Verona day trip for birthday- questions, please

Verona is a great walking town - the center is nearly traffic free and buildings with faded murals and painted details lurk in unlikely corners. I think you time line is pretty good. The walk from the train station is uninteresting so from the train station I would grab a bus or a cab to Piazza Bra - usually one or two stops on the bus. There is a taxi stand outside the train station, of course, along with the main bus depot and many bus lines go past Piazza Bra. Piazza Bra - with the arena - has two Roman gates that are nearby so take the time to check them both out. One is the "Clock Gate" on Corso Porta Nuova that leads to the piazza and the other is Porta Borsari on Corso Porta Borsari/via Cavour nearer the river.

The an intact Roman Arena and Theater which are still used for events with music and opera being a big part of the city's summer schedule including concerts and opera. The Theater includes the Archeological Museum which is small but also gives you access to the rambling remains of old religious sites there. If you go all the way to the top you are just below the height of the castle site which is on the other side of the fence. If you like modern art check out the small Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo which mixes ancient and modern art, a palazzo and rooftop tour all into one place overlooking piazza Erbe and is underadvertised. I think Piazza Erbe (looking past the market stands) is one of the prettiest piazzas in Italy. Verona has the 'elegant decay' feeling with faded murals on medieval buildings that the Veneto does so well. The nearby Piazza dei Signori is less grand but contains a ton of history and has buildings from all the eras of Verona.

There are four big church sites and a pass for all of them if you are interested. The Cathedral is in the downtown area but the The Basilica of San Zeno is in the relative outskirts.
https://www.chieseverona.it/en

Al Grottino - Osteria e Sbecoleria is a great hole in the wall place off Piazza Erbe for a drink and cicchetti. Cafe Monte Baldo nearby also has great cicchetti and more serious food if you want that. Right near the cafe there is Arcivio a super small, super hip cocktail bar. There is no lack of good restaurants in Verona but read the menu carefully at the older places because the cuisine can be very "traditional". There are many wine-centric resultants like Osteria del Bugiardo. Al Grottino only has a few wines but they were really good. The main wine in the Verona area is Valpolicella which comes in the grades Classico Superiore, Ripasso and Amarone increasing in quality and price. Given how cheap the wine is I wouldn't go lower than Ripasso and even the highest Amarone seems cheap by stateside standards - 8-9e a glass. There are cafes with outdoor seating everywhere in Verona whenever you decide to want to sit and/or spritz.

There is a handy taxi stand in Piazza Bra when you decide you are done and want to head to the train station.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Tod, thank you once again for offering such a wonderfully detailed response. Your two sentences below made me wish I were overnighting in Verona to be able to experience more than a full day. Perhaps on my next return to Italy.
"Verona is a great walking town - the center is nearly traffic free and buildings with faded murals and painted details lurk in unlikely corners."
"Verona has the 'elegant decay' feeling with faded murals on medieval buildings that the Veneto does so well."

Hope you have an awesome trip.
I'd love to hear about it if you want to fill out a trip report when you get back!

=Tod

We were in Verona about a month ago. In addition to the places Tod mentioned, we loved the Castelvecchio, which has a wonderful art museum and an active archeological site where you can watch the archeologists working. And we really enjoyed Giardini Giusti and its beautiful palazzo. One thing to be aware of…we had some trouble finding taxis when we needed them. Even when using the app for Verona taxis. We actually missed our train to Rome because we couldn’t find a taxi in time to take us to the train station. We might have just been unlucky or maybe there was some kind of holiday or event or lack of taxis on Monday mornings or something. I’m not really sure but just a heads up because I’d hate for you to miss your train like we did. Hope you enjoy your birthday in Verona! It’s a very beautiful city!

There is a stealth taxi stand in Piazza Erbe and while there must be others I don't know of any. I used AppTaxi in several northern cities including Verona and it has worked well for me. In some places you can prearrange a ride using AppTaxi within 24 hours of your trip and they will confirm with company before confirming your reservation. But be warned that traffic - especially morning traffic - is a real things as everyone has to squeeze around the old traffic-free downtown and the river.

The main train terminal is well served by buses from all over the city since it is the bus hub. Luggage on buses is less than ideal but the airport bus also leaves from the train station so it is not uncommon.

In Italy you can only take taxis from official taxi stands and you cannot hail them on the street. Otherwise you need to call, or "call" with an app, and have a taxi come to you for which there will be a small additional charge. Taxis are highly regulated in Italy and all are required to take credit cards but most really prefer cash. Some people saying asking for a receipt before you even head out can help curtail any shady doings by the cab driver, but I haven't had a problem with cabs since the lira was in use.

=Tod

Thank you CK for sharing your Verona suggestions...more to add to my itinerary!

At the present time I am planning on walking from the train station to/from the heart of the city. I rarely ever use cabs unless the distance is too far, or weather creates unpleasant walking. However, it is helpful to know of your experience. I had trouble getting a cab at the train station in Rome on my arrival day to the city last year. I used the FreeNow App and even Uber, but my rides would drop me as they got closer. I finally walked a block or two away and tried again and was successful.

Thank you Tod for the taxi info, not only useful in Verona, but elsewhere. I couldn't help but laugh at some slightly intoxicated ladies while in Rome one evening trying to hail a cab as if they were in NYC. The cabs kept passing by as the women wildly waved their arms. I tried to offer advice, but they were not interested in my help.

My only negative cab experience last year was in Naples on my arrival day to that city. The owners of the Airbnb I was staying told me to ask for fixed rate of 11 Euros. I was approached by a cab driver, told him where I was going and the amount I would to pay him in cash. He did not agree so I walked away and he called me back. I repeated the fixed rate several times to ensure we were on the same page. As I entered the cab, he motioned for another person to get in saying it was a friend of his. He made small talk, and I was brief in my answers being a solo female traveler and not trusting him. He then told me the 11 euro rate was for a company car, but this was his car and it wasn't the same and my fare would be 13-15 euros. I demanded to be let out if expected to pay more than the agreed upon rate. He drove a bit further and told me that he could not get down the street my Airbnb was on and told me he'd let me out on the corner and pointed to which direction I should turn. He scammed me, as I had to walk another 10 mins after pulling out my phone for navigation, not expecting to be let out in an unfamiliar area. On my departure day I had an honest cabbie who pulled up right outside the gate to the apartment on a narrow street and charged me the fixed rate. I tipped him well for being honest.

Honestly the walk from the train station into town is kind of long and uninteresting. The area around the train station has wide 4 lane streets and seems to be always under construction. And while Corso Porta Nuova is pleasant enough with trees near both sidewalks and flowers and hedges in the middle it's mostly a lot of everyday businesses and apartments. It's probably about a mile and while it's doable - and I'm sure others will be doing it - but I'd save your walking for the interesting bits.

There a taxi rank right in front of the station and there is usually a short line and it moves along pretty quickly because a lot of people are taking taxis to the train station. You can get pretty much anywhere downtown for 10e in the taxi from the train station.

The area in front of the train station is the bus station and any variety of buses stop at Piazza Bra so for 2e you can hop on a bus for 2 or 4 stops and then get off in Piazza Bra where the Arena is. Buses have tap in/tap out using a credit card or buy a bus ticket at the booth in the station. Use Google maps Transit tab and choose any of the 3 or 4 buses heading to Piazza Bra in the next few minutes. As an aside bus stops are well marked in Verona with A/B/C bus stop signs at busy stops. Always validate your ticket or tap in on the bus since they do check.

My $.02, Verona is a great walking town,
=Tod