Opera Nights at the Arena, Home by Minibus
Between 11 June and 11 September 2027 the Arena di Verona Opera Festival holds its 104th season, with summer-evening performances in the Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Bra. Dates and programme are out, and tickets are on sale.
Arriving by minibus
Verona has a limited-traffic zone for tourist buses, and entering it needs a PASS ZTL Bus. The pass lasts until midnight on the day the vehicle enters and is shown on the dashboard; the operator handles it. Your group boards and alights at set stops, among them Via Pontida, Lungadige Matteotti, Via Interrato dell'Acqua Morta and the Terminal Bus, where a halt may last between 5 and 15 minutes, according to the stop.
While you are inside, buses may park in just two places: the Parcheggio Centro bus terminal in Via Campo Marzo, which never closes, and Stadio C in Via Sogare, which opens 08:00 to 22:00. For an evening performance that points to the Parcheggio Centro. Checks on bus and NCC passes there were stepped up from 1 October 2026.
Staying by the lake
Lake Garda makes a lovely base. Bardolino is about 45 minutes from Verona and Sirmione about 50, so a minibus back after the final curtain is a calm end to the night. During the festival a public Opera Bus also returns to the lake towns 30 minutes after the show, on booking, and free shuttles run from the Arena to the Park Centro car park.
Dates and places
- Arena di Verona, the Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra, Verona
- 11 June - 11 September 2027 (the 104th festival)
Step-free seats
Gates 1, 4 and 8 give step-free entry to the stalls, via a metal ramp up from Piazza Bra, and inside the stalls there is a pair of accessible toilets. Tell the operator if anyone uses a wheelchair, so the vehicle and the set-down stop suit them.
What travellers ask us
Which airport should we fly into?
Verona's Villafranca airport is the handiest: roughly 18 km, or 35 minutes or so, to Piazza Bra. Venice Marco Polo is about 127 km and Milan Bergamo about 118 km, each well over an hour and a half.
Can the minibus wait outside the Arena?
No. It sets you down at a designated stop and parks at an authorised coach park until it is time to collect you.
Are performances in the open air?
Yes, every evening show is under the sky, so a light layer for later in the night is wise even in high summer.