10 Things to Do in Verona in Summer

Verona is one of the top destinations for visitors in northern Italy and summer is the peak season for the city, which offers festivals and music concerts, fairgrounds, perfect weather to enjoy Lake Garda and thermal baths and also night walks in the center of Verona.

Among the best things to see and do in Verona in summer are cooling off in the swimming pool of the Arsenale Green Area, watching the clear, open sunsets from the top of Castel San Pietro, visiting the Aquarderns water park and taking a walk along the banks of the Adige to enjoy the cool breeze across the river.

If you plan to walk around the city, in the large green area of Castelvecchio, near the bridge, you can cool off in the swimming pool of the former site of the Habsburg Military Arsenal. There, during the summer, you can visit the back garden and use the pond that was restored from a pre-existing one.

Between the months of June and September you can cool your feet in the pond and sit in the shade of the trees to combat the heat of the city, which in summer can reach 40°. In addition, near the Military Arsenal you will find the Arena of Verona, the Palazzo della Ragione and the Basilica of Santa Anastasia, making it an ideal place to rest before continuing your excursions.

The Habsburg Military Arsenal is also usually included in the itinerary of the best tours of Verona, so it will also be one of the stops if you decide to take a guided tour of the city.

Interesting facts

• Price... The entrance to the garden of the Military Arsenal is free of charge.
• Where... Piazza Arsenale 11, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus line 92 or by Verona hop on-hop off tourist buses.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and you can visit its paradisiacal landscapes at any time of the year, because if you plan to visit Verona at Christmas you can live a magical experience with the markets and the lights of the surrounding villages and if you visit the city in June you can discover the lake with the best weather and with a smaller influx of tourists, but you can also enjoy it in summer.

During the summer Lake Garda reserves its best activities, as you can go on water tours, visit the thermal complexes and spas and walk around the lakeside villages, among which Sirmione, Salò and Torri del Benaco stand out. The only thing you should keep in mind is to book your excursion in advance, as the tours from Verona are usually sold out, and you will also have to be patient with the accumulation of visitors.

Touring Lake Garda is undoubtedly one of the best activities you can do from Verona and also a different alternative that will allow you to leave the buildings, churches and castles of the city to go into one of the most beautiful natural areas of Italy.

Details of interest

• Price... Entrance to the lake area is free of charge.
• Where... Lake Garda, Verona.
• How to get there... By Flixbus private buses.

Verona is a city of traditions and one of them, besides touching Juliet's statue, getting lost in the labyrinth of Sigurta and making a wish on the shores of Lake Garda, is to combat the heat by eating watermelon at the street stalls that are located in every neighborhood of the city and are open until late at night.

Eating watermelon at the street kiosks is a widespread custom in Verona and if you are one of those who prefer another fruit you will also find stalls with other options. The important thing is that you can hydrate yourself, enjoy the local natural flavors and also a good show, as one of the oldest stalls is San Zeno, which sells fruit while live music concerts can be heard in the area.

In Verona you can also enjoy the drinks from the street stalls and the food options offered by these stores, which are not usually included in the tours of the best gastronomic tours of the city but are certainly worth it.

The Castle of San Pietro, located on the other side of the Stone Bridge, is one of the most beautiful in Verona and is also one of the highest points in the metropolitan area of the city, so if you plan to visit the city in the summer from there you can see some of the best views.

To access the main viewpoint, which is located at the top of the castle, you must climb stairs located next to the Roman Theatre or use the funicular of San Pietro, which operates Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 17.00 and is the best option for the summer, to avoid the heat of the stairs.

From the height of the San Pietro belvedere you will be able to glimpse a wide panorama of the city, the colorful houses on the river bank, the Stone Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Verona, and the old part. In addition, if you go up in the last turn you can wait for the sunset and contemplate one of the most beautiful sunsets in Italy.

Interesting facts

• Price... The entrance to the castle and the viewpoint has an initial cost of approximately 10 euros per person.
• Where... San Pietro Castle, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus line 21, 22, 23, 24 and 61 or by Verona hop on-hop off tourist buses.

In the Lake Garda area thermal pools are very common and during the summer the outdoor ponds become very popular with visitors looking to cool off. Aquardens, located halfway between Verona and Garda, is a thermal water park with attractions for the whole family.

At Aquardens, children can enjoy a play area and children's pools while adults use the spa, massage area, bar and restaurants. Aquardens also has a beach area, lagoon, beer garden and sports court, making it ideal for a full-day excursion.

Aquardens is open all year round and if you visit Verona in winter you can also enjoy the warm waters of Grotta della Fonte, which has the warmest water of the whole complex, but the best alternative is to visit in summer to make the most of the open spaces, cold water pools and playground.

Interesting facts

• Price... The entrance to Aquardens in the all-day pass has an approximate initial cost of 49 euros.
• Where... Via Valpolicella 63, Pescantina.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus line 11, 13, 106 and 173.

The Adige is the second longest river in Italy and also one of the main sites of Verona. Even during the hottest days of the summer it is enough to cross one of the bridges of the city to enjoy the cool breeze that brings the river and that lowers the sweltering temperature a few degrees, so one of the best plans is to take a walk along the riverbank.

In the summer months the flow of the river is significantly reduced, so you will find along the route river beaches. This usually happens near the Castelvecchio Bridge, which gives rise to a sandy square that was baptized by the locals as Catena Beach, which you can also visit once the sun goes down, making it one of the best things to do in Verona at night.

Along the banks of the Adige you will also find a wooded area equipped with tables and benches where you can organize a picnic, bring your drinks to enjoy the sunset or just have lunch or take a break before continuing your tour of Verona's attractions.

In the city, especially in summer, open-air street concerts are a custom, especially in the downtown area, as the same public that attends the Verona Festival at the Arena then wanders the streets to listen to local artists on opera nights.

These impromptu concerts are free, but the musicians accept contributions from the public. During the summer you can also find street performances on the banks of the Adige River, near Juliet's House and in Piazza Bra, where it is also common for poets to gather to recite their works and artists to exhibit their paintings.

In addition, in addition to the Verona Festival, there are also opera evenings with paid admission at the Roman Theater and in other parts of the city, such as in the Sigurta Garden Park and on the Stone Bridge.

Sirmione is one of the most beautiful villages in the Lake Garda area and has a spa with thermal waters inside a complex overlooking the lake. In this thermal center you can find bubble beds, hydromassages, vascular circuits, freshwater pools, Scottish showers, massage and multisensory relaxation areas and also relaxation sites.

Unlike the thermal resorts in the area or the water parks, Sirmione offers a natural setting on the lake shore with one of the best open views in the area and also beauty treatments medical services, so for a long time Sirmione was considered a body recovery clinic. Currently, due to governmental regulations it can no longer hold that designation but retains the services.

Keep in mind that Sirmione is for a full day trip and, in addition, Lake Garda is located about 30 minutes from the center of Verona, so it could be incompatible with a short visit to the city. If that is your case here I leave you a list with the activities you can do to discover Verona in 2 days.

Interesting facts

• Price... The entrance to the thermal complex of Sirmione has an approximate initial cost of 68 euros for the daily pass.
• Where... Piazza Don A. Piatti 1, Sirmione.
• How to get there... You can get there by Flixbus private service buses.

Monte Bianco, just outside Verona, is a complex of indoor and outdoor swimming pools suitable for both sports training and recreation, so if you plan to visit the city in summer you can visit them to cool off before continuing your tour.

At Monte Bianco you can also visit the sauna and Turkish bath, so in addition to taking a dip in the pools you can relax without the need to travel to the Lake Garda area, in an area much closer to the center of Verona.

At the Monte Bianco complex you can buy passes for a single day, so the visit is compatible with a short stay. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Verona in 3 days.

Details of interest

• Price... The entrance to the swimming pools has an approximate initial cost of 15 euros, although some activities may have an extra cost.
• Where... Via Monte Bianco 16, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there by bus line 12, 121 and 130.

One of the best things to do in Verona during the summer is to explore the city at night, when the temperature drops and the breeze of the Adige river descends on the old part of the city. There you can enjoy the street shows, the open-air operas, walk along the stone streets and see the main sites with fewer tourists.

In addition, during the summer some of the city's best museums stay open until the early hours of the morning, so you can also tour these exhibits and in many cases have a reduced nightly rate. You can also opt for a rest stop in the downtown restaurants and have a snack in the bars of the old part of town.

If you want to walk at night through different parts of the city you can use some of the Verona hop on-hop off tourist bus providers , which include tours until the early hours of the morning.

The maximum summer temperatures in the city reach 40°, the minimum is 28° and the average is 34°, making Verona very hot during the summer period, especially in the months of July and August.

In addition, although it is a humid city, during the summer the rains are very sporadic, so you can enjoy the outdoor attractions without any inconvenience.

Summer is the high season in Verona, so the number of tourists increases significantly, especially in the main sites of the city and in the most visited peripheries, such as the area of Lake Garda and Sirmione.

To avoid last minute price increases and sold out excursions, I advise you to book tours in advance.

During the summer is high season in the city so prices increase considerably, especially for accommodations and outdoor or full-day excursions from the city.

To save money you can book in advance online, use discount coupons or opt to stay in places away from the city center, although you should keep in mind that summer is not an economical time to visit Verona.

Summer in Verona is very hot, so I advise you to include the following in your suitcase before your visit:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Swimming suit
• Sun hat
• Light T-shirt
• T-shirts
• Light coat
• Lightweight pants
• Mountain shoes