Itinerary suggestions? Venice vs Verona

Always Venice - there's no where else like it. And it def needs more than one day.

Stay in Venice

It’s going to be crowded every day, really not sure if weekend more crowded than weekdays
If you day trip from Verona you will just be there with the day trip crowds

It’s not clear how you intend to allocate your 12-13 nights between 4 locations but I’d give Venice no less than 3 nights-4 would be preferable

A 3 night stay equals 2.5 days there which doesn’t really allow for a trip out to Burano/Murano

Third vote for Venice. Verona is a lovely city but Venice is a city unique in the world.

Staying in the city allows you to see it at night and in the morning when fewer people are around. Wandering in Venice is part of the experience and you need to stay in the city to wander and get lost and experience the real back streets and piazzas. You don't get the wandering time when you day trip.

Have a great trip!
=Tod

Thank you, all. We don’t have our days allocated yet. Thinking:
4 nights Florence-maybe a day trip from there.

1 night Bologna-fiancé really would like this. Hes a foodie. He also wants Parma but that is negotiable. We dolly have to spend the night there or we could even spend 2 nights. (Negotiable)
2-3 nights Venice.

This leaves about 3-4 free nights so maybe a stop in Verona then Lake Garda or como before heading to Switzerland? For those extra nights I’m cool with Cinque Terre, Como or Garda but being early April I can’t seem to find info about what they will be like around that time. Also Verona isn’t a “must”.

You need three nights for Venice. Day one follow the crowd. Day two get lost and when you're ready to get back on the beaten path follow the crowd.
Before leaving Venice take a vaporetto bus between the train station and San Marco square or even futher at twilight. This way you'll see the interior of the palaces that line the Grand Canal and not the decay on the exterior.

Just for awareness one night somewhere is not even 1 full day. It's two partial days with un/packing, travel and hotel logistics on both those days. I try to only ever do 1 night stays for logistical reasons like flying out of the airport the next day.

If you're really limited to one day in Bologna I'd recommend adding that night to Florence and doing Bologna as a day trip from Florence. It's 30 minutes on the fast train from Florence and you can get essentially a whole day in the city without the hassle of luggage or lodging.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/7-days-north-to-south

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/april-or-may-029ef293-8b0e-4b85-86ff-57dcb255571c

I think it helps to review how your planning has evolved. You may be suffering from info overload at this point. I know the planning can be overwhelming, but less can equal more enjoyment for this type of trip.

Have a great time!

Agree with Tod

Spend at least 2 nights in Bologna ( I’d actually give 3 to allow for day trip to Ravenna for the magnificent mosaics)

As far as adding Como, Garda, CT - IMO you have enough location changes already
Each change eats up at least a half day

Verona is a lovely little city, we enjoyed 3 nights there but 2 would work.

We liked Verona a lot, but I think we saw most of what we were interested in in a day. We had done a day trip from Padua.

We loved, loved, loved Venice. There is no place like it. We were there about 5 days and didn't come close to seeing everything we wanted to. About 15% of the city is pretty crowded. The rest of it is blissfully peaceful.

I know there are some that day trip to Venice. I wouldn't recommend it. Because of its location, it takes some time to get there from most mainland locations.

Here’s a suggestion that will combine Verona, Lago di Garda, and Roman history (including one of the best historical sites in Northern Italy), and position you well to travel to Milan, where you pick up the train into Switzerland. No matter which train you choose—-Bernina Express, Gotthard route, or other, you need to get to Milan first.

Start with 3 nights Florence, 2 in Bologna (one is not enough!) and 3-4 nights in Venice. Then take the train to Verona, where you will change to a fast train to Desenzano del Garda. But allow 4-5 hours in Verona to see the Roman arena here and wander the main squares, have lunch, etc. There is a luggage storage depot in the train station. Then continue to Desenzano, arriving around 4-5 in the afternoon. Take a cab from the station to your hotel by the lake. We like Hotel Park, with lakefront rooms and a restaurant so good we have not dined anywhere else on our visits here.

With 2 nights at Desenzano, you have a full day to take the ferry the short distance to Sirmione for a day. The main goal here is the Grottoes of Catullus, an amazing Roman historic site. I never tire of visiting this place.

https://lakegardatravel.net/grottoes-of-catullus-sirmione/

Sirmione is very crowded in high season, but should be manageable in mid-April. The oldtown area is nice to explore, and you can visit the castle if you wish. We had a delightful lunch on a quiet side street at Tavernetta Maria Callas (the diva and her husband lived in a villa here in the 1950’s).

From Desenzano, it is a one-hour train ride to Milano Centrale, where you will change trains to head to Varenna on Lake Como (on your way to Tirano), Locarno on Lago Maggiore (on your way to Luzern with the Treno Gottardo), or Lugano on Lago Lugano (for the Gotthard Panorama Express).

Yes it is information overload and the “you can’t miss this”.

Forget the CT on this trip, it’s way off your itinerary and you would lose a couple of days just getting there and back. The lakes would be lovely and are on your proposed itinerary route and a perfect location for a couple of down days after the cities and before Switzerland. The lakes are about boat rides, walking, stopping for coffee and enjoying just being there, not rushing to the next site.

Venice is definitely a place to spend a few days to absorb the atmosphere and get to know it. One of my favourite memories is of spending a cruise ship day there and walking to Piazza San Marco and enjoying a leisurely and rather expensive panini lunch at Florian’s and watching the world go by….this was my third or fourth visit to the city so no pressure to see it all, just to enjoy being there. Got into the Basilica without a wait and happened upon an organist playing at another of the churches.

You guys are awesome. Yes I can skip CT. I can also take off Garda and como if it seems like too much. You guys have convinced me for a few nights in Venice. Now I just need to work in Bologna, Florence maybe a stop in Verona on way to Milan and Switzerland.

Well there are 2 towns right on Lake Garda that are stops on the main train line between Verona and Milan. You have to get to Milan for a train to Switzerland, and your train will stop at one or both. You could spend a night or2 in one of those lake towns instead of in Milan. I recall that in one of your first posts you said no time in Milan.

You will also pass through towns on Lake Como on your way to Tirano for the Bernina Express.

So you don’t have to take either lake off your list, you just have to choose what makes the most sense for your trip and how you want to spend your time.