A Self-Guided Romeo and Juliet Walking Tour of Verona
Six stops on a 2-hour Shakespeare circuit through the Verona historic centre — Casa di Giulietta, the wall of letters, Casa di Romeo, the Scaligeri tombs, Juliet's tomb, and Piazza delle Erbe.
Verona has built one of Europe's most enduring literary-tourism circuits around a play written 400 years ago by an English playwright who almost certainly never visited the city. The Romeo and Juliet circuit threads through the historic centre in a 2-hour walk that combines genuine medieval architecture, 19th and 20th-century literary-tourism interventions, and several stops that exist purely because Shakespeare set his play in Verona. This guide lays out a self-guided route that starts at Casa di Giulietta in the morning, continues through the medieval lanes to Casa di Romeo and the Scaligeri tombs, crosses the city to the Tomb of Juliet at the former San Francesco al Corso monastery, and finishes in Piazza delle Erbe. The whole circuit covers about 2 kilometres on flat cobbles and works well as a half-day plan.
Stop One: Casa di Giulietta and the Wall of Letters
Start at the 09:00 opening at Teatro Nuovo on Piazzetta Navona (or 14:00 on Monday). Casa di Giulietta is the most time-intensive stop on the circuit and should anchor the morning while the courtyard is still calm. Complete the courtyard with the bronze Juliet statue, the museum interior with the Zeffirelli 1968 film costumes and the frescoed medieval rooms, and the balcony itself in 60 to 90 minutes. The wall of letters and the Club di Giulietta post box sit in the courtyard — visitors who plan to leave a letter to Juliet should bring paper and a pen, because the museum shop's stock can be picked over by mid-afternoon.
Exit back through the Teatro Nuovo foyer onto Piazzetta Navona. Turn left out of the foyer and walk a short distance to rejoin Via Cappello. The next stop, Piazza delle Erbe, is 2 minutes north. This first leg sets the rhythm of the day — a substantial museum visit followed by a sequence of shorter outdoor stops, each adding context to what you have just seen indoors.
Stop Two: Piazza delle Erbe and the Capello Heraldry
Piazza delle Erbe is Verona's medieval market square, built on the rectangular footprint of the Roman forum. The Torre dei Lamberti rises on the east side, the Casa dei Mercanti and the Palazzo Maffei frame the long axis, and the morning market stalls fill the centre. Two minutes' walk from Casa di Giulietta, the square is also the location of the original Capello family heraldry — the hat-shaped emblem on an arch keystone along Via Cappello that 18th-century travellers reinterpreted as evidence of the Capulet connection. The arch is visible from Via Cappello as you walk north toward the square; pause to photograph it before crossing into Piazza delle Erbe proper.
The square is a good moment for a coffee — the cafes on the north side have outdoor seating that catches morning sun in summer and afternoon sun in winter. The Capello arch and the medieval mercantile architecture together explain how 19th-century literary tourism could plausibly anchor Shakespeare's fictional Verona in real places: the medieval fabric of Verona is genuinely rich enough that any literary association can find an architectural hook. Allow 15 to 20 minutes here.
Stop Three: The Scaligeri Tombs and Casa di Romeo
From Piazza delle Erbe, take Via Cairoli east for 200 metres to the Arche Scaligere — the elaborate Gothic funerary monuments of the medieval lords of Verona, the della Scala (Scaligeri) family. The tombs are enclosed within a wrought-iron grille on Via delle Arche Scaligere and viewable from the public street at no cost. The hanging tomb of Cangrande I della Scala (died 1329) above the adjacent church of Santa Maria Antica is the most photographed monument of the group. The Scaligeri ruled Verona during the 13th and 14th centuries and feature explicitly in Shakespeare's play as the Prince of Verona — Bartolomeo II della Scala is the historical figure most often cited as the source.
Casa di Romeo sits a few steps further along Via delle Arche Scaligere. The brick Gothic facade and the municipal plaque are visible from the street; the building is a private residence with no public entry. Visitors photograph the facade, read the plaque, and continue on. The combined Arche Scaligere and Casa di Romeo stop takes 20 to 30 minutes, longer if you want to study the Gothic detail of the tombs.
Stop Four: The Tomb of Juliet (Tomba di Giulietta)
The Tomb of Juliet is a separate civic site on the south side of the historic centre, about a 10 to 15-minute walk from Casa di Romeo. It is located in the cloister of the former San Francesco al Corso monastery — Via del Pontiere 35 — and is operated by Musei Civici di Verona as a small museum dedicated to the Shakespeare association and to local 19th-century art. The supposed tomb itself is a stone sarcophagus in a quiet vaulted crypt; like Casa di Giulietta, the connection to Shakespeare's plot is a 19th and 20th-century literary-tourism construction layered onto a real medieval building. The site is ticketed separately from Casa di Giulietta and is a less-visited stop on the circuit.
Visitors who do the full Shakespeare circuit appreciate the Tomb of Juliet because it completes the narrative arc — Casa di Giulietta as the meeting and balcony, Casa di Romeo as the home he leaves, and the Tomb of Juliet as the ending. The site also includes a small art collection with frescoes by Antonio Badile (Veronese's master) detached from a deconsecrated church, which gives the visit cultural depth beyond the Shakespeare association. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. Check current opening hours at Musei Civici di Verona — the site's schedule can differ from Casa di Giulietta's.
Stop Five: Back to Piazza Bra for Lunch and the Arena
Walk back from the Tomb of Juliet through the medieval lanes toward Piazza Bra, the wide oval square dominated by the 1st-century Roman amphitheatre known as the Verona Arena. The walk takes about 15 minutes through some of Verona's quietest medieval streets. Piazza Bra has the city's highest concentration of restaurants and cafes; the southern arcade and the bars along the southern edge of the square are the most popular lunch spots. A typical Romeo-and-Juliet-circuit lunch occupies an hour here.
The Verona Arena itself sits in the centre of the square. Built in the 1st century AD, it is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy after the Colosseum and the Capua amphitheatre, and it still hosts the Verona Arena summer opera season from mid-June to early September. The interior is open to visitors during the day on a separate ticket from Musei Civici di Verona's other sites. Allow 45 to 60 minutes for the Arena interior. With Casa di Giulietta, Casa di Romeo, the Arche Scaligere, the Tomb of Juliet, and the Arena combined, you have a complete 4 to 5-hour Verona morning.
Frequently asked
How long does the full walking tour take?
About 2 hours for the Romeo and Juliet stops alone — Casa di Giulietta, the Capello arch, Arche Scaligere, Casa di Romeo, and the Tomb of Juliet. Add 1 to 2 hours for lunch and the Verona Arena to make a complete half-day.
Is the route walkable?
Yes — about 2 kilometres of flat cobbles through the pedestrian historic centre. The only segment outside the historic core is the walk to the Tomb of Juliet on Via del Pontiere, which is on smooth pavement.
What tickets do I need?
Casa di Giulietta requires a timed-entry ticket through Teatro Nuovo. The Tomb of Juliet is a separate Musei Civici di Verona ticket. The Verona Arena is a separate ticket again. The Arche Scaligere are viewable from the street at no cost; Casa di Romeo is exterior-only and free.
Can I do the circuit in reverse?
Yes, but the practical pattern is to start at Casa di Giulietta because the courtyard is calmest at the 09:00 opening and the museum is the most time-intensive stop. Doing it in reverse risks arriving at the busiest moment of the day.
Is the Tomb of Juliet worth visiting?
If you have completed Casa di Giulietta and want to close the narrative loop, yes. If you have limited time, it is the lowest-priority Shakespeare stop because the site is small and the connection to the play is the most explicitly 20th-century-constructed of the circuit's stops.
Are guided versions of this walk available?
Yes — private licensed Verona guides offer 2-hour Romeo and Juliet themed walks. These are arranged through licensed local operators rather than at any museum entrance.
Where is the Capello family heraldic arch?
On Via Cappello, near the junction with Piazzetta Navona — the keystone of an arch carries a hat-shaped device (capello means 'hat' in old Italian). The arch is visible from street level as you walk north from Casa di Giulietta toward Piazza delle Erbe.
Can I include Castelvecchio in the same day?
Yes. Castelvecchio sits 10 minutes west of Piazza Bra on the Adige and houses Verona's main civic museum. Adding it pushes the day to 6 to 7 hours total — feasible if you start at 09:00 and pace lunch tightly.
Is the walk possible after dark?
The outdoor stops — Casa di Romeo, the Arche Scaligere, the Capello arch, Piazza delle Erbe — are all viewable after dark and the historic centre is well-lit and safe. Casa di Giulietta and the Tomb of Juliet close at 19:00 and 18:00 respectively, so the museum stops require a daytime visit.
Are the cobbles difficult for wheelchairs or strollers?
The cobbles in the historic centre are smooth and tightly laid, and the route is flat. Wheelchairs and strollers manage the outdoor stops without difficulty. The interior of Casa di Giulietta has stair-only upper floors, and the Tomb of Juliet's vaulted crypt has steps.