Verona on our own from Venice as a Day Trip

Hi Delza, For a day trip, (check a Verona map on-line) you'll spend most of your time between the Arena & the inner curve of the river up to the Duomo. The Verona Card is a good idea to see the top highlights, but make sure you spend some relaxing time in Piazza Bra people watching, too. The train station is south of town, and there's frequent buses to leave you off inside the city gate. Once you've arrived at Piazza Bra, there's no need to take another bus until you're leaving. Also, enjoy the beautiful pink marble sidewalks in the shopping area, heading towards Piazza del Erbe with a stop for gelato!

Verona is lovely and very walkable once you get into the historic center. Do be sure to go to the Castelvecchio if you like old castles. We went last year and are going again next year. Here are some photos I took, in case you're interested in a glimpse of that beautiful city: Verona in May 2011

Verona is perfect for a day trip - a great place to spend a few hours, but not much more than that. Not sure about the value of the Verona Card - it would depend on how many of the sites you want to see in a short time. But the town is a great place to stroll. We were there three weeks ago and were a little annoyed at the practice of charging to see all the churches. It's not much, but they aren't that interesting either. The Duomo was a complete bust. There was construction going on inside - repairing the floor - making it almost impossible to appreciate anything. Nothing wrong with taking the bus if you can figure it out quickly, but if it takes more than 10 minutes to figure it out, you could walk it faster. It's maybe a 15-20 minute walk total. You exit right from the train station (through the little used car lot), go about 3-4 blocks and turn 60 degrees left at the big intersection with the petrol station. From there, it's a 1/2 mile to the "Bra".

It depends on how many sites you want to see. Definitely the Arena (but skip the Roman theatre and Juliet's House). I loved San Zeno, which is a bit far to walk. If you think you'll see enough sights to more-or-less pay for the card, get it for the buses (train station to center, then to San Zeno, maybe another sight, then back to the train station). If you don't get the VC, still take the bus from the train to the center and back - you'll do enough walking once you get there. Many buildings are floodlit after dark, so it's worth staying late.

Verona is beautiful, this summer will be my third visit. We stay there because we enjoy going to the opera and we love the city.
For a one day visit, I'd agree that if you get a bus from the station into Piazza Bra you can walk everywhere from there. There are several beautiful churches in that area. I agree about not bothering with Juliet's house and also the tomb.

Thank you all for the input, really appreciate it! I can't stress enough how kind the "RS nation" is with their insites and experiences. It makes our lives for DIY travelers so much easier.

My son, daughter, and I visited Verona a little over a week ago. It was the first time for my son, second time for my daughter and I. My 21-year old son preferred Verona to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Siena. We did the RS walk for Verona and loved it. Buon viaggio!

Juliet's house is overrated but if you're already in Verona, no harm in just popping in to catch a quick glimpse. It doesn't cost you anything to enter the compound and it's right round the corner from Piazza del Signori. My 2 cents

If you click on the link of mine above, you'll find a video clip of Juliet's balcony to give you an idea of the crowded experience. You'll probably be nearby and you might as well pop into the courtyard. It's free.

I spent 2 nights in Verona and really liked it. Yeah, Juliet's balcony is cheesy, but why not if you have time. What I enjoyed seeing there were a bed used and couple of costumes worn in the Romeo and Juliet movie circa 1968 or 1969. I love that movie!! We got the Verona card and went to quite a few places with it, including some great places we would not have gone to otherwise. The center of Verona is very walkable.