close for several hours in the middle of the day. Plan sightseeing for the morning and late afternoon.
Driving: The centre is a restricted traffic zone monitored by camera. Park outside the walls and walk in, or the fine arrives months later.