Verona in 1 Day: all you need to know

Seeing Verona in a day seems impossible, but with the right plan, you can discover the main sites that inspired William Shakespeare, visit the Arena di Verona and Piazza Bra, explore Juliet's House and her balcony, admire the city from the Torre dei Lamberti, visit the Cathedral and the Stone Bridge, and watch the sunset from the Castle of San Pietro.

The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre that is almost 2,000 years old and one of the city's most visited attractions. If you book a guided tour of Verona, it will almost certainly be included, at least the exterior. Every year, events and musical performances are held there, including the Verona Festival, which consists of a series of opera concerts that take place every year between June and August.

I suggest starting your tour at the Verona Arena in the morning, as you will avoid the long queues and be able to enjoy this Roman amphitheatre, the best preserved of its kind in the world, with fewer visitors. During the tour, which you can do on your own or with a guided tour, you will be able to see the interior of the Arena and learn about its history and the many uses it has had over the years.

The tour of the Arena di Verona takes approximately 1.5 hours and once outside, I recommend taking a short walk through Piazza Bra, located at the exit of the amphitheatre, which is one of the busiest and most famous public squares in the city and also the meeting point for the best tours of Verona.

Useful information

• Price: Tickets to visit the interior of the Arena cost approximately £10 per person.
• Where... Piazza Bra 1, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by bus lines 11, 12, 31, 32, 33 and 52 or by the Verona tourist bus.

Without a doubt, I recommend booking the Romeo and Juliet tour in Verona. Juliet's House is the most visited attraction, as the play Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most famous works You can get there from the Arena by walking 10 minutes along the seven streets or by taking bus lines 11, 13 and 52.

The Juliet's House Museum displays some items related to Shakespeare's play and also provides an overview of the history of the medieval palace, which has been recorded since at least the 12th century, when it was inhabited by the Capulets, Juliet's family. However, most of the house was rebuilt in 1940 and only the entrance door remains of the original structure. The museum's main attractions are outside:

• The statue of Juliet, which according to a Veronese urban legend must be touched to bring good luck.
• The balcony, where one of the most famous dialogues in Shakespeare's play takes place.

Please note that Juliet's House is always very busy and you may have to queue to visit it or take a photograph in front of the palace. If you want to visit the museum, it is best to buy tickets in advance online.

Useful information

• Price: Tickets to visit the museum cost approximately £6 per person.
• Where... Piazzetta Navona, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by bus lines 11, 13 and 52 or by the Verona tourist bus.

Two streets away from Juliet's House is the Torre dei Lamberti, an ancient medieval civil tower 84 metres high that was once considered one of the tallest buildings in the city. Today, it is one of the best vantage points for admiring the city skyline and also serves as a clock tower. In fact, it is one of the stops if you book a guided tour of Verona.

The Torre dei Lamberti is striking for the complexity of its construction, the materials used and the two bells at the top, one of which signals fires and the hours of the day and the other which is used to call the people to arms to defend the city. If you visit it, you can also discover the spiral staircase that will take you to the top and a lift that was added at the beginning of the 20th century.

From the Torre dei Lamberti, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city, including the Adige River, the Castle of San Pietro, the old town, the Arena and the Cathedral. If you plan to visit Verona in summer, you can also see the first mountain range of the Alps.

Useful information

• Price: Tickets to access the viewpoint cost approximately £5 per person.
• Where... Via della Costa 1, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by bus lines 11, 13 and 52 or by the Verona tourist bus.

One of the best things to do in Verona is to enjoy Italian food, so once you've finished visiting the Torre dei Lamberti viewpoint, I suggest you head to Piazza delle Erbe for lunch. This is one of the city's central points and is only two streets away. It's also one of the places you'll visit if you book the guided tour of Verona.

Piazza delle Erbe is one of the most famous public spaces and if you plan to visit Verona during Christmas, you will see that a giant Christmas tree is set up there every year. It is also known for being the place where some of the best restaurants are located. Since you won't have time to take a food tour in Verona, you can at least visit some of the places that are usually included in food tours, such as:

• Ristorante Maffei.
• Billy Paletta.
• Osteria del Bugiardo.

In the Piazza delle Erbe area, you will find restaurants of all kinds and menus at all prices, so you can choose the option that best suits your palate. If after lunch you also want to try traditional Italian ice cream, you can choose from two of the most famous ice cream parlours in the streets near Piazza delle Erbe:

• The famous Gelateria Impero.
• Amorino.

After lunch in the Piazza delle Erbe area, I suggest heading towards the Adige River to Verona Cathedral, which is located six streets away from the square. You can walk there in 10 minutes, take bus line 70 or book the Verona tourist bus.

Verona Cathedral stands out for its simplicity, its Romanesque structure and its striking gabled façade. Inside, it houses Renaissance frescoes and sculptures, and the altar is built from the remains of the two churches that previously occupied the site and were destroyed by an earthquake in the 11th century. It has an unfinished bell tower, and between the central naves you can see stained glass windows in a single shade of blue.

Although the cathedral is one of the most important Catholic buildings in the city due to its status, it is not one of the most visited churches in Verona, as this place is occupied by the convents and chapels mentioned by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. You can visit Verona Cathedral every day and also visit the religious hospices on Sundays.

Useful information

• Price: Admission to the Cathedral is free.
• Where... Piazza Vescovado, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by bus lines 70 or the Verona tourist bus.

Very close to the Cathedral, four streets away, is the Stone Bridge, one of the eight Roman bridges that once crossed the Adige River. Today, it is the only one still standing, even though it was partially rebuilt after World War II. You can reach the bridge in a 10-minute walk or by taking bus line 70. You can also book a bike tour of Verona.

The Stone Bridge is not only the oldest in the city, but also one of the main features of Verona's skyline, which is characterised by medieval buildings and the Roman influence of its main structures. From this bridge, you can take some of the best photographs of the city and also take pictures of yourself on it.

The Stone Bridge was of central importance in ancient times, as it connected the old town with the Castle of San Pietro, which crowned the city's resistance to invaders. That is why the bridge is included in most guided tours that cover the history of the city, even those aimed at children. So, if you are planning to visit Verona with children, seeing it can be an ideal option, as it is very striking.

Useful information

• Price**...** Visiting the bridge is free.
• Where**...** Stone Bridge, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by taking bus line 70 or the Verona tourist bus.

Across the bridge is the Roman Theatre, which is over 2,000 years old and one of the oldest buildings still standing in its original form in Verona, without having been rebuilt throughout its history. The theatre, which is used as a venue for concerts and shows, also houses the Archaeological Museum

The museum is one of the stops on the guided tour of Verona and is an archaeological exhibition centre with over 600 works on display indoors and another 200 outdoors. Among the items you can discover there are inscriptions, sculptures, mosaics, bronzes, vases, steles and funerary altars, Etruscan urns and Greek inscriptions, as well as ceramic bowls and metal furniture.

Visiting this museum will be interesting if you are a history buff, although you will also find curious items that will give you an insight into what life was like in the city during Roman times and how social customs changed during successive conquests. Without a doubt, the Archaeological Museum is one of the best museums in Verona

Useful information

• Price: Admission to the museum costs approximately £4.50 per person.
• Where**...** Regaste Redentore 2, Verona.
• How to get there: Take bus lines 11, 12, 31, 32, 33 or 90, or the Verona tourist buses.

A few metres from the Roman Theatre, high above the city, stands San Pietro Castle, one of the highest points in the Verona metropolitan area and one of the best things to see and do in Verona during a day trip. From the viewpoint, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. To reach the main viewpoint at the top of the castle, you can use the stairs or the San Pietro funicular.

The main attractions of the city that you can see from the Castle of San Pietro are the flower-filled houses on the banks of the Adige River, the different colours, textures and materials of the Stone Bridge and the narrow streets of the old part of Verona, which is one of the most picturesque parts of the city.

From the height of the viewpoint, if you go up during the last tour, you can also enjoy one of the best sunsets in Italy, so I recommend that you leave your visit to San Pietro Castle until the end of your tour, so that you can watch the sunset from the top. You can get there easily by booking a bus with stops throughout Verona.

Useful information

• Price: Admission to the castle and viewpoint costs approximately £10 per person.
• Where**...** Castel San Pietro, Verona.
• How to get there: You can get there by bus lines 21, 22, 23, 24 and 61 or by Verona tourist buses.

Towards the end of the tour, I suggest you get off at San Pietro Castle, cross the Stone Bridge and take a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Adige. If you plan to visit Verona in January, you'll find that the cool breeze from the river will help you beat the heat, and if you're visiting during a colder time of year, a light coat will help keep you warm, but it's worth saying goodbye to the city from the river.

If you still feel like exploring the city, you can opt for a walk through the old part of town, or you can go directly to Via Mazzini to have dinner at one of the restaurants in the area. I recommend Le Vecete or Il Bacaro dell'Arena, but you're sure to find other interesting places.

You can bid farewell to the city at a local bar or café for a coffee or to try some of the delicious local desserts.