Verona or not?

Do not skip Verona. It is a great place to spend a day (if not more). If you take the earliest possible train from Venice, one full day and one night will probably be sufficient for Verona. Hotel Torcolo is about as central a location as one could want. It is possible to walk there from the train station, but with luggage a taxi is much better and not that expensive. I think a bus is also available. Then take the train the next morning to Milan and then to Varenna. That will still give you a full day and perhaps one half or three quarters of another day in Varenna.

If you are a Goethe fan (as in "kennst du das Land wo die Zitronen bluehn") you'll get goosebumps when you see the citrus trees planted between the train platforms in the Verona station. At least I did -- it was years ago and I hope they are still there.

The city of Verona is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I'd say it's worth a stop.

I loved Verona! How long do you have in Venice? If you're there a few days, you could just do Verona as a day trip from Venice and then head from Venice to Varenna. The benefit of doing it that way is one fewer unpacking stop. One night in Verona is kind of a pain - you can get the essence of it as a day trip from Venice but when we did it I was left wishing we had a few days to spend there. I really like the size of it and the feel of it.

If you're super efficient, you could leave Venice early, store your stuff at the train station, do a quick trip around Verona and then get back to the train station in time for the 3.5 hour route to Varenna. What kind of time are you spending in Italy? What else are you seeing?

I've been to a Verona three times over the last twenty years and each time I find something new to love about this beautiful small city... It has amazing architecture and art, a lovely shopping district and market, a fantastic amphitheatre for outdoor opera and generally is less crowded than the other famous Italian cities... I think that it would be a shame to skip it...

I would not skip Verona in your shoes. One day in Varenna is enough, actually you can comfortably visit both Varenna and Bellagio on the same day.

I agree, three days in Varenna is too much, really one day there and another spent in Bellagio would be best. There is a ferry that travels to many of the towns and also goes to Como....(there is a local and express).

We have not yet been to Verona but were planning on doing it for a day on our trip to the Dolomites...Seems like a cool place.

I haven't been to Varenna, but I found that Verona was particularly lovely in the evenings. However I was not there during opera season when it is presumably quite different. When are you going? Google Verona Card to get an idea of the sights there.

Thank you all for your input! Verona it is! Also, thanks for the hotel recommendation!

We spent half a day in Verona at the end of August en route from Venice to Lake Garda and to be honest, both my husband and I couldn't wait to leave. To be fair, it was peak season and of course during opera season but it was extremely crowded and hot and the town lacked the charm we were hoping for. We were disappointed that the Roman amphitheater (not the Roman colosseum) was completely covered by risers and we couldn't see the original Roman stones and we couldn't see the theater as well due to the opera season. The piazzas were full of people too. I think I would visit Verona in the off or shoulder season but definitely not during peak season if I were to do it again!