Verona is nothing if not romantic. It’s home to Juliet’s balcony, and the city’s charming wine bars on cobbled streets just ooze romance. It’s a fun place to bring a family or travel with friends, but it takes the lead in places to go for a romantic weekend away.

Verona is an easily walkable city. The historical centre is compact and navigable, and the Adige river runs through its centre, so you can always find your bearings.

Verona Holidays

Q: How long should I spend in Verona?

This is the perfect city for a weekend break. The small centre is very walkable and can easily be discovered in a few days – but it’s worth considering coming for longer. Verona is the sort of place with so many secrets packed into its alleyways that you can wander happily for four or five days. A week would give you time for day trips to Lake Garda and Bergamo.

Q: What are the local specialities in Verona?

Must-try dishes include polenta, risotto, gnocchi, bigoli pasta and fresh fish from nearby Lake Garda. Local wines from the region include Amarone, Soave and Bardolino.

Q: Should I hire a car in Verona?

Verona is very walkable so within the city you won’t need a car. But it’s definitely worth thinking of hiring one to take day trips to some other towns and cities nearby.

Q: Is Verona a good holiday base?

Verona is perfectly placed to visit Lake Garda, or the quaint beauty of medieval Bergamo. And you can be in Venice in just over an hour. It’s an excellent base for a holiday given that it’s a small, manageable city in such easy reach of so many places. You can even get to Milan in an hour and a half by car if you fancy seeing one of the fashion capitals of the world.

Q: When’s the best time to visit Verona?

Verona is an exciting city to visit at any time of year. In the summer it’s the centre of a world-famous opera festival and, in the winter, there are magical Christmas markets. Year-round, it’s a place for finding something of the real Italy – and it’s the perfect base for exploring the north of the country.

Q: What’s Verona famous for?

Juliet’s Balcony. Even though this is entirely fictional, don’t forget Shakespeare’s character was, too. It’s also known for a Colosseum to rival Rome’s and the award-winning vineyards that line the hillsides. It’s a small, walkable city that captures everything wonderful about Italy.

Q: Best place for views in Verona?

Climb the few hundred steps of the marble-topped Torre dei Lamberti, or hop on the Funicolare di Castel San Pietro for scenic views of Verona and beyond.

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Italy’s charming northern star

Fair Verona, as Shakespeare famously called the city, is a fitting name for such an endearing place. With winding streets, dazzling piazzas, historic artefacts and, of course, what’s reputed (wrongly) to be Juliet’s balcony, Verona has it all. Verona holidays encompass a mix of art, culture, architecture, history and greenery – and given that the city is so compact and walkable, all of these highlights are easy to reach.

One of Verona’s many charms lies in its photogenic piazzas – from its biggest square, Piazza Bra, to the fresco-filled Piazza delle Erbe. Along with these picture-perfect spaces, you’ll find a number of ancient Roman monuments, including the Verona Arena amphitheatre and the Teatro Roman theatre – it’s no wonder Verona is a Unesco World Heritage Site. On holidays to Verona you’ll also find lots of natural beauty, including the Adige river and the 16th-century Giardino Giusti landscaped gardens.

Beyond Verona, Italy’s largest lake, Lake Garda, is a short trip away and promises scenic lakeside villages, water sports and more. Meanwhile, wine lovers will delight in the number of vineyards less than half an hour from the city. With all this on offer and more, it really is very easy to fall in love with fair Verona.

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Juliet’s balcony
On the Casa di Giuletta off the Piazza delle Erbe is the balcony said to have inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s a fake, but a popular and romantic spot nonetheless.
Verona Arena
This striking Roman amphitheatre, located on Piazza Bra, is a must-see, not least to experience the summer opera festival that runs from June to September.
Teatro Romano
Even older than the Roman amphitheatre, the Teatro Romano dates back to the 1st century, and you can still explore the remains of the original building today.