Staying in Venice in early aug and thought it might be worth a short two night visit to Verona instead of trying to do it as a daytrip from Venice. Would appreciate your thoughts on the subject. Can anyone recommend a moderately priced hotel or pensione for a bout $100, preferabley with A/C. Also welcome "must do" attractions/ experiences. <BR><BR>

I love Verona. The only problem is that the opera festival will be on in early August, so unless you can find a place on Sunday and Monday nights (I think there are no operas those two nights) you would be out of luck finding a place to stay in the city. And during opera season it seems that most places nearly double their rates.

Sorry, I should have looked at the Arena site first. There are operas on Sunday nights in August. But the only dark nights in early August are Mon,Tues,Wed, the 5th, 6th, and 7th and Monday the 12th. If you could arrange to be there on the 5th, 6th, or 7th, you should be able to find a place.

I took a day trip to Verona from Venice last year, and it was definitely worth it. I just wish I could have stayed longer. <BR>Verona is worth the trip. Just make sure that you are there when the Coliseum is open. We just happened to go the day when it was closed, and I guess we were just SOL.

I agree! There is a lot to see in Verona - a lot of old churches, the amazingly preserved Roman arena, historic bridges, historic tombs, there are a few atmospheric piazzas, good shopping, good restaurants. We spent 2 nights, and originally planned on taking a day-trip outside of Verona on the second day, but decided to stay in Verona the second day to be able to see everything.<BR><BR>For $100 check out the Hotel Aurora and the Hotel Romeo E Giuletta. I haven't stayed there but their locations are good.

Verona was one of my favorite towns besides Ferrara. Grab a couple maps from the train station's tourist office & you'll be set!