Verona Playbook: Your Unrivalled Experience In a Calcio Cauldron

Inside the postcard-perfect setting of Verona is a football culture every bit as passionate as the city is beautiful. Best known for Shakespearean tales, matchdays turn Verona’s marble streets blue and yellow.

Not only does this guide include the best bars in the city, tickets and travel information, we also have top tips on where to eat while making the most of one of this atmospheric football city.

Where To Stay

Verona’s historical centre is the ideal place to base yourself. Staying around Piazza Bra or Via Mazzini puts you within walking distance of the Arena, the city’s main sights and the bus routes to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. You will find a mix of boutique hotels, affordable B&Bs and apartment rentals tucked between Roman ruins and medieval alleys.

For somewhere quieter, look to the San Zeno district. Just west of the centre, it is full of traditional trattorie and local life, and is the closest neighbourhood to the Bentegodi – around a 15-minute walk from the stadium.

Those wanting a more scenic stay can head across the Adige to Veronetta, where university streets and hillside views offer a more relaxed feel, but the stadium is a 50-minute walk away.

Where To Eat

Verona’s cuisine leans hearty and local – risotto all’Amarone, fresh pastas, and meat dishes rooted in Veneto tradition.

For classic Veronese cooking, head to Osteria da Ugo, tucked just behind the Duomo, or Trattoria al Pompiere, famed for its meats and handmade pasta. Ristorante Greppia, near Piazza Erbe and with beautiful outdoor seating, is a Destination Calcio favourite and was recommended by our taxi driver.

If pizza is what you are after, Pizzeria Du de Cope gets rave reviews from locals, as does Bella Napoli, a long-standing institution near the centre.

For a luxury experience, Casa Perbellini in Piazza San Zeno has three Michelin stars and is just a short stroll from the stadium.

For food on the go, La Bottega Della Gina XXL offers fresh pasta cooked to order and the most affordable (and delicious) ‘fast’ food in the city with a meal and a drink costing around €10.

Where To Drink

Verona fans are known for being, let’s say, passionate. If you’re in a supporters’ bar and looking to document the action, just bear in mind that ultras often don’t like to be filmed. Keep your phone in your pocket and soak it up in real time.

While there aren’t many bars around the stadium, on matchdays the bars around Piazza San Zeno and Corso Porta Palio start to buzz a few hours before kick-off. This is the traditional gathering area for Hellas fans, where beer flows, scarves appear, and the pre-match songs start drifting through the streets. Expect plenty of gialloblù flags, smoky grills and locals debating line-ups outside every doorway.

Zanzi Bar, on the corner of the Viale Sansovino, is the first choice for fans and is somewhat of an institution. Just east of the stadium is Osteria Riki & Mauri, another fantastic place to grab a beer and soak up the atmosphere.

If you are staying closer to the centre, Piazza Erbe and the surrounding lanes are packed with wine bars and cafés – ideal for aperitivo before heading out to the stadium. Verona is Veneto territory, which means spritzes, local Valpolicella wines and cicchetti-style snacks are everywhere.

As with any Italian ground, it is worth getting to the Bentegodi early. Food stalls pop up around the access roads, serving panini, porchetta, frittelle and cold beers. The stadium’s concrete bowl may look unassuming from the outside, but once the Curva Sud fills, its reputation for noise makes complete sense.

For something more refined, Verona’s riverside cocktail bars offer a fantastic pre-match backdrop. Try Archivio near Piazza Erbe – tiny, stylish and serving some of the best drinks in the city. Open until 1am, and with a Negroni costing €7, you can’t go wrong.

Don’t Forget

Tickets – The Stadio Bentegodi is a large stadium and, because of its size, rarely sells out. Tickets can be bought at Vivaticket, an Italian ticketing site used by several clubs. The general sale usually starts one week prior to the match. You don’t need to be a Hellas Verona member to buy tickets, but if you want to experience the atmosphere in the Curva Sud be aware that these are the seats that sell out first. Tickets are available online via the official Hellas website, at authorised sales points, or at the stadium’s ticket office on matchdays.

If picking up tickets at the stadium or an official vendor, remember your ID and allow a little extra time – collection desks are limited and queues form early.

Kick-off times will be moved for television, so bear that in mind when arranging a trip far in advance.

Merchandise – All official gear can be bought online from the club store or at the Hellas Store in the city centre.

Did You Know?

Hellas Verona won the Scudetto in 1984–85 under Osvaldo Bagnoli in one of the great underdog stories in Italian football. They are the only club from Veneto to win Serie A.

Getting There

The city is served by Verona Villafranca Airport, just 15 minutes from the centre. A shuttle bus runs every 20 minutes to Verona Porta Nuova train station, the transport hub for both the city and the stadium area.

From Porta Nuova, the Bentegodi is a 20-25 minute walk west, or a short ride on several city bus routes heading towards San Zeno and Stadio. Taxis are plentiful outside the station, and the journey to the stadium is only a few minutes.

If arriving by train from elsewhere in Italy, Verona is exceptionally well connected with direct services from Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome.

You can reach the stadium easily enough from the main station (Verona Porta Nuova). It takes less than 15 minutes to walk to the ground. You can also walk to the ground from the Piazza Bra square, which takes less than half an hour.

Need Another Football Fix?

Chievo and Virtus Verona both also play in the city, so it’s possible to catch Hellas and one of their lower-division rivals playing at home on the same weekend.

If you fancy something a little further afield, Vicenza – who are back in Serie B for 2026-27- is just under an hour away and offers a proud football heritage and a famously atmospheric fanbase. For a more scenic option, head north to Trento, in Serie C, where mountains frame the stadium, and the journey itself is part of the experience.