Piazza Bra
Verona, Italy
Verona Arena
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Photo: Claconvr, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Hours
- Visits by day; opera on summer evenings
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 15 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- By day
- Paid visit to the amphitheatre
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opera
- Summer, tickets on the festival site
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Highlights
- The tiers, the 'Wing', the Piazza Bra view
- Built
- Around AD 30
- Time needed
- About an hour; opera takes an evening
- Location
- Piazza Bra, central Verona
Key facts
c. AD 30the amphitheatre was built
Sourcei
English Wikipediac. 30,000spectators in Roman times
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English Wikipedia1913the first opera festival, Verdi's Aida
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English Wikipedia4 archessurvive of the outer ring, the 'Wing'
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English WikipediaAmong the bestpreserved Roman amphitheatres
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English WikipediaHistory of the Arena
The amphitheatre was built around AD 30, when Verona was a thriving Roman city. It stood outside the walls and held some 30,000 spectators, more than the entire population of the town, who came from all around for shows, games and festivals.
The Arena has survived almost whole, with its oval of tiers and inner ring of arches intact. Of the pink-stone outer ring, only a four-arch section remained after a 12th-century earthquake; the Veronese call it the 'Ala', the Wing. In the Middle Ages it hosted tournaments and fairs, and the townspeople looked after it, repairing it stone by stone.
The opera festival
In 1913, for Verdi's centenary, Aida was staged in the Arena, and every summer since it has hosted one of the world's best-known opera festivals. The huge stage sees Aida, Carmen, Turandot, Nabucco and La Traviata, with crowd scenes and gigantic sets.
By tradition, audiences on the stone tiers light small candles before the curtain, thousands of flames in the dark bowl that make the evening worth it alone. Around 13,000 to 15,000 people attend each performance, and the stone bowl's acoustics carry the singers without amplification.
What to see at the Arena
- The stone tiers — climb to the top rows.
- The Wing — the four surviving outer arches.
- Corridors and arches — the inner galleries.
- The Piazza Bra view — cafés and gardens from above.
- Festival sets — giant scenery stacked by the walls.
- An opera night — candles on the tiers.
By day: visiting the amphitheatre
By day the Arena is open to ticketed visitors. Walk the arched inner corridors, step onto the arena floor and climb the stone steps to the top rows, which look over Piazza Bra's cafés and gardens, the old-town rooftops and the hills around Verona.
In summer part of the tiers and floor is taken up by sets for evening performances, and daytime visits may be shortened on show days. In winter it's quiet, and you can take your time over the ancient pink Verona marble.
How to get to the Arena
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Piazza Bra is about 3 min away on foot.
- Juliet's House is about 8 min away on foot.
More tips
- The Arena stands on Piazza Bra, Verona's main square.
- From Verona Porta Nuova station, 15 minutes on foot or 5 by bus.
- From Juliet's House, 7 minutes along Via Mazzini.
- The entrance is on Piazza Bra, through the ground-floor arches.
Tips for your visit
For the opera, buy tickets early on the festival's official site; popular dates sell out months ahead. Bring water and a warm layer, as the stone bowl gets cool at night. There's no strict dress code, but plenty of people dress up.
An hour is enough by day. Combine it with a walk round Piazza Bra, the shops of Via Mazzini and the market on Piazza delle Erbe. If you're not going to the opera, sit at a café on the square in the evening; you can hear the performance from outside.
Before you go
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Historic Verona: compare and choose
Places in Verona rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Verona Arenayou are here | 60 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | — |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piazza Bra | 45 | 30 min | Free | 3 min walk |
| Juliet's House | 39 | 30 min | Courtyard free, museum paid | 8 min walk |
| Lake Garda | 38 | 8 h | Free; castle and ferries paid | 33.5 km |
Verona in half a day
Piazza Bra and the Arena, then along Via Mazzini to Juliet's House.
- Piazza Bra30 min · Free
- 3 min walk from the previous stopVerona Arenayou are here1 h 15 min · Paid
- 8 min walk from the previous stopJuliet's House30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid
3 places · about 2 h 26 min with walks · 11 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
Juliet's House
Verona, Italy
How to do it right
- Book opera tickets early.
- It's cool in the bowl at night.
- An hour is enough by day.
- Piazza Bra and Via Mazzini are next door.
Questions
How do I get tickets for the opera at the Verona Arena?
From the festival's official site; the cheapest are unnumbered seats on the stone tiers.
Can you visit the Verona Arena during the day?
Yes, with a ticket; daytime visits may be shortened on performance days.
When is the Verona opera festival?
In summer, roughly June to September.
When was the Verona Arena built?
Around AD 30, in Roman times.
How long is an opera at the Arena?
Usually three to four hours; shows start late and end after midnight.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Verona Arena and Arena di Verona Festival
- Official festival site, arena.it
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