Day Trip To Verona From Milan Italy: What To See And Do

Verona has a Germanic layout, yet is distinctly Italian.  A UNESCO World Heritage city, it is divided by the Adige River and has several structures that date back to Roman times, plus some of the most magnificent churches we've seen anywhere.  And because its many great attractions are spread across the city, Verona feels much less crowded than other popular Italian cities (other than around the statue of Juliet, of course)--however, you can explore a lot that Verona has to offer on foot.  Our day in Verona began with a 1-hour train from Milan, costing about 17Euros per person each way, and arriving at Porta Nuova Station.  The train station is pretty nice, along the lines of Santa Lucia in Venice, and the main bus station is right next-door.  The buses do navigate throughout the city, however understanding the routes is pretty tricky (not to mention any unpredictable last-minute changes). We decided to purchase a one-way bus ticket and wait for whichever bus would take us to Castlevecchio soonest, not realizing that there were TWO groups of bus stops on either side of a small building that is close to the bus ticket office--of course, we started on the wrong side, and wasted a little time waiting for our bus in the wrong spot.  TIP: Even though the bus drivers aren't likely to speak English well, you can at least check whether they're heading toward where you need to go (either the name of the attraction if it is well-known or the nearest bus stop).  We had a pretty full day planned, so saving a little time and energy was worth spending a few extra Euros.

The bridge leading to Castlevecchio is quite an impressive structure in iteself, and the massive fortress conveys its lifetime which stretches on from the 1300s. You can walk and explore most of the grounds on your own for free, and delve into the interior for just 6Euros.   There are a lot of restaurants and cafes in the vicinity, and couple of decent grocery stores such as Eurospar--we recommend you grab something soon for the next part of the journey, even if you just save it for later!

After leaving Castlevecchio, we continued northeast on Corso Cavour to Porta dei Borsari, which is a limestone archway that dates back to around 40 B.C.  Nearby is a great, very inexpensive little pasta take-away place called Bigoi which we enjoyed for lunch AND dinner--yum!   We then weaved back southwest toward Piazza Bra, and really any of the streets leading that way are fun to walk down, this area is full of shops and cafes and really has that quintessential Italian vibe, much like Venice (and that I wish was more present in Milan).  There are also some neat museums in this area, such as the Lapidary Maffeiano and Gran Guardia, plus historical landmarks like I Portoni della Bra and the Arena di Verona (which dates back to the first century AD!).  The arena is especially fantastic, and even offers opera shows in the uncovered Colosseum-type space.  Piazza Bra is essentially a small park, and it's a great place for a picnic with public benches and water fountains provided.

After some rest and relaxation, we continued northeast on Via Mazzini, which is a popular pedestrian street with high-end shops on either side--there is a lot of foot-traffic on Via Mazzini because it leads almost directly to Casa di Giulietta.  Romeo and Juliet are of course fictional characters, so the 'historic attraction' here is one simply built to satisfy eager tourists, but it is nonetheless a must-see for any visit to Verona.  There's lots of touristy shops and cafes in the area, but with so much to see and do in the city, it's best not to doddle too long.   

Instead, take a short walk northwest to Piazza Erbe--shop the local market for fresh fruit and souvenirs, and enjoy buildings and monuments that have survived from as early as the 1300s.  We enjoyed a huge cup of fresh-cut mixed fruit for only 5Euros, a perfect snack on a hot summer day (the high temp was 94 degrees!).  A few paces north is a group of small but beautiful Gothic structures, the Scaliger Tombs, mostly built in the 1300s for members of the Scaligeri family. 

As our journey continued northeast on Corso Santa Anastasia, you'll arrive at the Basilica of Saint Anastasia, an incredible church that dates back to the 1400s--entry is only 3Euros per person (worth every penny), or you can buy a combined admission for 6Euros per person that grants access to four churches around Verona (great if you have time to keep exploring).  There is some really interesting historical 'graffiti' scratched into the walls, from various travelers over the centuries.  Save some time and energy to continue onward northwest up Corso Duomo to the Duomo Cathedral Complex, and treat yourself to one of the most magnificent churches you'll ever see.  Remains of the church's first site, dating back to the fourth century A.D., have been recently unearthed and can be seen as you wander into the central cathedral, which was built and rebuilt between the seventh and twelfth centuries.  There's so much to see here it's almost overwhelming.

If we had infinite time and energy, we would have loved to hike up to Parco Delle Colombare, which has a massive area to explore and centuries-old ramparts, and nearby Castel San Pietro.  Thankfully there are numerous spots around Verona from which you can enjoy spectacular views and historic buildings (with less exhaustion involved).  One such place is the beautiful Giusti Palace & Garden, which is a little less than a mile walk from the Duomo.  Complete with hedge-mazes and observation-tower views of the city, the 14th century garden and 16th century palace looks like a villa from around Lake Como.  Admission is about 9Euros per person, and for fans of manicured landscapes and historic mansions, it is well worth it.  To get here, we recommend crossing Ponte Pietra bridge,  which was originally constructed around 100 B.C. (unfortunately most of it was destroyed in WWII)--but before you cross, stop into Gelateria Ponte Pietra for a sweet treat!  We especially loved their watermelon slush.

 As the day began to turn to night, we considered catching a bus back to the central station (for our train ride back to Milan), but decided to walk across Ponte delle Navi bridge and back through the central part of town, to explore some streets we didn't see previously. We passed by Porta Nuova, a large brick building built in the 1500s as part of the city's walls, and saw remains of the fortifications (which is now a large park that hosts concerts and festivals), before reaching the Porta Nuova train station, and returning to our hotel in Milan.  Overall, our visit to Verona was one of our favorite parts of our trip this summer, and we highly recommend anybody who loves historic architecture to visit for at least a day.

Thank you for reading, please let us know if you have any questions or comments, and travel safely!