Should my husband and I explore Verona on our own or hire a guide?
We'll be taking a day trip via train from Milan.

the sites are all in a compact area near the ancient town center - Juliet's House and (Ersatz) balcony, a slew of ancient churches, sprawling open-air markets, etc - easily done on your own and on foot - take a bus from the main train station to town center, about a mile or so north of the station area.

Thanks, we'll do that!

you can get some advance discount trail fares online at www.trenitalia.com though full fare from Milan ain't all that much - the site has all the various fares - problem with discounted tickets is that they may well be train specific and hard or impossible to change - OK for going but you may not really know how long you want to spend in Verona once there - there are so so many trains never a worry getting on one so you may want to pay full fare for a fully flexible ticket or at least one you can change to a later train or refund if need be. I would just buy my return ticket after getting back to the station in Verona on the next train - there are various types of trains with varying fares on that route so just get the next one or if wanting to save a few euro wait a bit longer for a cheaper one - like a regional train if there are any or an IC train, etc.

Thanks

If you don't want to deal with the local bus, you can take a taxi from the station--just ask them to take you to Piazza Bra and begin your explorations from there.

(In my opinion--and I am the first one to enjoy a nice walk--the walk from Verona Porta Nuova station to the center of town is boring and unexceptional.Maximize your time by taking a bus or taxi.)

About 7 euros by taxi from station to Piazza Bra on September 17.

Thanks for the great info.