What to do with children in Verona

Our top tips for activities on a family holiday to Verona in Italy

How do you take in this beautiful, historic Italian city while keeping both adults and children happy? Read our guide for the best ideas of what to do and where to go.

Verona Arena

This Roman amphitheatre is right in the centre of the city in Piazza Bra square and makes a good starting point for exploring.

It dates back to the first century and is second only to Rome’s Colosseum in terms of its size and history.

You can explore inside, climb to the top, walk inside the walls and across the stage area where Roman gladiators once fought and our children really enjoyed it.

The Arena is really well preserved and is still used today – it is a world-famous music venue and hosts big operatic shows.

Piazza Bra (also called the Bra)

Verona’s main square, next to the Arena in the centre of the city, is one of the largest in Europe.

There are plenty of places to sit and eat with restaurants and cafes along one side.

There are historic buildings around it and a small park in the middle with a fountain. It is mostly car free.

Romeo and Juliet’s Balcony

A ten-minute walk from the Arena, through a pedestrianised shopping area, is ‘Juliet’s House’, Casa de Giulietta.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may have been fictional but this house is linked to the star-crossed lovers as it was once inhabited by the Cappello family, a surname similar to Juliet’s, Capulet.

Tourists enter the courtyard and queue up for photos with Juliet’s bronze statue (and rub her right breast for luck in love).

People also take pictures of the balcony where they like to imagine Juliet was wooed by Romeo (although the balcony was actually added at a much later date) so keep a hold of your children as it gets busy here.

Inside the house is a small museum.

There isn’t much for children once they have seen the balcony and statue but the walls outside scrawled with love letters and graffiti are interesting to see.

And it is near Piazza Erbe with plenty of ice cream parlours and a market.

Torre Dei Lamberti

Just around the corner from the famous balcony is the best viewpoint of Verona – from the top of an 84-metre-tall tower.

There are 368 steps to the top of Torre Dei Lamberti, quite a way with children.

But there is a lift for an extra euro which takes you almost to the top of the first viewing platform.

And from there you get 360 degree views of Verona.

A ticket for the tower also gives access to the an art gallery next to the tower, the Gallery of Modern Art.

Verona Children’s Museum

This bright museum opened in 2019 and offers lots of hands-on fun for children.

Situated on the edge of the city, it is essentially one big space of science and learning, disguised as fun.

Before you go in, everyone must remove shoes and leave coats and bags behind, so you automatically feel more carefree.

Tickets are for allocated 90-minute slots through the day to make sure it never gets too crowded. Then the staff tidy up again so that everything is neat and clean ready for the next group.

It is designed and created for children – you can build your own mini-houses, milk a pretend cow, learn about light and shadows and play in a ball pit and climbing area.

There’s a also a water section where you can use water to create music, put balls into a whirlpool and more.

The staff are really friendly and helpful. If you have children under 10 they will love it here as ours did.

It also makes a good rainy day activity as it is all indoors.

Castelvecchio

This large Veronese building on the banks of the Adige river is part museum part castle.

There is a lot of 16th century religious artwork here which didn’t hold much appeal for our children. But some of the exhibits had old swords and armour.

And the walk around the castle was good fun. You get a good view across the river to Ponte Scaligero which was rebuilt after being blown up by the Germans in World War Two. And you can walk along the castle walls and into raised courtyards.

Visitors have to leave backpacks in lockers at the entrance.

Have a traditional Veronese meal

The Veronese take food very seriously. There are restaurants at every turn and they welcome children.

Almost all will serve you a plate of tomato pasta or a pizza, if that is what you are after.

For a real authentic experience, we tried Locanda Ristori, a traditional Veronese restaurant just outside the touristy centre near Castelvecchio.

The restaurant was mostly full of locals when we visited on a Sunday lunchtime, which is always a good sign and staff are warm and attentive.

The lovely owner Lia, a former ballet dancer across Europe, is very friendly and passionate about the food, explaining it all to us.

The menu includes a mix of pasta and meat dishes.

The Veronese tradition is a big plate of up to eight mixed meats including tongue, which my husband tucked into. It was served with mashed potato, vegetables and a broth which takes four hours to cook.

My children just fancied a plain tomato pasta (pasta pomodoro), not on the menu, but Lia was more than happy to make them some and they loved it.

There is also a good selection of desserts, including ice cream and we grown-ups sampled some fabulous wine.

Get a Verona card

The quickest and cheapest way to get into the main sites is with a Verona card, which costs 20 euros for a day and 25 euros for 48 hours.

If you are going to visit the Arena and at least two other sites then you will save money with the card.

It includes free entry to all the attractions above (except the Children’s Museum), all the largest churches and city centre museums.

You can pick up the card at the tourist information office in a corner of Piazza Bra.

Our children were also given a couple of city centre trails to do while we wandered around.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a Verona Card and a complimentary meal for the purposes of this article. All views are our own.

*Have you taken children to Verona? Where did you go? Tell us below!