Verona is small, and almost everything a visitor wants to see lies inside the loop of the Adige or just outside it. That makes choosing where to stay simple: sleep in or right next to the historic centre and you can walk everywhere. The real choice is between three areas, each with a slightly different character, and between a grand hotel, a comfortable four-star and a simple room with a view.
Piazza delle Erbe and the northern old town
This is the medieval heart of the city, around Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori, Sant’Anastasia and the Duomo, close to the river and Ponte Pietra. It is the most atmospheric place to stay, with the best evening life, and Juliet’s House, the Lamberti Tower and the Roman Theatre are all a few minutes away. The trade-off is evening noise on the busiest squares. For a splurge, the Due Torri Hotel on Piazza Sant’Anastasia is Verona’s classic grand hotel, a fourteenth-century residence where Mozart stayed, with a frescoed breakfast room and a rooftop restaurant in the warmer months. For value, Hotel Aurora puts you right on Piazza delle Erbe, with a terrace over the square and simple rooms with marble bathrooms.
Via Mazzini and the shopping streets
Between Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe, the pedestrian shopping streets around Via Mazzini make an excellent all-round base, equally close to the Arena and the medieval squares. Hotel Accademia on Via Scala is our pick here, a four-star superior hotel in an eighteenth-century building, about 100 metres from Juliet’s House, with a fitness room, a terrace and, unusually for the centre, a private garage.
Piazza Bra and the Arena
The streets around the Arena are ideal for opera lovers and anyone who wants to be close to the big square, the Liston cafés and the main bus stops. Hotel Colomba d’Oro is a historic four-star palazzo on Via Carlo Cattaneo, two minutes from the Arena, and has long been a favourite with opera-goers who want to walk back after a late performance.
Corso Porta Nuova and the station side
The broad avenue from Porta Nuova towards Piazza Bra suits travellers arriving by train, those planning day trips to Lake Garda or Venice, and drivers who want to stay outside the limited traffic zone. Hotel Indigo Verona – Grand Hotel des Arts is a boutique hotel in a 1920s palazzo here, about ten minutes on foot from the Arena, with an inner garden, the Arya cocktail bar and pet-friendly rooms.
Practical tips
The historic centre is a limited traffic zone, so if you are driving, ask your hotel how to reach it and where to park before you arrive; Hotel Accademia has its own garage and Hotel Indigo has a car park next door. In summer, especially on opera nights, book early, as central hotels fill up and prices rise. From November to March availability is much better, though the Christmas market season in December can be busy at weekends. Ask for a room away from the street if you are a light sleeper, wherever you stay.
