Stop in Milan?
Jul 9th, 2013, 05:37 AM
#1
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Stop in Milan?
We are arriving at the Milan Airport in the early morning (8am) and picking up a car to explore Lake Como and eventually end up in Venice four days later. Is it possible to drive into Milan, park the car, and explore the Duomo area and still get to Bellagio at a reasonable time? It is obviously out of the way, but I would love to go to the city center if it is possible to do and still get to our hotel in Bellagio in the late afternoon. Curious about parking recommendations, and specifically if it is worth driving into the city center and parking or parking on the outskirts and taking the Metro. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Jul 9th, 2013, 07:13 AM
#2
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I wouldn't visit Milan after a overnight flight. There is a lot to see, but one shouldn't be sleepy in order to enjoy it:
Duomo, Scala, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Sant Ambrogio, Last Supper (book ahead!), Brera Gallery, Castle, Railways and Science and Technics Museum Leonardo da Vinci, etc. etc. ......
Milan would be a nice day trip from Bellagio (probably better done by (dirty cheap) train from Varenna).
If you want to visit something on your way from MXP to Bellagio, I would rather check the castles and botanical gardens at Borromean Islands (Stresa), the Sacromente (Holy Mountain) of Varese, the open air museum Swissminiatur at Melide (Lugano), the frescoes in the paleo christian babtistery at Riva San Vitale (Mendrisio), the cog railway from Capolago to the viewpoint Monte Generoso (Mendrisio), the smuggler museum at Cantine di Gandria (Lugano) .....
Duomo, Scala, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Sant Ambrogio, Last Supper (book ahead!), Brera Gallery, Castle, Railways and Science and Technics Museum Leonardo da Vinci, etc. etc. ......
Milan would be a nice day trip from Bellagio (probably better done by (dirty cheap) train from Varenna).
If you want to visit something on your way from MXP to Bellagio, I would rather check the castles and botanical gardens at Borromean Islands (Stresa), the Sacromente (Holy Mountain) of Varese, the open air museum Swissminiatur at Melide (Lugano), the frescoes in the paleo christian babtistery at Riva San Vitale (Mendrisio), the cog railway from Capolago to the viewpoint Monte Generoso (Mendrisio), the smuggler museum at Cantine di Gandria (Lugano) .....
Jul 9th, 2013, 07:25 AM
#4
If you drop the idea of renting a car, you could easily spend a few hours in Milan. Train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale, store your luggage and explore. After sightseeing, return to Centrale, retrieve your luggage, train to Varenna-Esino, walk a short distance (downhill) to the dock, and ferry to Bellagio. It would take about 2 hours from leaving Centrale to arriving at your Bellagio hotel.
After your time in Bellagio, ferry to either Varenna or the town of Como and train to Venice.
After your time in Bellagio, ferry to either Varenna or the town of Como and train to Venice.
Jul 9th, 2013, 07:31 AM
#5
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I'm with Jean - do you really want a car in Bellagio? It doesn't sound like you'll be there very long, and a car might be more of a hassle than a help there. And if you only have four days total and want to see Lake Como and Milan, you really don't have much time to road trip.
