jenluc

Have flights for family to Bergamo at the end of Oct (arriving Saturday night departing Tuesday morning) and I need advice. The 2 men in my family will want to go to Milan to either visit a soccer stadium or go to a match. The women (myself & 3 daughters (22, 20 and 14) will want to go shopping while they visit the stadium. I expect most of it to be window shopping as the girls are all students. For me it's my 50th birthday and I want to go out to a nice Italian restaurant where we can all relax, enjoy our food and not get a heart attack over the bill. The main dilema is where to stay - Bergamo, Milan or Verona and after that a suggestion on where to to for a nice Italian dinner, Is it possible to stay in Bergamo and commute easily for day trips to Milan and Verona or would I be better heading to Milan Sunday and back to Bergamo on Monday and eat/do sight seeing there. Please help.

BigRuss

How important is that soccer match? Verona and Bergamo (does the latter have a team) don't measure up to the San Siro.

jenluc

A match in San Siro would be living the dream for my son and husband. The conversation on that is already top of their agenda!

sandralist

Most stores in Milan (and elsewhere) are closed on Sunday. Also, many of the better restaurants in Italy are not open for dinner on Sunday evenings, although you can usually find one that serves good food.

Rubicund

As I'm sure you know, both Inter and AC play in the San Siro (not at the same time, except when they play each other.

You can check the fixtures for the dates you're there:

http://www.acmilan.com/en
http://www.inter.it/en/hp

I wouldn't stay in Bergamo either for shopping in Milan or for the football, as it's over an hour away and some 60kms. On a match day it'll take a lot longer and it's a pain to get away from in a car. Verona is over 180 kms and more than two hours. Stay in Milan.

jenluc

Sunday so for sightseeing in Milan. Are we better off going on a day trip so rather than staying there? . There is an apartment in Bergamo I'm looking at that will fit all of us and I don't know whether to book 1 night there, a night in Milan and the last night back in Bergamo again.Sorry for all the questions but I usually organise everything for the family and getting accomodation is priority number 1.

jenluc

Thanks Rubicund, I missed your post as I was typing. I'll try Milan so. Any suggestions on what part of the city to stay in?

sandralist

There is no way to predict the weather for the 4 days that you will be in northern Italy, but your chances of getting serious rain at the end of October are actually pretty high. So you might want to think about how you feel about moving around luggage more than once if you do get rain, and whether Bergamo or Milano has more to do indoors that interests you in case you don't find it pleasant to be outdoors.

Also, which "end of October" days are you talking about? The last weekend -- which includes Nov 1 -- or the weekend before?

jenluc

Sandralist - we are travelling Sat 23rd

sandralist

That's good -- because Nov 1 is observed as a day of commemoration for deceased family and friends, and it can complicate a few things.

I am completely unfamiliar with the logistics involved in getting to soccer stadiums, but you might want to stay somewhere that offers convenient logistics. Just about every neighborhood of Milan offers nice restaurants, and the public transportation system is excellent. If you want an apartment for your family, you might find that choices are rather limited, but it might be the way to go because October can be a busy month for Milan for trade fairs/design shows/fashion, so hotel rooms go for a premium price.

Rubicund

If the weather is wet, then Milan has more sheltered spots than Bergamo, but you can't predict what it'll throw at you for your time there. I'd stay fairly centrally in Milan and enjoy what the city has to offer.

jenluc

Thanks a million for your help. Will try and book Milan now. Can you recommenda an area that's convenient to the city?

sandralist

If you use booking.com to look for a hotel room, it has a search feature which allows you to see what is available for your dates in the city and if you click on the map, you will be able to see the locations of those hotels. There roughly circular area that is obviously the heart of Milan. Just about anywhere you stay inside that circle will enable you to use public transportation to get anywhere in the city very quickly. The closer you stay to the Duomo, the more expensive your hotel is likely to be. If you are thinking you will want to take day trips out of Milan, then staying near the central station makes sense -- although it is not the best for sightseeing and eating in Milan itself (and all public transportation is linked to the Central station).

If you are thinking your family might like a lively area for restauerants and cafes, the Navigli area is very popular.

You can get a sense of Milan by reading this and similar online descriptions of Milan neighborhoods. Just do a google search

http://handymilan.com/2015/02/23/pla...vance/#more-71

jenluc

Thanks a million for all your help. Hopefully I can find somehting on the "economical side.