8 days trip- Flying in Milan, flying out from Rome. Where should we visit?

What are your interests? Do you like shopping? art museums? hiking? architecture? We need to know your interests to recommend the best stops for you. With 8 nights, I would recommend 2-3 locations, since you'll waste lots of time changing hotels more than that.

What do you want to accomplish from this trip?

Whether "so many nights are enough" depends on what you want to accomplish at each destination.

For example, if your objective to stay in as many cities as possible, then by all means stay in 8 cities. As wacky as this might sound, I have an acquaintance whose travels this way and is very happy about his trips. There is nothing wrong with this way of traveling when it satisfies his objectives. I would not travel this way, however.

For other folks, having only 8 nights requires trade-offs. But on what basis should the decision be made?

If you are not familiar with what each city offers, I recommend buying or checking out guidebooks from your library. For a first timer, you might look at Rick Steves Italy. For each city, he has a table listing what he thinks are the top attractions. Go through tables on Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, etc, listing the attractions that look interesting to you. Order in the priority you choose and see how many of them can be fit into 8 nights. The number of attractions of interest per city will naturally point to the number of nights you want to spend in each city. If there is a city with only few interests, take it out and allocate nights to other cities.

Also note that Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are close to Milan. You might want to stay at these places instead of Milan or do a day trip from Milan to one of these lakes.

With only 8 nights I would pick one place between Milan and Rome and concentrate on that destination plus Rome. You could easily spend the entire time in Rome which is an amazing city.

Of course 8 days is not enough in this beautiful country but it's better than nothing. I would forget about any museums and just walk around each city taking in the culture.
This is what I would do:
2 nts. in Milan
2 nts. in Venice
2 nts. in Florence
2 nts. in Rome
Travel by train early in the morning so you'll at least have the evening and the next full day in each city. In Rome they have a hop on/hop bus that will let you see all the major sights. The pass is good for 24 hrs. and you can get off at any stop and get on the next bus that comes along.
Don't be discouraged about peoples comments on traveling this way - I did Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo in 5 days and it was one of the best trips I've ever been on.

We flew into Rome and out of Milan for our honeymoon a few years ago. We had two weeks, but our route was: Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice, Torino, Milan. We absolutely loved each and every place, but the highlights were definitely Rome, Cinque Terre and Venice.

Our least favorite was probably Milan. We only had 1 full day/night there I think, but to me it was just like any other big city - great for shoppers of course.

We took early morning trains so that we could maximize our time in each place. You can visit as many cities as you want - just depends on what you want to do and how fast you like to travel.

Oh, and we found Rick Steves guide to be fantastic.

With only 8 nights, I suggest you keep it simple and see two of the greatest cities in the world- Venice and Rome.

If you arrive in Milan before noon, head straight to Venice. You can train there from Milan's central train station. To get to the train station you can take a direct bus from the airport. The bus takes 1 hour and the train 3 hours. Spend three nights in Venice.

If you arrive in Milan after noon, stay there for one night and then move on to Venice the next day. Spend two to three nights in Venice

Take a train from Venice to Rome and stay there for the remaining nights.

I think that 'keeping it simple' is a good way to go. With 8 days, two cities (Venice and Rome)is a good plan. As far as Milan for the first day or two, there is no reason that you can't get to Venice on your arrival day, so that choice is totally yours.

If you have any specific interests, hobbies, or 'just have to see's than tell us and we can advise.

Thank you very much to all of you! I am so happy to see so many replies!!!

We want to see some museums and visit some main historic spots. We don't want to spend the whole day doing the sightseeing stuff but just walk around the city and enjoy the culture. My highlights would be eating good food!

So far from reading all the replies... I think we might just do a night at Milan. We get in before noon but it is going to take us more than 27 hours from door to door and we will be too exhausted to go straight to Venice. We will get a bite of Milan on this trip. I think we are going to stay at Venice for 3 nights and then to Rome for 4 nights.
Milan- 1 night
Venice- 3 nights
Rome- 4 nights

Now I need to book the hotels! It is fun to plan, but it is a lot of time on the computer researching... especially when you are on a certain budget.

I really do want to go to Florence but my boyfriend wants to keep it simple so we can relax and enjoy Venice and Rome. I'll keep Florence for my next trip and visit Tuscany as well

Mahalo to all!
Kalea

Aloha, good food? My gosh forget to eat good in Venice, me and my bf living with me in italy ( i'm italian ) took a tour last mounth to Venice, travelling with his old aunt from Oregon e showing her the beautifull Venice, but was a surprise for me too THE FOOD. After many years was my second visit in venice and shame i find the town very desolate and going down regarding bar and restaurant. Is almost impossible find in the town a good real italian restaurant, everithing is made for tourist and the menu are poor and not made with passion. In the kitchen only indian, pakistany and chinese people, the waiters are almost rude and in the bar there is a price list for tourist and for citizen (very rare) Pay attention to the shopping too, most of the items selled are not made in italy but made in China. Also the town knew better time but is still the wonderfull amazing incredible Venice and the landscape is stunning. My suggestion for your trip are different and being italian make me talk in different way than a tourist, Milan apart the Duomo Area dont have so much to see but if u are interested in mode shopping this is the best place and most expensive. So dont stop in Milano but go directly to Venice and spend two night will be enough. From Venice move to Lucca where you can spend three night and have shortly excursion to Pisa and Cinque Terre and may be Carrara and his amazing white marble quarries. Everithing is about one hour and half by train. The rest of the trip spent in Rome, wherevere you go there in the "Caput mundi" will be wonderfull also there put attention where you stop to eat, i means avoid crowded tourist area. Trastevere is a good area where still u can find italian food. Hope you enjoy your trip and if u need assistance let me know by mail. Bye for now
Bernardo and Paul

We spent a few days in Rome (Trastevere) and then went on a 12 day cruise of Italy and Croatia last year. We absolutely loved Rome: the history, all the historical sites, such as the Colosseum; art as in the Sistine Chapel. Like slykbryl I was less excited about Venice. We loved Burano and Murano, but overall there were other ports we preferred. I would suggest flying into Rome if possible and depending on your interests, selecting one other town or area you can use as a base for day trips.

You have a pretty good plan. With the first leg to Milan being 27 hours, I think a sleep in Milan is a good idea. Milan hotels and restaurants are not cheap. If your budget gets too stressed, then look for accomodations in the suburbs or far suburbs.

Since you want to do some museums, you can prebook some museums from the US. Doing this eliminates some flexibility from your travel but eliminates some of the wait lines to get in (also eliminates some wait lines to purchase the admission tix).

You probaly know the main historic sights. If not then get guide books. Also, in Rome we took a half-day bus/walking that showed us alot of the sights in an easy guick method.

As mentioned above, the food scene in Venice is overwhelmed by uninspired food oriented towards the tourists. There should be good restaurants there and a little research ahead of time might go along way.

gotta see the roman ruins and the ponte vecchio in florence.

and you gotta get the pizza in rome - it's like sicilian in new york but sometimes better, get the sausage and artichoke....best I'ver ever had. And antipasto, oh boy, fugghetaboutit. pasta carbonara is over-rated.

Great tip about pizza,ryanabulger! Be sure to sample the gelato too, Kalea.

If you really want to see Florence you could stop there on your way to Rome. Take an early train from Venice to Florence, store your luggage in the train station and walk to the historic center (about a 10 minute walk). The historic center is quite compact and you can easily walk side-to-side in about 20-30 minutes. Spend the day in Florence and take a late train to Rome (travel time is about 90 minutes on the fast trains). Here are the luggage storage hours.
http://www.grandistazioni.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=9511d0ef6030c110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

Hi. My daughter and I were in Italy last summer. I wish I could go back this summer!

Since you're flying into Milan and flying out of Rome, I would recommend going to Venice from Milan. In my opinion I'd only spend 1 night in Milan and then go to Venice. I'd plan on spending 2 nights in Venice because there are islands (www.italylogue.com) (depending on how many you want to see) you can go to (Murano is a must - they do glass blowing and you can get some awesome jewelry) but Venice and Murano can be done in a day if you have to - we did it. (The other islands are Burano (lace) and Torcello (historical). We got there at 6:00 a.m. and left out on a sleep train at midnight. days should we stay at Venice? I checked RailEurope (Trenitalia) and you can get from Venice to Rome in 7 hours or right now there are specials on both Meridiana and AirOne and you can fly real cheap. I didn't check prices from Venice to Florence but I would imagine the cost wouldn't be that much either. (Personally, I would leave florence out and head for the Mediterranean - see below). Rome is an absolute must. The sights there are awesome! (We were there for 1-1/2 days). You can get an English speaking guide to take you through the Colliseum. He was great! From Rome, I would head 2 hours down the coast 2 Naples and then take a Hydrofoil across the sea to Sorrento (www.italy-sorrento.com). This place is heavenly! You can see the Amalfi Coast (amalfi.rome-in-italy.com) and Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvious (touritaly.org/pompeii/pompeii-main.htm). Then head back to Rome and fly home. Whatever you choose, I hope you guys have fun and stay safe. If you have any questions about anything I've mentioned, let me know and I'll be glad to help!

If you spend the first few days at a fast pace doing all of the sight seeing, you can spend a few days enjoying the crystal blue/green waters of the Mediterranean. Believe me, you'll love it! I've traveled Europe 4 times and it's by far my favorite place!

This is where I plan to go back to hopefully next year...maybe with my husband next time....who by the way leaves for Maui in 2 weeks for a diving trip - small world, huh!

G

I think trying to include the Amalfi coast on this trip would be ruinous.

Also, it's a shame not to enjoy a meal in Milano, since the traveler is so interested in good food -- which, as Italian resident slickbryl points out, is very hard to find these days in Venice.

Kalea,

For Milan, I recommend that you before you get on the train to Venice, pay a visit to Cracco Peck (you can Google for the address, near the Duomo) and get yourselves a great picnic to eat on the train. Were it me, I would try to stay in Milan long enough to see Da Vinci's Last Supper (you need to make a reservation) and Michaelangelo's Pieta Rondanini in the Sfoza castle.

I would definitely skip trying to squeeze in Florence while in transit.

You will certainly eat well in Rome.

PS: Do not stay in the suburbs of Milan. Use hotel booking websites to find the best deals. Try the Anderson.

Try using eurocheap and holiday city for booking hotels in Milan. They often have good deals.

TYPO:

It's "eurocheapo.com"

You may save money by staying in an apartment. It will provide more space and allow you to prepare some meals. Here is a great one in Venice-

http://www.palazzofoscarini.com/pf/en/

One of my favorite places to eat in Venice-

http://www.lazucca.it/

Also, here is a very "must have" eating and drinking guide for Venice-

http://www.chowbellabooks.com/

zeppole - Sorry, I suppose I should have been more clear. I wasn't suggesting they try to do ALL of those things: Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvious (although it can be done, I did it) I was really just suggesting Sorrento and maybe a day cruise to Amalfi - although as I re-read my earlier post I suppose it did sound that way. I suppose that's what I get for trying to rush in completing the post so I could get to a meeting. Sorrento really is a gorgeous place!

Must Sees:
the David in Florence
The guggenheim museum in Venice
the Trevi fountain in Rome

This is just my opinion, but I think as soon as you land you should head out of Milan like a scalded dog and get to Venice. You should stay two nights there, but if you sleep on the plane you can get at least a taste of Venice in a single night.

From Venice head to Florence, via Pauda. Get off the train in Padua (Padova), check your bags and see the Scrovegni Chapel. This is an advance ticket and it is well worth the effort to see. Then continue on to Florence.

You can stay two, three or four nights in Florence. If you stay longer you will have enough time for a day trip to Sienna or Pisa, both worthwhile.

Then go to Rome and spend the balance of your time there, but in my opinion you shouldn't stay in Rome more than three nights, preferably two. You'll only scratch the surface, but you can decide where you want to spend more time on a future visit.

The Hotel Berna in Milan is a nice hotel with reasonable rates if booked far enough in advance. We were there in March and paid $130 USD/night which is pretty darn good for Milan. Close to the train station where the shuttle bus from the airport drops you off. Easy walk to the hotel. I would recommend that you see the Duomo in Milan even though you are going to be wiped out from the plane ride. It's beautiful but also quite different from the other cathedrals you will be seeing and visiting as you move south. It'll be nice to have the experience as a comparison. Try for the tickets to the Last Supper, it doesn't take long and it isn't far from the Duomo. Did you mention when you are going?

I hope nobody minds my saying so, but people are suggesting some awfully exhausting itineraries for two people -- even if they are young -- getting off a 27 hour plane flight, and who have only a week in Italy.

The Scrovegni chapel requires a reservation and while it is a great work of art, it would really take far too much time out of an already very squeezed trip.

The Guggenheim museum in Venice is hardly a "must-see", and as I post all the time, I live in Italy, I've been to Florence many times because I love returning, and I've yet to see the real David in the Accademia. So I guess that's not a "must-see" either. And while the Trevi fountain is a hoot, especially at night, you can have a great time in Rome without seeing it. Venice and Rome are such rich places, you don't have to run around and see other people's "must-sees," you can simply walk in any direction and discover something fabulous.

Milano requires more of a strategy -- which is why many people never discover what it has to offer. Because the original posters are going to be so jet lagged, they should at least spend the night there. But although I recommended they try to see the most impressive sights, they simply may not have the energy to do anything but crawl onto a train bound for Venice.

A quick reply since I am on my break at work.
We decided to shorten our stay at Venice to 2 nights. We might stay at Milan 2 nights, Venice 2 nights and then to Rome for 4 nights.... My ideal is Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome for 2 nights each. But again I feel like I am rushing everywhere and I do want to relax and just walk around with no plans half of the day.
We just got our tickets and we are going in mid May. 2 stops on the way so it will be a long trip! I will write when I am home again! thank you!

Kalea,

Keep in mind that every time you change locations you will waste at least half a day checking out of hotels getting to trains stations, waiting for trains, riding the trains, finding your way to your new hotel, and checking in. That is one reason why many are suggesting that you limit your change of locations on such a short trip.

Travel time alone:
Milan-Venice (2-3 hours depending on train)
Venice-Florence (3-4 hours depending on train)
Florence-Rome (1.5-2.5 hours depending on train)

Add on a minimum of an hour at each end of those travel times, and you will see how much of your day will probably be taken up with making the changes.

Milan-Venice (4-5 hours of one day)
Venice-Florence (5-6 hours of one day)
Florence-Rome (2.5-3.5 hours one day)

Yes, someone familiar with each city might manage the changes slightly faster, but I think my suggested times are optimistic.

Callmekate, a cruise is not the best way to visit Venice. To really experience the city, you must stay there, enjoy it in the evening when all the daytrippers and cruisers have left, wander the back "streets," get lost.

The idea that one can take a tour or a cruise, sample many different places, and decide where to go back to and stay longer is a fallacy. You get herded to all the busiest, most crowded places at the busiest most crowded times of day. You stay either offshore on the boat or in a far from central hotel, one that's large and lacking local charm. You don't get the small discoveries as you walk to and from your hotel, the contact with locals.

(I get defensive when people don't like Venice.)

Hi,
So I have been doing my research. I think we are staying at Hotel Berna in Milan, but I haven't decide where for venice and Rome.... If anyone can give me an advise which area I should stay, I might be able to make up my mind on the hotel. I want the hotel to be close to a station so it will be easy access to most places but no more than $150 per night. We will be staying in Rome for 4 nights (still thinking of squeezing a Florence day trip). If you have any suggestions please help me out

Aloha

Just to expand on my advice to get out of Milan and go straight to Venice. I agree the OP will be exhausted, although they are doing so much traveling they are bound to sleep a little on the plane (and perhaps later the train).

They are far better off forcing themselves to stay half-awake and going to Venice than they are simply staying in Milan because they are tired.

I don't do exhausting iteneraries, but my first day is always a killer. The absolute worst thing you can do for your trip is to check into a hotel at noon and sleep for six hours. Your entire day-night routine will be a shambles.

So I stand by my advice to go straight to Venice, but if you really want to see Milan, do so. But I would hate to spend such a large percentage of my first trip on Milan.

Milan wouldn't be on my top ten as a destination but since you are going to be there it would be a shame to miss the cathedral. It took me years to get to Milan because I wasn't ever in the area. I've always wanted to visit the Brera and the Last Supper, but it was the Duomo that made the trip worth it.
I like your trip plan, and as far as a daytrip to Florence I would suggest leaving that as a wait and see. Florence has so much to see and feels so good when you get to stay at least a couple days. Rome will steal your heart and you may not want to give up any precious time spent there.
I'm so jealous!

Thank you both of you
Milan was actually never in my plan. I wanted a ticket that flew in Venice and then out from Rome but the airfares jumped in a couple days as we were deciding... So I ended up with this flight plane which was a good deal! $850 round trip from Hawaii! So, since we are going to be in Milan, I figured we can explore a day or two. My bf did the cruise around Europe couple years ago and he didn't like it at all because they had to be back on the ship by a certain time and could never get enough time to explore as much as they wanted so this trip he doesn't want to do the running around type of trip, he wants to be able to relax and not worry about the time so much.
pdx, yeah, I think I am going to do the wait and see for florence. If I feel like there are much more to do in Rome, I will leave Florence out for my next trip!
I am listing all the good places to eat that I want to go! this is the best part LOL. I actually found a great book at Louis Vuitton suprisingly!

For your stay in Rome I would recommend looking into options for an apartment rental. There are options available for a 4 night stay and they are usually much better value than hotels. We were very happy with our rental through realrome.com.

I am confused by your saying that you want to stay "close to a station so it will be easy access to most places." Do you mean a metro station? The metro stops are really not very convenient to the central historic area where you will probably want to spend most of your time. We stayed in a central neighborhood (the old ghetto) and either walked or took buses.

Well, I have to disagree with several posters here. We had wonderful food in Venice. Tried as much as possible to eat in places a little bit away from the main tourist areas. While we are "foodies" and love a gourmet meal, on this trip we were on a budget, and also didn't want to be tied to being at a restaurant at a certain time. So we ate at smaller, casual places - no reservations needed (of course it was November and not as busy as some other times of the year!) And some of the best food was at the wine bars.

Thank you SCFoodie! I am glad to hear that. I am hoping to have great food in Italy!!!! In the guide book that Louis Vuitton sells has a whole a lot of restaurants from casual to fine dining and it is really helpful but they don't have Venice in there but like I did in Paris before, I am going to just pick an area and ask a random person that is walking their dog for suggestion. This worked really well

Vttraveler,
Thank you so much for sharing the website! all the apartments are lovely! I really wanted to stay in one of them and I even emailed them but my bf wants to stay in a hotel, boooo! I will definately consider an apartment for my next visit though, thanks!!!
About your confusion with the close to station... my bad, I haven't really researched enough to know that there are not many rails/metros. I guess its more of a bus transportation in Italy. I just want to stay in an area that would be easy to go to all the sighseeing places. I still haven't decide where to stay in Rome... Probably around the Termini station or the area around trevi, navona or campo de fiori... i am really confused but I will figure it out. We are on a budget of around $150 a night. My bf thinks I am crazy that I can't make up my mind, he said he would be able to choose a hotel in 5 min! LOL

Does B&B give you new towels everyday?
I found this lovely B&B called Santa Croce!!! I feel like I found a place I want to stay! Has anyone stayed there?

Kalea-- One B & B in Rome that is frequently recommended in this forum and on Trip Advisor is Arco del Lauro. It is in the Trastevere neighborhood, on the west side of the Tiber.

This thread has a lot of good information with a mix of apartment, B & B and hotel recommendations and descriptions of the pros and cons of different neighborhoods in Rome
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/francos-favourite-roman-accomodistricts.cfm

I would land in Milan then get to Venice asap for 3 nights. Stay near the train station. Rest up well first night. Then to Rome for 5 nights. Stay near the train station. Florence is an easy day trip from Rome, or you can even do a day trip to Naples.

Thank you so much Vttraveler!
Arco del Lauro seems very nice as well! I actually did book the Santa Croce, but still debating....errr!!! I hope all the places I picked are going to be OK at least. I finally booked for all Milan, Venice and Rome but I can't believe I am still researching for more hotels LOL! it is fun though

I don't think the location of the Santa Croce, southeast of the stazione, is very good. That area used to be kinda shady. And I suspect several of the reviews on www.tripadvisor.com were supplied by the owner. Too great a variety of foreign languages.

The best location in Rome is around the Piazza Navona-Campo dei Fiori-Trevi Fountain. Nice and central and easy walking to most of the main sights.

Thank you Mimar,
I kind of that that the first couple of them were from the owners as well... I do want to stay in that area but it hasn't been easy to find, but I will keep looking! thanks!

Hotel Arenula Via Santa Maria de' Calderari, right of Via Arenula, is very centrally located. It is recommended as an inexpensive option in Frommer's. It is at the edge of the Jewish ghetto neighborhood where we rented an apartment two years ago.

I would definitely pick that neighborhood or the area near Arco del Lauro over the location of the Santa Croce.