It's not hard to work out why Verona is so popular: it’s a prized location in Italian and European power struggles; has some of the finest Roman, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture you'll find anywhere on the peninsula, arranged on pretty piazzas and a tangle of streets; and a history dating back to Roman times, which includes family feuds, romance and drama enough to inspire Shakespeare to lay his scenes for Romeo and Juliet and Two Gentlemen of Verona here. It’s also got art, romance, and a 1st century amphitheatre, the Arena di Verona, which hosts an annual opera festival. The best places to stay in Verona offer easy access to a number of features from this list. We recommend converted palazzos dripping with romance and just moments from the Arena di Verona, historic townhouses close to Juliet’s House, luxurious hotels with impressive art and antiques, romantic guesthouses and B&Bs, and discreet apart-hotels among accommodation options.
Verona is a relatively easy city to explore on foot, with the majority of its highlights positioned within a bend in the river Adige, around the Basilica di San Zano Maggiore, an especially impressive Romanesque structure. This is where you’ll find the rosy-coloured Roman amphitheatre, many of the city’s most elegant churches, the old town, and Juliet’s House. Many of the best places to stay in Verona are also within this small area, so ideally located for explorations!
Verona’s summer opera season is well known, and attended, but Verona also hosts a Shakespeare Festival, a Carnival, and the Festa del Nodo d’Amore — celebrating tortellini! While many people book into the best places to stay in Verona during the summer months, Verona’s humid winters, with their mysterious fog, are romantic too.