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Routes · Europe

Vancouver to Verona and Lake Garda

Vancouver → Verona → Lake Garda

Verona Arena
"Arena-XE3F2406a.jpg" by Claconvr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Verona cityscape sunny (Verona)
Photo: Hoppend, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Roman arena & Italy's largest lake Best season (general guide): May–Sep

Verona and Lake Garda, in northern Italy, combine Roman history, opera and lakeside towns. This route spends three nights in each. From Vancouver you'll connect through Europe to Verona, or fly to Milan or Venice and continue by train.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Verona: day one, Piazza Bra and the Arena; day two, Piazza delle Erbe and Juliet's House; day three, opera night (seasonal) or Castelvecchio. Then spend days four to six at Lake Garda: day four, travel to Sirmione, then the castle; day five, Grotte di Catullo; day six, ferry to Malcesine.

Verona's Arena is a Roman amphitheatre still used today, most famously for the summer opera festival. UNESCO lists the whole city for its Roman and medieval architecture. Piazza delle Erbe, once the Roman forum, has a market and colourful houses.

Casa di Giulietta, linked to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, has a small balcony that draws crowds. Castelvecchio, a medieval castle by the river, houses an art museum, and its bridge is a pleasant walk.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. Sirmione, on a narrow peninsula in the south, has a castle surrounded by water and the ruins of a large Roman villa, known as the Grotte di Catullo.

Ferries link the towns around the lake. Malcesine, on the eastern shore, has a castle and a cable car up Monte Baldo for views over the lake. The north of the lake is popular for windsurfing.

May to September is the best season, with warm weather. The opera festival usually runs from June to September.

Opera tickets at the Arena sell out for popular nights, so book ahead and bring a cushion for the stone seats. On Lake Garda, ferries are the easiest way to hop between lakeside towns.

Walk Verona early in the morning, before tour groups arrive.

Good to know: Buses link Verona and the lake, but a car helps you explore the smaller towns. Book opera tickets and Sirmione accommodation early in summer, and visit Sirmione in the morning before the day-trippers.

Suggested outline

  1. Vancouver

    Start

  2. Verona

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A Roman arena still used for opera, medieval squares and Juliet's balcony.

  3. Lake Garda

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    Sirmione's castle, Roman villa ruins and lakeside towns linked by ferry.

    Sirmione
    "Italy_-_Sirmione.jpg" by Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Verona — Arrive; Piazza Bra and the Arena· Vancouver → Verona (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Verona — Piazza delle Erbe and Juliet's House
  3. Day 3 · Verona — Opera night (seasonal) or Castelvecchio
  4. Day 4 · Lake Garda — To Sirmione; the castle· Verona → Lake Garda (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Lake Garda — Grotte di Catullo
  6. Day 6 · Lake Garda — Ferry to Malcesine
  7. Day 7 · Lake Garda — Travel home from Lake Garda· Lake Garda → Verona (overland), then Verona → Vancouver (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Verona

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Lake Garda

Nearest airport: Verona Search fares · Verona ↗

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