Looking for the best things to do in Verona?
This ancient city, right beside the Adige River, offers marble arenas, secret gardens, and old squares where you can imagine the footsteps of Roman traders and medieval rulers.
Below, I’ve put together 9 spots, each one an easy walk from the next, where you can step back in time or just relax beside world-class art.
Maybe you’ll even leave a love note under Juliet’s balcony.
So, lace up your comfiest shoes and let’s walk through two thousand years of history in just one day!
Get our best articles by email daily. Subscribe below. It's free!
1. Verona Arena (Arena di Verona)
(Photo by Alberto Bigoni)
The Verona Arena is a huge Roman amphitheater built nearly 2,000 years ago from pale pink marble. Its oval walls still rise four stories above the main square, and inside you can see the arched corridors that once guided crowds of up to 30,000 people to their stone seats.
Long ago, gladiators and wild animals fought on the sand-covered floor. Today, summer opera shows light up the same space with powerful music and fireworks effects.
Because the outer ring was damaged by an earthquake in the Middle Ages, only a part of it remains, but the inner tier is almost complete, making the Arena one of the best kept Roman theaters in the world.
Visitors can climb the seating tiers for a broad view of Piazza Bra and imagine how the amphitheater looked when emperors ruled.
Don’t miss: Beautiful Verona: 30+ Aesthetic Images of this Eternal Italian City
2. Giusti Garden (Giardino Giusti)
Giardino Giusti is located next to a noble palace on the east bank of the Adige River. Tall cypress trees stand in straight lines, guiding you through the garden.
You’ll wander past neat hedges, old stone fountains, and scattered statues. In the middle, there’s a yew-hedge maze. Goethe himself got a little lost in it back in the 1700s.
Paths wind upward, leading to a grotto and a terrace. From there, you can catch a glimpse of Verona’s red rooftops and even spot the Arena in the distance.
Seasonal flower beds bring color here and there. Narrow tunnels carved into the rock offer shade when the sun gets strong, making the whole place feel like a secret retreat tucked away in the city.
3. Juliet’s House (Casa di Giulietta)
(Photo by Maksym Harbar)
Casa di Giulietta is a 13th-century brick house linked to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Visitors step into a small courtyard and snap photos of the famous stone balcony.
People also stick handwritten love notes on the walls, leaving scraps of hope and heartbreak behind. A bronze statue of Juliet stands below.
Many folks touch her right arm for luck in romance, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but it’s a ritual now. Inside, you’ll find rooms with period furniture and old paintings.
There are also costumes from the 1960s film version of the play. The real Capulet family never lived here.
The house once belonged to the Cappellos, whose name sounds a lot like “Capulet,” so the legend just sort of snowballed. Couples can even book a short wedding ceremony in the frescoed hall.
4. Castelvecchio Bridge (Ponte di Castelvecchio)
(Photo by Antonio Vivace)
Castelvecchio Bridge stretches across the Adige River in a sweep of red brick. Verona’s Scaliger rulers built it back in the 1350s.
Its three wide arches were, for a while, the longest in Europe. Soldiers could dash across for a quick escape from the castle right next door.
Stone “teeth” still line the walkway. They let archers hide while keeping an eye on the river.
Visitors now peer through those same gaps for sweeping city views. It’s a bit surreal.
WWII smashed the bridge to pieces. Engineers later fished the fallen blocks from the river and rebuilt everything in the 1950s.
Now, the bridge links the old town to Borgo Trento. It stands as a kind of stubborn, beautiful reminder of medieval engineering.
5. Verona Cathedral (Duomo di Verona)
Verona Cathedral, or the Duomo, stands on the site of older churches that collapsed after a huge quake in 1117.
Romanesque stone lions guard the front door. Inside, striped marble pillars stretch up toward a painted blue ceiling.
In the south transept, Titian’s “Assumption of the Virgin” hangs, its bright colors grabbing everyone’s attention.
Side chapels hide quiet frescoes. Next door, a small cloister lets you wander peacefully beside ancient columns.
The white bell tower climbs 75 meters but still looks unfinished. That gives the church a slightly raw vibe, you can spot it from almost anywhere in the city.
6. Castelvecchio Museum (Museo di Castelvecchio)
Museo di Castelvecchio sits inside a 14th-century fortress, packed with art and objects that trace a thousand years of Verona’s past. Architect Carlo Scarpa took over in the 1960s, mixing rough stone walls with these sleek, floating concrete stairs.
Each gallery surprises you. There are Roman statues, medieval swords, gold altarpieces, and paintings by legends like Bellini, Mantegna, and Pisanello.
Big windows cut right into the battlements, framing the Adige River. There’s even a little drawbridge, so you can step out onto the ramparts and see those castle-top views.
Labels are clear, and the lighting just works. The place feels like a fortress-turned-museum, where you can wander and learn about Verona’s talent for building, fighting, and creating art.
7. Borsari Gate (Porta Borsari)
Porta Borsari is an ancient Roman gate from the 1st century AD. Builders used white limestone and placed it right along the old Via Postumia road.
Two wide arches for carts sit at the base. Above them, a pair of smaller arches once held statues.
A Latin inscription honors Emperor Gallienus, who fixed up the gate in 265 AD. Back in Roman times, guards would stand here, checking travelers and collecting taxes before letting anyone into Verona.
Modern cars now take the side streets. The main arches stay open just for people on foot, so you can walk through and see the weathered carvings up close.
You get a real sense of how soldiers must’ve defended the city almost 2,000 years ago. It’s really hard not to imagine the bustle and tension that once filled this spot.
8. Piazza delle Erbe
(Photo by Fabio Tura)
Piazza delle Erbe stands as Verona’s oldest square. The Romans first laid it out as their forum.
Each morning, small stalls pop up to sell fruit, flowers, and souvenirs. The scene feels alive but never too chaotic.
Colorful buildings, their frescoes faded by time, create a striking backdrop. Above it all, the Torre dei Lamberti clock tower stretches toward the sky.
Right in the center, the Madonna Verona fountain from the 14th century sends thin sheets of water into a stone bowl. Nearby, a marble column holds up the St Mark winged lion of Venice, just in case anyone forgot who once ran the city.
Cafés fill the ground floors. People linger there with a cool drink, watching daily life shift and shuffle from early morning until late at night.
9. Piazza dei Signori
Piazza dei Signori is a small, square courtyard surrounded by grand palaces. Verona’s medieval leaders once worked and met here.
A tall white statue of Dante stands in the center. It’s a quiet reminder that he lived here during his exile.
On one side, the Loggia del Consiglio shows off its fine Renaissance arches. The opposite Palazzo del Governo, or “del Podestà,” keeps its thick Gothic walls.
Overhead, the Arco della Costa holds a whale rib. Legend says it’ll fall when a truly honest person walks under it.
At night, soft lights outline the walls. Sometimes open-air concerts fill the space with music, turning the square into a relaxed meeting point after a day of sightseeing.