What is a good 7 or 10 day northern Italy itinerary with Venice, Verona and Bologna?

1. 1Veronaday trip to Parma2 days
2. 2Bologna4 days
3. 3Venicethen on to Zagreb3 days

Our real route: 9 days, west to east

• Verona, 2 days (25 to 27 July): the Arena, Piazza delle Erbe, Juliet's House and Castel San Pietro. The route also records a day trip to Parma from here. See how many days in Verona.

• Bologna, 4 days (27 to 31 July): the porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, the walk to San Luca and the food. See how many days in Bologna.

• Venice, 3 days (31 July to 3 August): San Marco, Cannaregio, Dorsoduro and the lagoon islands. See how many days in Venice.

Before Italy we had 5 days in Munich; after Venice we went on to Zagreb and the Balkans. Verona is the natural first Italian stop coming from the north, and Venice the natural last one heading east.

What we would change: Parma is much closer to Bologna (about 40 to 60 minutes by train) than to Verona (around 2 hours or more with a change), so we would move that day trip.

Northern Italy in 7 days

• Days 1 to 2, Verona. The centre on day one, ending at Castel San Pietro for sunset; the Roman theatre and San Zeno, or the Arena opera in summer, on day two.

• Days 3 to 4, Bologna. Piazza Maggiore, the Quadrilatero and the Archiginnasio, then the portico walk to San Luca.

• Days 5 to 7, Venice. San Marco and the Grand Canal, Cannaregio and Dorsoduro, then Murano and Burano. Fly home from Venice.

Two nights per city is the minimum that lets you see each one in the evening, which in Verona and Venice is when the day-trippers have left. If you would rather fly into Venice, run it in reverse.

Northern Italy in 10 days

• Days 1 to 3, Verona and Lake Garda. Add a day at the lake: trains to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione take about 20 to 30 minutes, then a bus to Sirmione.

• Days 4 to 7, Bologna, with two day trips. Modena (about 20 to 35 minutes) or Parma (about 40 to 60 minutes) for Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic and ham, and Ravenna (about 75 minutes) for its Byzantine mosaics. Our day trips from Bologna compares them.

• Days 8 to 10, Venice, with a full day for the lagoon islands.

If you want to see Florence without restructuring the trip, it is about 35 minutes from Bologna by high-speed train and can replace one of the day trips. We did not go, so we cannot tell you how to spend that day.

Getting between the cities

This route is made for trains. The legs we checked:

• Venice to Verona: about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

• Venice to Bologna: about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes on a direct high-speed train; Mestre departures are a little quicker than Santa Lucia.

• Bologna to Florence: about 35 minutes by Frecciarossa.

A car is a burden in all three cities: Venice has no roads at all, and Verona and Bologna restrict traffic in their centres. In Venice, buy a vaporetto pass (about €25 (≈ $28) for 24 hours) rather than single tickets at €9.50 (≈ $10.6). If you sleep in Venice you do not pay the day-tripper access fee, but you still need a free exemption QR code on fee days; see our Venice access fee guide.

Heading on to Croatia as we did: there is no direct Venice to Zagreb train, and buses take roughly 6 to 7 hours. Our Croatia itinerary picks up from there.

When to go

April to June and September to October suit all three cities. We went in late July, the hottest and busiest stretch: Venice and Verona were best before 9am and after sunset, and Bologna's porticoes were the only reason midday walking was bearable. July and August do bring the Verona opera season (roughly mid-June to early September). In August, many Bologna locals leave for the coast.

Before you go, see do I need a visa for Italy, what is considered rude in Italy and coperto in Italy. Our Italy guide and Italian food guide cover the cities and dishes.

Budget notes for the three cities

Venice is by far the most expensive of the three for rooms; Bologna is the best value, which is another reason to give it the most nights. A few fixed costs to plan for:

• Venice vaporetto: €9.50 (≈ $10.6) single, about €25 (≈ $28) for 24 hours, €35 (≈ $39) for 48 hours and €45 (≈ $50) for 72 hours.

• Venice access fee: €5 (≈ $5.6) or €10 (≈ $11.1) for day-trippers on fee days; free with an exemption code if you stay overnight.

• Verona: Juliet's courtyard is free, the house and balcony need a timed ticket, and opera seats range from the stone steps to the stalls.

• Restaurants: a coperto per person is normal on bills; tipping on top is optional.

Common mistakes

• Doing Venice and Verona as day trips. Both are at their best in the evening; sleep in them.

• Basing in Verona for Parma. Use Bologna.

• Expecting this to cover Italy. It is the north-east only. Add Florence and Rome as separate legs if you want the classic route.

• Renting a car for city stops. Trains connect everything here faster.

Frequently asked questions