A Day Trip to Verona

This is based on a visit in June 2024 by myself and Steve. We paid for our own activities. Please check with venues direct for the most up-to-date information. 

During our trip to Lake Garda in June 2024, we decided to take two train trips. One to Venice (90 mins by train direct) and another to Verona (13 mins by train direct). 

With Verona, we booked a train for around 11am with a return at around 8pm from Pescheria train station in Lake Garda. It was around 5E first class return each and we were treated to a snack and cup of coffee for the journey as soon as we stepped on board which was nice. 

I loved Verona and we'll be back. I preferred Verona to Florence but think our of all the Italian cities I have visited,  I have liked Venice best of all. 

Verona Train Station is kind of on the outskirts of the city. Cross the road and then walk along this pedestrian street for around 20 minutes. It's one long & straight path and pretty impossible to get lost.

There are coffee shops, bars and a few restaurants and hotels if you need to stop off along the walk. You'll also find a pretty fancy McDonalds. 

Then you'll spot the city walls which you walk through straight into the main square. Here you'll find places to sit, water fountains, the arena and lots of places to eat and drink. It's a real hub of activity and car-free too. 

I really wanted to see Juliet's Balcony which is free to visit. It's around a 10 minute walk from the main square to the balcony and is signposted. The route will take you down a lovely shopping street with lots of high street and designer names. 

Where Venice had a very independent / boutique feel, Verona has a more high-end feel when it comes to shopping. 

When you arrive at the balcony there's a bit of a queue into the courtyard but it goes down quickly. It's SO busy so don't expect any kind of romantic moment. 

I'm pleased I saw it. You can touch the statue of Juliet for good luck and pay to go inside the museum if you'd like to . 

There is a market close to the balcony and we had a bit of a browse. Prices were really reasonable with tubs of strawberries and chocolate sauce available to takeaway for 3E, necklaces for 6E and epic sandwiches. It did feel a bit touristy with fridge magnets etc.....and we didn't actually buy anything but I enjoyed browsing. 

We visited on a day where storms were predicted. If you've visited Lake Garda in June you'll know that storms are predicted pretty much every day but they do pass quickly. 

Anyway, mid-afternoon it started chucking it down so we ran for cover to the nearest restaurant we could find and decided to just enjoy a long lunch while we waited for the rain to pass. 

We ended up in Vittoria Emanuele which is a 5* restaurant with beautiful views of the Arena and ended up having one of the best meals of our life. Steve is still raving about the local wine we ordered now and when we go back to Verona, booking another lunch here is the first thing I'll do. 

This restaurant is super old-school and they brought a table extender complete with it's own table cloth out for our wine bucket. The glassware and cutlery were high end, there are chandeliers and a grand piano. It just felt so oppulent. 

My main course was absolutely divine. Rack of Lamb with Pistacchio Crumb and Dauphinoise Potatoes. Cooked perfectly and presented beautifully. This meal was a definite pinch-me-moment we'll never forget and it felt like the rain was fate. 

We had booked onto an olive oil tasting masterclass at La Botteghetto which is just on the other side of the arena. We booked via Get Your Guide and it wasn't too expensive, maybe around £20 each. 

This was such an interesting experience as we learned all about the different region's of Italy and how their Olive Oil differs. We learned what we should look for and how to pair olive oils and got to try some (plus balsamic vinegars) too. 

My only regret is that they provided a huge platter of cheeses, hams and breads to accomany the tasting but we were too full from lunch to enjoy this. If you book this, make sure you go with an empty stomach. 

After our olive oil tasting we decided to visit Verona Arena. They were setting up for an Opera over the weekend. We just paid on the door, there was no queue late afternoon / early evening and it was 12E each. 

Veroan Arena is absolutely spectacular! I would love to see an Opera here. On this trip the dates didn't work out for us but when we visit the area again, hopefully we can make it work. 

We did hear a few people practice their Opera singing as we were walking around. There wasn't too much info to read so I read a few bits online as we sat and took it all in. 

Verona Arena was built in 30AD and is one of the best preserved in the world that's still in use today. The arena was originally used for Gladiator contests and up to 30,000 spectators would fill the stadium. It then moved on to jousts, tournaments and bull fights. Today it's all about the Opera and concerts. 

If only these walls could talk. I bet they have a lot of tales to tell. I liked that you could kind of see behind the scenes and enter other areas of the arena rather than just the main space. 

It turned out to be a glorious sunny evening so we wandered the streets, soaked in the atmosphere and stopped for a few drinks. We walked along to the river which was flowing at some speed, discovered some more ruins and then just sat in a park with an espresso watching the fountains before catching our train back to Pescheria. 

I found Verona to be a lovely city to walk around. It wasn't too expensive and was really easy to navigate. 

 

There is a mini train that takes you around Verona (25 mins non-stop) which departs near this fountain and you can catch a funicular up to Colle San Pietro which offers panoramic views of the city. I think we'd like to try that next time (as well as booking the opera!). 

You can fly to Verona from lots of UK airports. We flew from Newcastle with Tui. Direct flights are also available from Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds. 

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