Bologna to Verona to Venice

Bologna for 3 nights? Why? Do you have relatives there? One day in Bologna is more than enough to see what you need to see. You should remove time from Bologna and give 2 nights to Verona instead. Assuming the same 7 total nights I would do:
Bologna: 2 nights (or even just one)
Verona: 2 nights (if you stay 3 nights you could visit lake garda one of the two days).
Venice: 3 nights

Your mode of transportation will be trains (high speed Freccia trains, if possible).
Verona is charming, but it's not a small town. It's a midsize city of 250,000 residents, with a metro area pop. of nearly 1 million.

We stayed in Bologna for 7 nights in August and could have stayed longer. We loved our hotel - Hotel Porta San Mamolo - was fab. We spent a day exploring Bologna and used it as a base for exploring Parma, Modena, the Adriatic, and Ferrara (what a gem!). In addition, we even took day trips to Venice and to Lucca. I have been to Italy many times and found Bologna to be real and not overrun by tourists; great food and food culture; and the best ice cream I have ever had.

We didn't get to Verona, but considered it. We'll go there on our next trip back to Bologna (as well as Ravenna).

Have fun!

I'm so glad you are considering Verona. It's one of my favorite towns in Italy. Google "Verona Card" to see a list of the attractions to visit during the day. There are good restaurants for dinner, and then go walking, like the locals (the passagietta - undoubtedly misspelled), very pretty at night and the old buildings are illuminated. I would definitely plan to spend at least one night there. You can leave Bologna on an early train one day, then continue on to Venice the next evening, giving you almost 2 full days to sightsee and one evening to enjoy Verona's charm.

The most skippable attraction is Juliet's House - but if you have time, the inside gives you a good idea of how the well-to-do Veronese lived back in the day.

LOVE Verona! I'm surprised that more people don't put it on their trip schedules. It isn't a small town but it has charm and beauty in spades! It is unspoiled, very walkable, lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and a beautiful river. You could easily spend 2 or 3 days here.
I don't know what time of year you plan to travel but one of the highlights in the warmer months is going to see opera performed in the Roman colleseum that's in the center of town. It's stunning to be sitting on the ancient stones of the colleseum watching opera in Italy - the Italians take their opera seriously and we have seen remarkable productions here. I refuse to see La Boheme ever again because I can't imagine a production better than the one I saw in Verona! Highly recommend...

I love Bologna and Verona. Bologna is a larger city than Verona but it has wonderful food, sights and is a vibrant university city with a great night life. Verona is fantastic with lots of sights. Stay on one of the piazzas...erbe or bra. It's a great walking city. Enjoy both of them. Venice is my least favorite of the three cities you have listed...unique but all tourists. Bologna and Verona have touristy things but they aren't "sold out" to tourists like Venice. I would go back (and have) many times to Bologna and Verona. One trip to Venice was enough for me.

We've been to both Bologna and Verona and vastly prefer the latter over the former. Verona is a big enough city not to have to be dependent on tourism but the historic center is small enough to be walkable. You'll pay higher prices for lodging during opera season and during the various trade fairs that they have.

Here are some photos I've taken there, in case you're interested: Verona in 2011 and 2013

Michael...your pictures are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!