Is Verona a good base for a week in northern Italy
Jan 25th, 2014, 07:29 AM
#1
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Is Verona a good base for a week in northern Italy
WE are looking to take a twon week trip to italy in late June (I know the start of high season...). Probably going to fly into milan and I am looking for a good base in the north.
Verona looks centrally located to do day trips to the northern sections of Italy.
4 of us 2 aduls and 2 teenagers (17&18).
We are thinking a car for week one (north) to do day trips and then down to Rome where we will probably base in Rome and travel by rail for a couple of trips from there then back to milan to fly out.
My questions are../
Any advice or comments on where to stay in the north?
What about the car? Is it necessary from Verona?
Any suggestions on accomodations with the thoght that we are typically used to budget accomodations since we won;t be spending a lot of time in the room.
Verona looks centrally located to do day trips to the northern sections of Italy.
4 of us 2 aduls and 2 teenagers (17&18).
We are thinking a car for week one (north) to do day trips and then down to Rome where we will probably base in Rome and travel by rail for a couple of trips from there then back to milan to fly out.
My questions are../
Any advice or comments on where to stay in the north?
What about the car? Is it necessary from Verona?
Any suggestions on accomodations with the thoght that we are typically used to budget accomodations since we won;t be spending a lot of time in the room.
Jan 25th, 2014, 07:54 AM
#2
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It is a great place to stay, centrally located, and you can get a train to most of the places you want to visit.
You could rent a car, but traffic is terrible and you will need a biggish car.
Lots of rock concerts in Verona in the summer, great food and ice cream. Your chance to try horse and donkey meat!
Check Venere.com for a place to stay. We used them on our last trip to this area and were happy with our budget choices.
You could rent a car, but traffic is terrible and you will need a biggish car.
Lots of rock concerts in Verona in the summer, great food and ice cream. Your chance to try horse and donkey meat!
Check Venere.com for a place to stay. We used them on our last trip to this area and were happy with our budget choices.
Jan 25th, 2014, 07:58 AM
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Don't waste the time and energy flying out if Milan. You will have to pay to get back there and waste a portion of a day and an overnight backtracking.
Book a multi city flight into Milan (or Venice) and out of Rome.
You may want to do Rome first as it's likely to be hotter than the north.
Book a multi city flight into Milan (or Venice) and out of Rome.
You may want to do Rome first as it's likely to be hotter than the north.
Jan 25th, 2014, 08:56 AM
#4
The really big thing in Verona, in the summer is the annual opera festival which draws thousands of people every night. Book any hotel accommodations early and believe me, having been there several times, the only times traffic is "bad" (at least in my experience) has been when people are headed toward the Arena (performances usually start around 9 PM at night).
You can certainly get to some places quite easily by rail but to go around Lake Garda, for example, you'd be better off with a car IMO. To get to Rome, Venice, etc., do it by train.
You can certainly get to some places quite easily by rail but to go around Lake Garda, for example, you'd be better off with a car IMO. To get to Rome, Venice, etc., do it by train.
Jan 25th, 2014, 09:32 AM
#6
"Northern Italy" is a big area. Where do you want to go?
Verona is interesting in itself, but whether it's a "good base" depends on your plans. Train fares X4 can get expensive, not all places you may want to go have train service, but driving into/out of a medium-sized city every day can become tiresome. I would probably stay in a smaller town and rent a car, but again it depends on where you're going, how much time you want to spend in Verona, etc.
Verona is interesting in itself, but whether it's a "good base" depends on your plans. Train fares X4 can get expensive, not all places you may want to go have train service, but driving into/out of a medium-sized city every day can become tiresome. I would probably stay in a smaller town and rent a car, but again it depends on where you're going, how much time you want to spend in Verona, etc.
Jan 25th, 2014, 10:24 AM
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I agree that it depends on what towns and cities you want to visit. Do you have any ideas yet? There may be other cities that would make a better base. Bologna is an excellent base for travel by train, again depending on where you want to go. I love Bologna, but some people find it too edgy or frenetic. Ferrara is not quite as good a base for train travel, but it's a lovely small city, one of my favorites in Italy.
Not only is Verona crowded during the opera festival, hotels are also more expensive.
There are trains and buses to Lake Garda, and you can get from place to place on the lake by boat. I don't know if there would be a great advantage to having a car there. In general, without knowing what places you want to visit, it's impossible to advise you whether a car or trains and buses would be better. For city-to-city travel, a car is usually faster and cheaper, unless you have three or more people.
Milan and Verona are rarely any cooler than Rome, so I wouldn't worry about that. Rome is near the sea, which has a moderating effect, while Milan and Verona have a more extreme climate: hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Not only is Verona crowded during the opera festival, hotels are also more expensive.
There are trains and buses to Lake Garda, and you can get from place to place on the lake by boat. I don't know if there would be a great advantage to having a car there. In general, without knowing what places you want to visit, it's impossible to advise you whether a car or trains and buses would be better. For city-to-city travel, a car is usually faster and cheaper, unless you have three or more people.
Milan and Verona are rarely any cooler than Rome, so I wouldn't worry about that. Rome is near the sea, which has a moderating effect, while Milan and Verona have a more extreme climate: hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Jan 25th, 2014, 11:35 AM
#8
I'm not sure I agree that a car is faster and cheaper between some Italian cities. If you plan ahead you can get relatively cheap train tickets and
some of those trains are VERY fast and when you are whizzing past those cars on the Autostrada you'll know you made a good choice; they deliver you to the city center; they do not require insurance, parking fees, and any not-inexpensive fuel.
some of those trains are VERY fast and when you are whizzing past those cars on the Autostrada you'll know you made a good choice; they deliver you to the city center; they do not require insurance, parking fees, and any not-inexpensive fuel.
Jan 25th, 2014, 11:55 AM
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I concur with the above - it depends on where you want to go. Also Verona will be expensive and more crowded during the Arena season. Thoughts:
* Stick with trains. They are practical, less hassle, and part of the Italian experience, rather than traveling inside a bubble.
* consider renting an apartment, since it's for a week
* find lodging near the train station
* if you choose Bologna, you get easy access to Florence and Ravenna. Also Venice is just 1.5 hours.
* Verona is closer to Venice, but still it's an hour or so
* overall I suggest Bologna. My guess is that housing will be cheaper than Verona, I think the train station is more central, and the city is more central as a base.
* Stick with trains. They are practical, less hassle, and part of the Italian experience, rather than traveling inside a bubble.
* consider renting an apartment, since it's for a week
* find lodging near the train station
* if you choose Bologna, you get easy access to Florence and Ravenna. Also Venice is just 1.5 hours.
* Verona is closer to Venice, but still it's an hour or so
* overall I suggest Bologna. My guess is that housing will be cheaper than Verona, I think the train station is more central, and the city is more central as a base.
Jan 25th, 2014, 12:20 PM
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I apologize; I meant to say that a train is usually faster and cheaper than a car. However, with four people, the car may be cheaper, depending on whether discount train tickets were available. It would almost never be faster, though.
Jan 25th, 2014, 12:23 PM
#11
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Bologna tends to be rather expensive, especially during trade fairs, when the price of hotel rooms can more than double. Apart from that, I would expect them to be about the same, although Verona may be more expensive during opera season. However, we got a fairly cheap room in Verona when we went to an opera there; it was even walking distance to the Arena, and we reserved more or less at the last minute.
Jan 25th, 2014, 12:43 PM
#12
"Stick with trains." Unless you want to see smaller, less-visited places not served by trains.
You either make the car v. train decision and then figure out where you can go, or decide where you want to go and then figure out what transportation works best.
You either make the car v. train decision and then figure out where you can go, or decide where you want to go and then figure out what transportation works best.
Jan 25th, 2014, 01:28 PM
#13
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Definitely go to Verona. It's wonderful for itself. The monuments lit up at night are gorgeous. You can go through arches from one plaza to another, each more amazing. You can eat bollito misto at the Ristorante Torcolo. During the day, rent a car and go to Vicenza to see the Palladian villas, including the original Monticello, and a magnificent theater. You can fly into Venice, also fabulous, take the train to Verona. Then you can go to Rome.
Jan 25th, 2014, 01:46 PM
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Thanks for all the info.
As an update we do plan to do some of the smaller towns in the north so I figured the car would come in handy during that part of the trip. We my just get if for a few days.
Keep em coming and again I appreciate the info
As an update we do plan to do some of the smaller towns in the north so I figured the car would come in handy during that part of the trip. We my just get if for a few days.
Keep em coming and again I appreciate the info
Jan 25th, 2014, 02:20 PM
#17
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Verona although I would not want to drive in the city itself. There is lots to see and do there and some very good restaurants, not necessarily expensive. As others have noted, hotel prices go up significantly during the Arena opera season and you must book early. If staying in Verona, the central historic district within the walls is the most interesting but the train station is a long walk away.
We stayed at the Hotel Torcolo and thought it excellent for the price. Its location is perfect and there is an excellent restaurant popular with locals directly across the tiny square where the hotel is located. The hotel staff are among the most helpful you will ever find. Here is a link to my TR that includes an extensive description of our Verona experience.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...gna-rome-1.cfm
We stayed at the Hotel Torcolo and thought it excellent for the price. Its location is perfect and there is an excellent restaurant popular with locals directly across the tiny square where the hotel is located. The hotel staff are among the most helpful you will ever find. Here is a link to my TR that includes an extensive description of our Verona experience.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...gna-rome-1.cfm
Jan 25th, 2014, 04:05 PM
#18
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We love Verona! We based ourselves out of there for a week our last trip to Italy and are doing the same this summer. We had a car (make sure the place you rent has parking!) but took the train to Venice for a day trip because it's so much easier to do it that way.
Verona has good shopping, and it's a great size because there's enough to do and enough restaurants to eat at but at the end of the week you'll feel very familiar with the town.
Verona has good shopping, and it's a great size because there's enough to do and enough restaurants to eat at but at the end of the week you'll feel very familiar with the town.
Jan 25th, 2014, 06:43 PM
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We spent 9 days in Verona with a car in Oct 2012. We had an apartment within walking distance to the arena but had easy access to drive out of Verona for day trips. We went to Padua, a couple of day trips to Lake Garda and Soave wine visits. We thought Verona had some of the friendliest residents, quickly offering help to bewildered tourists.
There were all kinds of activities day and evening around the arena for people of all ages. Highly recommend a visit to Verona. Deborsh
There were all kinds of activities day and evening around the arena for people of all ages. Highly recommend a visit to Verona. Deborsh
