Opera at the Arena di Verona and golf on Lake Garda: three days in summer 2027

A summer split between lake and Arena is best planned backwards: first you choose the opera evening, then you build the golf around it. The reason is simple. The 104th Arena di Verona Opera Festival runs from 11 June to 11 September 2027 and the programme is already published, while many Garda courses, such as Paradiso del Garda and Chervò, are open all year. Three days are enough: a base on the lake, two rounds of golf and one evening at the Arena.

First things first: choosing the evening at the Arena

According to the Arena's website, the 2027 programme includes:

• Aida in the 1913 production, from 12 June to 7 August;
• La Traviata, from 25 June to 11 September;
• Carmen, from 2 July to 10 September;
• Nabucco, from 29 July to 9 September;
• Aida in Stefano Poda's production, from 12 August to 8 September;
• the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, the gala Roberto Bolle & Friends, the concert Jonas Kaufmann in Opera (8 August) and the concerts of late August.

2027 prices start at 22 euros for the numbered stands in sector 6, where your seat is a stone step, and rise to 305 euros for the Platinum Premium front-row stalls seat; these are "from" prices, and opening nights and peak evenings cost more. For under-30s the Poltrona Platea starts at 30 euros. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed.

Day 1: Garda and a first round of golf

The base is the Quellenhof Luxury Resort Lazise, on the Veronese shore. The hotel has no course of its own, but lists twelve courses within an hour and twenty minutes and names Paradiso del Garda, a quarter of an hour away, as the closest. For the evening at the Arena, a base on the lake has a practical advantage: the bus back serves the Garda towns from Castelnuovo to Malcesine.

For the first day, Paradiso del Garda at Peschiera is the most convenient choice: 18 holes designed by Jim Fazio, white quartzite bunkers and green fees from 70 euros on weekdays and 80 at weekends and on public holidays (the club's price list, published without a year). Guests of the hotel attached to the club get 20 per cent off the green fee, according to the club.

Day 2: Verona by day, the Arena by night

In the morning, the Golf Club Verona at Sommacampagna: 18 holes, par 72, among the hills of Custoza and the vineyards, 2026 green fee from 90 euros on weekdays and 110 at weekends and on public holidays in high season. Tee times are booked through the club office (045 510060).

In the evening it is off to the Arena. The practical rules published by the Foundation:

• the gates open two hours before the start, and you should arrive at least one hour before;
• there is no compulsory dress code, but in the stalls smart dress is preferred and men may not wear shorts, vests or flip-flops;
• in the stands you can bring a cushion from home or buy one at the Arena;
• cameras, food and drink may not be brought in, and there is no cloakroom; rucksacks and bags over 17 litres are prohibited;
• if the weather requires it, the start may be delayed by up to 150 minutes; if the performance is definitively stopped after it has begun, there is no refund.

The way back. For the whole duration of the festival, ATV runs the Opera Bus Service, a bus to Lake Garda that leaves 30 minutes after the end of the performance and reaches the lakeside towns from Castelnuovo to Malcesine. Booking is compulsory and tickets are bought online. Those arriving by car can park at Park Centro: after every performance a free shuttle takes spectators from the Arena back to the car park, leaving from behind Palazzo Barbieri.

Day 3: the Brescia shore, golf and history

Time to change shore. The Golf Bogliaco can be reached by ferry, according to the golf page of the Quellenhof: founded in 1912, 18 holes, par 70, it describes itself as the third oldest club in Italy. In 2026 the summer green fee (from 23 March to 1 November) was 76 euros on weekdays and 97 at weekends and on public holidays. For those who prefer bigger courses, Ca' degli Ulivi (27 holes, Championship par 72, maximum playing handicap 36) and Chervò San Vigilio (36 holes, venue of the 2020 Italian Open) offer more choice on the same day.

Getting to Verona from elsewhere

According to the Arena Foundation, Verona Porta Nuova station is about one hour twenty from Milan by high-speed train, one hour ten from Venice, 45 minutes from Padua and 25 from Vicenza; from Rome it takes 4 hours 10 minutes, or 2 hours 50 without a change. From the station, buses 11, 12, 13, 51 and 52 run to Piazza Bra, in front of the Amphitheatre. By air, Valerio Catullo airport at Villafranca is about 10 kilometres from the centre, with a shuttle to Porta Nuova. By car, leave the A4 at Verona Sud or, from the A22 Brenner motorway, after the junction with the A4. Anyone staying several days and wanting to play on Garda will in any case need a car to reach the courses.

Where to stay, as an alternative

On the Brescia shore there are two alternatives to the base at Lazise. The Grand Hotel Fasano at Gardone Riviera is a former hunting lodge of the House of Austria dating from 1888, a national monument since 1989: it has no course, but names Bogliaco, Gardagolf and Arzaga as its points of reference. The QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga adjoins the 27 holes of Arzaga and occupies a fifteenth-century residence. To get back from the Arena to these places, it is worth checking with ATV whether the service reaches them: the published list runs from Castelnuovo to Malcesine.