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Attractions & day tripsBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best day trips from Verona are Lake Garda (Sirmione or Peschiera), Vicenza and Mantua. All three are under an hour away by regional train, and each gives you something Verona does not: a lakefront, Palladio's architecture, and the Gonzaga palaces. Venice works too, at about 70 minutes, but deserves its own stay. We spent 2 days in Verona from 25 to 27 July 2023, arriving from Munich and going on to Bologna, and on our route Parma was a day trip from Verona, which we would now plan from Bologna instead. The list below is ranked by payoff against travel time.
• 1. Lake Garda (Sirmione and Peschiera): about 13 to 20 minutes by train, plus a short bus to Sirmione. Full day.
• 2. Vicenza: about 25 to 45 minutes by train. Half to full day. Avoid Mondays.
• 3. Mantua: about 46 minutes by direct regional train. Full day. Avoid Mondays.
• 4. Valpolicella: about 30 to 45 minutes by ATV bus to Negrar or San Pietro in Cariano. Half day of wine tasting.
• 5. Venice: about 70 minutes by direct train. Full day, but better as its own stay.
• 6. Bologna: about 50 minutes on the fastest trains, about 1 hour 15 on average. Better as the next stop than a day trip.
• 7. Parma: no direct train; about 2 to 3 hours with a change. Possible, but much easier from Bologna.
Trains leave from Verona Porta Nuova, about a 20-minute walk south of the Arena. Regional tickets do not need booking, but buy them before you board.
What it is: the southern shore of Italy's largest lake. Sirmione sits at the tip of a narrow peninsula, with the moated Scaliger castle at its entrance and the ruins of a large Roman villa, the Grotte di Catullo, at its end. Peschiera del Garda is a fortified town ringed by Venetian walls, right next to its station.
Getting there: direct regional trains from Porta Nuova reach Peschiera del Garda in about 13 to 17 minutes and Desenzano del Garda in about 19 to 23 minutes. From either station, bus line LN026 runs on to Sirmione. Line 026 also runs all the way from Verona to Sirmione, Desenzano and Brescia if you prefer one bus to a train and a bus. In high season buses stop at Colombare at the start of the peninsula, and a shuttle covered by the 026 ticket takes you into the old town.
How long: a full day: Sirmione in the morning, a swim or a boat in the afternoon.
Who it suits: summer visitors, families, anyone tired of stone streets in July heat.
Tip: Sirmione's old town is small and fills up from late morning, so get there early and leave the lakefront lunch for Peschiera or Desenzano. Check stop names against the ATV and Arriva timetables rather than a map app; they do not always match.
What it is: the town Andrea Palladio built. The Basilica Palladiana on Piazza dei Signori, palazzi along Corso Palladio, the Teatro Olimpico with its painted wooden street-scene stage, and the Villa La Rotonda just outside the centre.
Getting there: trains from Porta Nuova take about 25 minutes on the fastest services and around 40 minutes on regionals.
How long: a half day for the centre, a full day with La Rotonda.
Who it suits: architecture and design lovers; anyone who wants a quiet, handsome city with few tour groups.
Tip: the Teatro Olimpico is closed on Mondays. It opens 9:00 to 17:00 from September to June and 10:00 to 18:00 in July and August. A combined museum card covers several sights and is better value than single tickets if you see more than two.
What it is: a Renaissance court city surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes. The Palazzo Ducale, home of the Gonzaga family, holds Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi; the Palazzo Te on the other side of town has Giulio Romano's painted giants.
Getting there: direct regional trains from Porta Nuova take about 46 minutes. Punctuality on this line is poor, so leave slack before a timed entry.
How long: a full day.
Who it suits: art lovers and travellers who liked Verona and want a smaller, quieter version.
Tip: the Palazzo Ducale is closed on Mondays, and the Camera degli Sposi is visited in small groups for a few minutes at a time. Booking through the official ticket site is recommended for individuals and required for groups.
What it is: the hills north-west of Verona that make Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone. Negrar and San Pietro in Cariano are the usual bases, with wineries offering cellar tours and tastings.
Getting there: ATV buses run from Verona to Negrar and San Pietro in Cariano in roughly 30 to 45 minutes. Wineries are spread out, so a car, a taxi between estates or an organised tasting tour makes a half day easier.
How long: a half day, or a long lunch.
Who it suits: wine drinkers; couples; anyone with an extra afternoon.
Tip: most wineries take visitors by appointment only, so book tastings ahead and check the last bus back before you open the second bottle.
Venice is about 70 minutes away by direct train from Porta Nuova to Santa Lucia, with the fastest services a little quicker. It is a reasonable day trip, but day-trippers pay the Venice access fee on fee days between 8:30 and 16:00; see our Venice access fee guide. We gave Venice 3 days of its own, and our day trips from Venice article covers the lagoon and Padua from there.
Bologna is about 50 minutes on the fastest trains. It was our next stop after Verona, for 4 days, and that is the better way to see it: the food and the porticoes are at their best in the evening. See day trips from Bologna.
Parma appears on our route as a day trip from Verona, but there is no direct train: expect about 2 to 3 hours each way with a change. From Bologna it is under an hour on fast trains, so if Parma's cathedral, baptistery and Parmigiano matter to you, plan it from there.
Verona's centre needs a full day on its own: the Arena, Piazza delle Erbe, Juliet's House, the Scaliger tombs and Castel San Pietro at sunset. Our one day in Verona guide has the walking order. With 2 days, as we had, add one trip at most, and Lake Garda or Vicenza are the easiest. With 3 days add Mantua. Our how many days in Verona article goes through the options.
Vicenza, Mantua and the Palazzo Ducale all close on Mondays, so put Lake Garda or Valpolicella on a Monday. In opera season, from roughly mid-June to early September, plan day trips that get you back by early evening for the Arena.
For the bigger picture, our Italy itinerary strings Verona, Bologna and Venice together in the order we visited them, and the Italy guide covers the three cities. Expect a coperto on restaurant bills here as everywhere in the north; see our coperto and tipping guide.
Lake Garda. Direct trains reach Peschiera del Garda in about 13 to 17 minutes and Desenzano in about 19 to 23, and bus line LN026 continues to Sirmione.
Yes. Direct trains take about 70 minutes to Santa Lucia. On fee days, day-trippers arriving between 8:30 and 16:00 must pay the Venice access fee, and Venice is better as its own stay.
Take a train to Peschiera del Garda or Desenzano, then bus LN026 to Sirmione, or take line 026 directly from Verona. In high season a shuttle covered by the 026 ticket runs from Colombare into the old town.
Yes, for Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi in the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo Te. Direct trains take about 46 minutes. Avoid Mondays, when the Palazzo Ducale is closed.
You can, but there is no direct train and it takes about 2 to 3 hours each way with a change. It is under an hour from Bologna on fast trains.
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