Verona Arena Opera Festival

Hello D, and welcome to the forum,

Virtually all of downtown Verona is traffic free and walkable to the Arena. And all of it is upscale and safe as well.
I would recommend staying downtown the loop of the river or across the river in Veronetta which is a community across the river to the east - anywhere north of Via Gaetano Trezza.

Opera ticket sales are here: https://www.arena.it/en/arena-verona-opera-festival/tickets/

Verona has a small airport but only certain lines and cities service it. The next closest big airport is Bologna followed by Venice which is larger and serves more international flights. Milan is another major airport that serves international flights but is the furthest away.
Venice airport to Venice Mestre is a bus or taxi and then Venice Mestre to Verona on the fast train. There is a direct bus from the airport but the train is faster.

Verona is lovely - enjoy,
=Tod

Between Venice and Milan, Milan is a faster gateway to Verona as high-speed trains can reach Verona in 1:20 whereas from Venice Mestre train station it takes from 2:20 to get to Verona. Milan's Linate airport is closest to Milan's Central train station. It takes from ten to thirty minutes to reach Milano Centrale train station from Linate Airport depending on whether you take a taxi or bus.

Currently, there are some incredible deals on nonstop flights from. JFK and EWR to Milan's Malpensa Airport in August for $570 roundtrip. Wow! With prices like that—you really can’t afford to stay home! From Malpensa, it takes about an hour to get to Milan's Central train station.

The majority of the seats for the Verona Opera Festival have already been sold, but there are still many seats in all price tiers remaining for a lot of the performances. You might want to take a look at the schedules on Tod's link and get your tix soon after booking your flights. The final performance is September 6.

www.Skyscanner.com for flight schedules and fares.

It might be helpful to know that the performances start at 9pm and can last for up to four hours with intervals.
It is worth considering the seats in the arena - they have upholstered seats and backs. The steps don't.
Also the arena seats have direct access to the toilets - with the others you have to leave the arena.

whereas from Venice Mestre train station it takes from 2:20 to get to Verona

This is because of August track work on the line. If you look at September 1, a Freccia does Venezia Mestre to Verona Pota Nuova in 1 hour flat.

For getting to Verona- there are plenty of direct flights within Europe, and e.g. you could fly via London on British Airways and then get there directly. You can probably do this via some of the other big airports (Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt) as well.

The festival is great. Others have already mentioned the timing (it can go very late!) and the seats. We've been twice- the first time we went we purchased small inflatable cushions from a vendor just outside the entrance to sit on. We brought them back with us on our second visit to the festival, and they've come in handy for other trips as well. Overall it's an unforgettable experience and I'm sure you'll have an amazing time.

Thank you all so much for the feedback!

We went to the festival about a month ago in late June. It was wonderful. It might be very hot in august, even at night for the opera. When we were there it was a heat wave, unseasonably hot with highs in high 90s. Two elderly people passed out in the row directly in front of us and we saw a third person getting hauled out on a stretcher. Don’t let that sway you but just make sure to stay very hydrated. You can buy water and Gatorade there if needed. I think it stays really warm in that arena even after the sun goes down because of all the stone. Bring a hand held fan (the kind you manually wave in front of your face or one of those little battery operated ones.) if you want to get dinner or aperitivo before hand at piazza bra, get there early (or see if you can make a reservation at one of the restaurants.) There are a lot of restaurants along the piazza directly across from the arena but it was very busy and we probably found the very last table. Which opera are you thinking of going to? We saw Aida and it was magnificent. Even though the opera is in Italian you can follow along because they project the lyrics in English and Italian on big screens slightly off to the side of the stage. If you like concerts at cool venues they also have concerts at the Teatro Romano amphitheater across the river from the ancient city center. When we were there Cat Powers played Bob Dylan songs and there was a classical music concert the following night.

Hi, I attended the opera in Verona, and it’s a wonderful experience!

I bought the less expensive seat that was on the side but still had a seat & back to it. I don’t think they were cushioned. Yes, the opera begins in the late evening, and I read that I should bring a cardigan or pashmina which seemed crazy on a hot day, but I was glad I had it halfway through the opera.

I stayed at Hotel Bologna during that trip because I was traveling solo and didn’t want to be walking several blocks afterwards. Well, after the opera finishes, people go to the restaurants on Piazza Bra, so I was very safe!

Flying into Venice is easier than Milan, but either will work.

Also, you will be near Mantova if you want to have a nice day trip with some fantastic museums!

Went to the festival last year and it was truly the most amazing experience. If you can swing it, I highly recommend splurging a little bit on a seat. You will be thankful you did especially with how uncomfortable the heat can get. Enjoy your time!