Day-Trip from Venice: Verona or Bologna?

Also consider Padua which is good for one night too. It would be on the way by train from Venice to Verona. There you can see the Giottos at the Screvegni Chapel and Basilica of St Antony if you're into that.

Hard to go wrong with either but if you go to Bologna, don't miss Il Gelatauro for gelato.

Here is another vote for Padua, which is only a 30 minute train ride from Venice. If you go, check out the Botanical Garden, which is a UNESCO heritage site.

We haven't been to either Verona or Bologna yet (next year!), but we spent several days in Padua before a Village Italy tour, and loved it.

Do know that if you want to visit the Scrovegni Chapel, you must book ahead of time. And the Padova Pass gets you into almost every major sight in the city, and lets your ride free on trams and buses.

We would definitely want to see the gardens but I'm not sure on the Scrovegni Chapel as we may be church/cathedral/mosque'd out by the time we get here. I'm sure it's amazing but would it be a Hagia Sophia or Saint Mark's Cathedral worthy site? That's why I was thinking more along the lines of cultural things to do as opposed to sites since we (well, my wife) might be tired of museums, churches, etc. by this point in our trip.

Jrcool, the Scrovegni is very different from St Mark's or any other mind-blowing cathedral. It is a tiny chapel, the interior of which is completely covered with frescoes from about the year 1300, by Giotto.

I get your point about being churched out, but if for any reason you do decide to go to Padua, please do not skip this. Besides, you'll only be allowed to stay 15 or 20 minutes, so there will be plenty of time for other pursuits.

And I am definitely looking forward to eating my way through Bologna next year!

Verona.

Ravenna is a great stop.

If you can catch the Opera Festival in Verona, I'd do it. Padua is enroute, though I don't think the train station has luggage storage. This day and age, however, something like Nanny Bag or similar app/website could show alternative luggage storage if you want a quick stop in Padua before jeading to Verona.

Between Bologna and Verona, I would choose the latter. But like many others, my first choice would be Padova. Think of Giotto’s frescoes as an art installation that happens to be in a Chapel. As a second option, I’d visit Vicenza because of Palladian architecture- La Rotonda and Villa Valmarana just outside the city, Basilica Palladiana (not a church!) and the amazing Teatro Olimpico.

Another vote for Vicenza!!

See if you can get tickets to the opera and a room for the night. This is very popular and it may simply not be possible to get a room, even if you can get tickets. The opera ends well after the trains and buses stop running for the night.

Padua is an easy day trip, but without the churches, there's not a great deal to see. On the other hand, there's bus service to Marco Polo. Bologna's storico centro is different from other Italian towns and worth seeing. I took the university tour in both cities, Bologna's was much better. Of the three, Bologna has the fewest tourists and probably the cheapest hotel prices. Maybe get a room in Padua, but spend the day in Bologna, see the Scrovegni Chapel in the morning on the way to Bologna or on the morning of your departure