Italy Q&A: Verona Hotels

It’s time for another of my Italy Q&A posts. Shyam sent me this note:

We’ll be coming from India to Italy, on 5th of April, 2008 , We 4 people will be attending vineitaly exhibition at Verona.Italy, on 6th & 7th. Please inform.
1. Which Hotel is near to the exhibition venue where we can stay at Verona?.
2. After 7th April we want to go and stay for a few days at Ancona
3. Which is the suitable hotel at Ancona?
4. We want to travel by train from Verona to Ancona on 8th, Please suggest the train route.

Thanks for the email, Shyam! I haven’t stayed in Verona, and I’ve only visited the city briefly, so I’m not sure where the exhibition venue is in relation to the hotels. However, when you search for Verona hotels you can check out where they are on a map after you’ve put in your travel dates into the search box on the right. You can do the same thing when looking for hotels in Ancona. Personally, I think the historic center of Verona is the best place to stay, because it’s beautiful and you’ll be better able to explore the city when you’re not attending the exhibition – but my guess is that it won’t be terribly convenient to where the exhibition center is. You’ll be able to tell, however, when you can look at the hotels on a map.

As for getting from Verona to Ancona by train, it’s a 4-5 hour train journey, and nearly every schedule I’m looking at includes at least one transfer somewhere along the way. There are trains that leave Verona for Ancona fairly regularly (after 09:00 there’s one about every hour or so). The 10:48 train gets you to Ancona at 14:41 and changes in Bologna. The 11:31 train gets you to Ancona at 15:47 (so a longer trip) but has no changes whatsoever (so easier to deal with). I’d suggest that while you are in Verona you stop by the train station and talk with a ticket agent to see which route option works best for you. You can then buy your tickets (and reservaitons, if necessary) for the trip from Verona to Ancona, and even your return tickets/reservations at the same time to make life easier. Be sure to read my guide to Italian trains before you go!

Have a great trip!