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 for enjoying Lake Garda and thermal baths as well as evening walks through the centre of Verona.

Some of the best things to see and do in Verona in summer include 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 refresh yourself 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 June and September you can cool your feet in the pond and sit in the shade of the trees to combat the city's heat, which can reach 40°C in summer. The Military Arsenal is also close to 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 often 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... 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. If you plan to visit Verona at Christmas time 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 less tourists, but you can also enjoy it in summer.

During the summer, Lake Garda is at its best as you can go on water tours, visit the thermal complexes and spas and walk around the lakeside villages including Sirmione, Salò and Torri del Benaco. The only thing to bear in mind is to book your excursion in advance, as tours from Verona tend to sell out, and you'll also need to be patient with the backlog of visitors.

Touring Lake Garda is definitely one of the best things to do from Verona and a different alternative that will take you out of the buildings, churches and castles of the city and into one of the most beautiful natural areas in Italy.

Interesting details

• 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 beat the heat by eating watermelon at the street st alls that are located in every neighbourhood 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 prefer another fruit you will also find stalls with other options. The important thing is that you can hydrate yourself, enjoy the local natural flavours and also enjoy a good show, as one of the oldest stalls is the San Zeno stall, which sells fruit while live music concerts are played in the area.

In Verona you can also enjoy drinks from the street stalls and food options offered by these shops, which are not usually included in the best food tours of the city but are definitely 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 you will be able to see some of the best views from here.

To get to the main viewpoint, which is located at the top of the castle, you can either take the stairs at the side of the Roman Theatre or use the San Pietro funicular, which runs Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm 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 see a wide panorama of the city, the colourful houses on the river bank, the Stone Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Verona, and the old part of the city. And if you go up at the last turn, you can wait for the sunset and watch one of the most beautiful sunsets in Italy.

Interesting facts

• Price... 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 on bus lines 21, 22, 23, 24 and 61 or on Verona's 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 paddling 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 trip.

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 hottest water in the whole complex, but the best alternative is to visit in summer to make the most of the open spaces, cold water pools and play area.

Interesting facts

• Price... Entry to Aquardens with an all-day pass costs approximately 49 euros.
• Where... Via Valpolicella 63, Pescantina.
• How to get there... You can get there on bus lines 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 summer it's enough to cross one of the city's bridges to enjoy the cool breeze that the river brings and brings the sweltering temperature down a few notches, so one of the best plans is to take a walk along the riverbank.

In the summer months the river's flow slows down significantly, so you'll find river beaches along the way. This usually happens near the Castelvecchio Bridge, which gives rise to a sandy square that was christened Catena Beach by the locals, 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 organise a picnic, bring your drinks to enjoy the sunset or simply 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 city centre area, as the same audiences who attend the Verona Festival in the Arena then wander into 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.

Besides the Verona Festival, there are also opera evenings with paid admission at the Roman Theatre 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 thermal spa complex overlooking the lake. In this thermal centre you will find bubble beds, hydromassage, vascular circuits, fresh water pools, Scottish showers, massage and multi-sensory relaxation areas and also relaxation areas.

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

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

Interesting facts

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

Monte Bianco, on the outskirts of 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 refresh yourself before continuing your tour.

At Monte Bianco you can also visit the sauna and Turkish bath, so as well as 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 centre of Verona.

At the Monte Bianco complex you can buy one-day passes, 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.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the swimming pools has an initial cost of approximately 15 euros, although some activities may have an extra cost.
• Where... Via Monte Bianco 16, Verona.
• How to get there... You can get there on bus lines 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 comes down over the old town. There you can enjoy street performances, open-air operas, stroll through 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'll also be able to tour these exhibitions and in many cases they have a reduced nightly rate. You can also opt to stop for a rest stop in the restaurants in the centre and have an aperitif in the bars of the old town.

If you want to walk around different parts of the city at night, you can use some of Verona's 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°C, the minimum is 28°C and the average is 34°C, making Verona very hot during the summer period, especially in the months of July and August.

Although it is a humid city, it rains very rarely during the summer, 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 outskirts, such as the area of Lake Garda and Sirmione.

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

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

To save money you can book in advance online, use discount vouchers or opt to stay away from the city centre, but be aware that summer is not a cheap 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 costume
• Sun hat
• Light T-shirt
• T-shirts
• Lightweight coat
• Lightweight trousers
• Hiking shoes