Sonerb81

Hi everyone,

I read quite a few trip reports and got some useful information. Originally I was planning on visiting more cities but following the advice given in this forum I narrowed down the cities I would like to visit so I can spend more time in each city. By the way, from 26th through 4th, I will be traveling alone and from that day and on I will be with my girlfriend and mom.

First of all I will fly into Milan and out of Rome.

Before I list my destinations, there are a few dates that I have to be in certain cities. On the 2nd, I have to be in Torino. On the 4th I have to be in Milan. Also on 9th and 10th I have to be in Florence.

Let me know what you think about this itinerary. If you think I should add more cities or switch certain cities with other ones, please let me know. Feel free to make any recommendations. Thank you for your feedback.

Sept 26th - Milan
Sept 27th - Lake Como
Sept 28th - Lucerne
Sept 29th - Milan
Sept 30th - Genoa
Oct 1st - Genoa
Oct 2nd - Torino
Oct 3rd - Torino
Oct 4th - Milan
Oct 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th - Venice
Oct 9th, 10th, 11th - Florence
Oct 12th, 13th - Pisa
Oct 14th-19th - Rome

Jean

Even with the restrictions, I would not enjoy the many 1- and 2-night stays and multiple hotel changes in the first half of this itinerary. "Add more cities"? Uh, no.

First, go directly to Lake Como on arrival. Don't check into a Milan hotel for the first night.

Why Luzern for one night? It will take a half day to get there and a half day to reach the next destination. All that for less than a day in Luzern?

Why go to Milan on the 29th when you'll be back a few days later? Why not go to Genoa on the 29th, to Torino on the 1st, to Milan on the 3rd and to Venice on the 5th?

Is there a reason to stay in Pisa? It's only an hour by train from Florence.

Sonerb81

Hi Jean,

You made some valid points. Let me explain the Luzern part a little bit more.

I am thinking about taking the train from Milan to Como early morning since it's only about an hour away by train. I am thinking about spending the night at Como and travel to Lucerne next day early morning. I heard that it is a nice town with beautiful scenery, so I thought I would just walk the streets and then go back to Milan the same day around 6 or 8pm. It takes about 3-4 hours to get to Milan so I would spend the night there before I leave for Genoa. I will think about this a little bit more and see if I can come up with a better plan.

Do you suggest I should make only a day trip to Pisa? Because if I went there two days while staying in Florence, that seems like a waste of time as well. I maybe wrong.

I am thinking about maybe ditching Pisa for Sienna. I am not sure. I haven't made up my mind yet.

By the way, after flying from California and arriving to Milan at 6pm, I don't think I will feel up to going to Lake Como directly. That's the only reason why I decided to spend the night there.

But good points and I will think some more about my plan.

I appreciate your help.

jamikins

Pisa is worth an hour or so to see the field of miracles - no need to spend a night. The town itself if fairly grim.

bobthenavigator

I hate one niters and you will too in these fabulous destinations. Both Como and Luzern deserve 2 nites at a minimum. Your first week will be a blur--slow down.

dwdvagamundo

If you could manage to get to Como (city) the first nite, you'd get a jump on your trip and probably save some money. Milano is very expensive, and Como (city) is about as far from Malpensa as Milano city center. Don't know about trains Malpensa--Como, though.

Stay in Bellagio or elsewhere around Lake Como for two nites and skip Luzern for this trip. Lots of beautiful scenery and neat towns around Lake Como as well. Then you can go directly to Genoa on your return without having to spend a nite in Milano.

You can then gain a day on your itinerary so that you can have two nites together at Milano on the 3d and 4th.

Agree on day trip to Pisa. If you do that, you can substitute a couple of nites in Florence and do a day trip to Siena as well.

Sonerb81

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess I will skip Luzern this trip and stay 2 nights around Lake Como. I wasn't aware that Milano city center and Lake Como would be similar distance from the airport. That was a great eye opener. In that case, I will cancel my hotel in Milan and go directly to Como from the airport.

I decided to do two day trips to Pisa and Siena instead of staying in Pisa for couple nights.

All the messages were very helpful. Thank you all.

By the way, should I go to Genoa and spend two nights or do you guys have any better suggestions?

Sonerb81

After the advice given, I decided to directly go to Lake Como from the airport. I will stay there on 25th, 26th and 27th.

I have a few days from 28th to 1st or 2nd until I go to Torino. Are there any suggestions on where I should visit in the area?

Jean

The town of Como is about the same travel distance from Malpensa as central Milan, but the more desirable mid-lake area (Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio) is about twice the travel time. You'd train first to central Milan and then switch to a train to Varenna-Esino. Stay in Varenna or ferry to Bellagio or Menaggio, Tremezzo, etc.

Have you added a day at the front end? You're now mentioning a Sept. 25th start date. It sounds like you've dropped Genoa, too, which opens up the possibility of going to Venice immediately on arrival and then seeing Lake Como on the way to Torino.

Whatever the order of things, have you booked lodging at Lake Como? September is still a busy tourist time on the lake, and I wouldn't arrive without reservations, especially on a weekend.

If you don't want to go to Venice on arrival, you might consider just staying longer at Lake Como and making a couple of day trips. Both Bergamo and Lugano are easy and pretty close. If you have any interest in motorcycles, the Moto Guzzo factory and museum are in Mandello del Lario which is about 30 minutes by train from Varenna-Esino.

Sonerb81

Hi Jean,

Well on 25th, I will arrive Como at night. I guess that doesn't count. So, I am thinking about spending two full days/nights there on 26th and 27th. I thought I would take a ferry to Bellagio on 27th and spend most of the day there and come back to Como.

I will look into Bergamo and Lugano. Maybe I can stay longer in Como and make those day trips.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Jean

Bergamo and Mandello del Lario are not as easy day trips from the town of Como as they are from Varenna, but Lugano is easier.

Is there a reason you've chosen to stay in Como?

Sonerb81

I've looked at hotels around Lake Como and found Hotel Europa to be a great value (price and tripadvisor hotel rating) in Como so I decided to stay there. After posting this I will start looking for hotels in Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio per your suggestion.

Let me ask you this, if you were someone who wanted to see nice scenery and the countryside of Italy by yourself before going to big cities like Rome and Venice with family what would you do between September 26th and October 1st? Would you go to Lake Como area or somewhere else?

Jean

"Would you go to Lake Como area or somewhere else?" You should expand your question to mention starting from Milan and needing to end up in Torino.

For me, Lake Como without a car. Asti/Alba/Bra/Langhe Valley area with a car.

Sonerb81

OK great. Thank you again. Per your suggestion, I found this hotel Alberghetto La Marianna. It is right in the Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio circle. It is only 5 minutes to Menaggio with bus(C10) and has great reviews.

Jean

The C10 bus travels between Como town and Colico at the north end of the lake. When you arrive at Malpensa, you can go to Como and take the ferry or bus to Cadenabbia/Griante. Or you can train to Varenna-Esino via Milan and take the ferry across the lake to Cadenabbia/Griante. Just make sure your arrival at the ferry dock is before the last departure.

Some links to help you decide which way you want to go:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

http://www.sptlinea.it/Portals/5/Doc...s/I-C%2010.pdf

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html