Verona: Tips and practical information
Helpful information for your stay in Verona
How do I get to Verona? Which time of the year is the best time to travel and what festivals and events takes place then? Where can I go out in the evening, which shopping centres are recommended and where can I go for dinner? These and many other questions are answered in this section to make your stay in Verona as simple as possible. Numerous insider tips and useful information will help travellers to find the right places in Verona.
Verona: Tips and information for your stay
Everything that is worth knowing about Verona, including insider tips and information, can be found here:
Arrival and departure
If you want to travel to Verona, you have several options: by car, plane or train.
Arriving by car:
Verona is located at the junction between the A22 from Innsbruck over the Brenner Pass to Verona and further south,and the A4 motorway connecting Milan and Venice. The toll fees depend on your route – you can calculate around 7 euros for 100 kilometres. The speed limit on motorways in Italy is 130 km/h – if it’s raining, the limit is reduced to 110 km/h. You should plan a much longer journey time in the summer due to many tourists that heavily congest the motorways, especially on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Arriving by plane:
Verona’s airport “Aeroporto Valerio Catullo di Verona-Villafranca” (VRN) is located about 12 kilometres south of the city. It is connected by regular flights with many European cities. A special shuttle bus runs from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. every 20 minutes between the airport and the city centre – estimated costs for a single journey are around 4-5 euros.
Aeroporto Valerio Catullo di Verona-Villafranca
37060 Caselle di Sommacampagna – Verona
www.aeroportoverona.it
Arriving by train:
Verona is located on the main north-south route between northern Europe and southern Italy. This explains why many of the international trains stop in Verona, allowing for an easy arrival and onward travel.
Verona Porta Nuova
Piazza 25 Aprile
37138 Verona
Evening activities
In addition to numerous bars, discos and clubs – some of them in a stunning setting – Verona offers a rich programme of entertainment for the evening. From June to August, operas are regularly performed in the Roman open-air arena at Piazza Brà. Detailed information and the performance programme can be found at www.arena.it and www.veronaticket.com.
In addition to performances of dance, jazz and classical music, many theatres, such as the Teatro Camploy (Via Cantare 32), the Teatro Filarmonico (Via die Mutilati 4k), the Teatro Filippini (Vicolo Dietro Campanile Filippini 1), the Teatro Romano (Rigaste Redentore 2) and the Teatro Nuovo (Piazza Francesco Viviani 10), also put on modern and classical plays.
In the numerous bars, discos and cubs you can enjoy perfect, warm summer evenings while listening to good music. Please bear in mind that in Italy you have to visit these locations dressed elegantly, especially in clubs.
Eating and drinking:
Those looking for a good restaurant in Verona are spoiled for choice. Numerous ristoranti, trattorias, pizzerias, osterias and enotecas are lined up one after another along the busy streets and it’s often very difficult to make a choice. People in Verona, as in other parts of Italy, go for dinner at the earliest at 7 p.m. Breakfast isn’t the highest priority, and lunch is usually a bit smaller than dinner.
Verona’s cuisine is heavily influenced by Venetian cuisine but also has its own peculiarities. In addition to the excellent wines from the region such as Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave, you should definitely try another famous Veronese specialty: Pastissada de Caval – a stew made of horse meat. The dessert Pan d’oro, a yeast dough pastry with vanilla, is another Veronese specialty and worthwhile trying.
More information about Venetian cuisine and many recipes can be found under Venetian cuisine.
Festivals and events
Those who are in Verona at the right time may have the pleasure of visiting one of the numerous Veronese festivals and events, which fill the city with fresh life and give Verona a very special shine.
February:
The traditional Venardi gnocolar, the oldest carnival in Italy, takes place every year on Friday before the carnival – a very unique spectacle. www.carnevaleveronese.org
“Verona in Love” is the name of another festival in February. The whole city is taken over by a Romeo and Juliet theme and numerous theatre performances, markets and concerts are offered. www.veronainlove.it
April:
The Vinitaly, Italy’s largest wine fair, presents the finest wines in the country every April. (www.vinitaly.com)
Under the title “Canvas of Love” cinematic highlights are shown for one week at the end of April/beginning of May www.schermidamore.it
May:
30 kilometres outside of Verona – in Soave – every year on the third weekend of May, the white wine festival takes place. You can taste some fine wines in a medieval flair. www.comunesoave.it
June, July, August:
The artistic highlights take place during the summer months. The Verona Theatre, the Teatro Romano and the Palazzo del Comune play host to numerous performances and jazz concerts. (www.estateteatraleveronese.it) In the Roman Arena the opera festival takes place from June to August. (www.arena.it)
September:
On the last weekend of the month, street players from around the world meet in Verona and put on numerous street performances.
October:
The industry fair “Marmomacc” presents all sorts of information about marble and granite in the first week of each month. (www.marmomacc.com)
In the middle of the month, the fair of modern and contemporary art inspires many artists and interested people. (www.artverona.it)
December:
The Christmas market “Mercatini di Santa Lucia” at Piazza Brà attracts many visitors. You can also admire more than 400 nativity scenes from around the world in the Roman arena.
Markets and market days
The traditional market of Verona is the Piazza dell’Erbe. In days long gone by it was mainly food that was traded here. Today many souvenir stands are to be found around the square and many tourists examine the different offers.
Nevertheless, there are lots of other markets in Verona where merchants offer their goods at different places and on different days.
Tuesday:
Via Plinio, Via Emo, Via Avogardo and Piazza San Zeno (each 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Wednesday:
Via Poerio, Viale del Commercio and Piazza 16. Ottobre (each 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – the market at Piazza 16. Ottobre is open until 5 p.m.)
Thursday:
Via Don Mercante, Via Prina and Via Gran Sasso (each 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Friday:
Via Amo, Piazza Penne Nere, Piazza San Zeno and Piazza 16. Ottobre (each 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – the market at Piazza 16. Ottobre is open until 5 p.m.)
Saturday:
Piazzale Olimpia – one of the largest markets in Verona (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Museums and art
When the Scala family ruled Verona the city became a centre of art. Many artists, painters, architects, poets and sculptors came to Verona at this time. Their works of art can still be admired in the city.
At the Museo Civico d’Arte in the Castelvecchio (Scaliger Castle), numerous paintings from the Veronese di Veronas school can be admired and religious art can be found at the Museo Canonical on the Canonical Square. Beautiful frescos adorn the walls of the Church Sant’Anastasia, the church of San Fermo Maggiore and the Basilica di San Zeno, which is one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Italy. Also worth looking at is the interior of the Doumo Santa Maria Matricolare.
Furthermore, you can find modern art at the Galleria d’arte moderna. Fans of historical and archaeological information should go to the Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo, the Museo Lapidaro Maffeiano and the Museo Archieologico.
Parking
Parking in Verona is a science in its own right – it’s really hard to get one of the rare parking spaces. Basically, parking is only permitted on curbs with white or blue lines. If you park on the blue lined curbs, you have to pay a ticket up to 2 hours at a parking machine – costs per hour are around 1.50 euro. Parking on curbs with a yellow line is not permitted – if you do so, you must expect to pay a ticket or towing charge. Therefore parking in one of the car parks around the city centre comes highly recommended. The following parking garages are appropriate for a visit to the centre of Verona.
Arena parking garage (near the Arena)
Via M. Bentegodi 8
37122 Verona
Cost: € 1.90/ hour, € 14.00/day
Park House Piazza Isolo (near the old town)
Via Ponte Pignolo 6/c
37129 Verona
Cost: € 1.80/ hour, € 15.00/day
Park House Piazza Citadella (near the Arena)
Piazza Citadella
37122 Verona
Cost: € 1.80/ hour, € 12.00/day
Shopping
Verona is a small Mecca for shopping enthusiasts. Shop for shop is lined up in the compact city centre of Verona, and people love to go shopping in the calm pedestrian zone. Piazza Brà and Piazza dell’Erbe are ideal for strolling. However, the main shopping areas are the Via Mazzini, the Via Borsari and the Via Capello. Here you can find many fashion shops and retailers with all kinds of accessories.
Security
Along with the rest of northern Italy, Verona is mostly relatively safe. You don’t have to be more afraid than anywhere else and you can go wherever you want without hesitation. Nevertheless you should not leave any valuables in the car and be careful with your belongings, especially when you are in the middle of large crowds of people. However, should something happen, the numerous police officers in Verona are usually very helpful.
Transport
Driving in Verona is generally not recommended. Traffic is not permitted in the old town, and parking is a major problem in Verona. It is recommended that you leave your car in one of the large multi-storey car parks – the sights are all in walking distance so there is no need to drive by car. Access to the old town for dropping off luggage (and only for this!) is permitted on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and from 4. p.m. to 6 p.m and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 1.30. p.m. For journeys outside these times you have to expect very high fines.
More information about Verona and tips for your stay in Italy can be found in the general information about Italy.
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