Hi
My husband and I arrive in Milan at 7:45Am on 23 March and fly out at 14:30 on 1 April.
We have visited Venice previously so dont want to visit it again.
We would like to Visit Rome and would also like to fit Paris in if possible.Other than Venice it's our first trip to Italy.
Please suggest a few possibilities over our 9 days. We would prefer to use public transport rather than rent a car.
Thank you

If you wanted to visit Paris you should fly into Paris and out of Milan -elsewise it will take a day to go to Paris by train or plane and a day back - I'd stay in Italy and do Florence and Rome maybe and a Tuscan hill town to boot - like Siena - easy day trip from Florence. Anyway trains are great in Italy these days - Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.com lets you book your own tickets - at a discount if do it early enough to get those limited in number discounted ducats. Check www.seat61.com for more on that - general info trains and where to go www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

Milan is a fascinating city too so stay there a day or two on arrival.

It has been a few years so others can update, but I think you can make it to Rome by train in about 3 hours. For me, I'd save Paris for another time. Easily from Milan are the lakes, Verona, Vicenza, Bologna, Parma and others. Go to Rome for 4-5 days, then come back to Milan area.

Easter week in Rome can be very busy - but also exciting - like taking in Good Friday services, etc.

Why are you flying into and out of Milan? Makes no sense unless your trip involves northern Italy. You want to visit Paris? In only 7 days an you've got to get back to Milan????

Sorry, but it's ditsy. Good luck.

There is an overnight train Milan-Paris but if go to Paris spend the week there and maybe do day trips.

Have you been to Florence? It's packed with treasures but also makes a great base for day trips in the area using public transportation. Fiesole, San Gimignano, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo, Bologna are all within 90 minutes of Florence by bus or train.

It's 3 hours by train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale to Florence. Florence to Rome is 90 minutes. Back to Milan is 3 hours, and then central Milan to Malpensa an hour. Return to Milan the day before your flight.

The flights were cheaper into Milan and out of Milan. Paris was just a thought. Thanks

Thank you

The flights may be cheaper but think of the time and money wasted on top of the flights to get to where you want to be. Your time is precious and you only have 7 days. Ideally you should fly into Rome and out of Paris, or other way round.

If you already have flights into Milan then I would focus on that area to use your time in the most valuable way. Or head to Rome on arrival and then head back north and spend time there before your flight home.

What are you interested in? What kind of places do you like to see:
more than 12000 ft high mountains, glaciers, vineyards, castles, stunning museums (art, technique, History, ethnogrphy, transports, acquarium, marine, oldtimer cars.....), sanctuaries, lakes, botanical gardens, cathedrals, opera performances, small medieval cities.......
all these things and much more can be found less than 150 miles around Milan Malpensa airport.

Charmaine - you have chosen your flights according to your specific situation so do not listen to those who say what you should have done. Arrival at 07.45 indicates an Emirates flight from Dubai which may not be the case but if it is has nothing to do with those posters who think everything stasts in the US. Opening a parenthesis - Emirates from JFK to Milan is probably the best flight there is in all classes.

IMO your choice (I would exclude Paris) is to do Rome at the beginning or the end of your trip and your choice may depend upon your religion. Obviously you will miss Easter Sunday but there is Venerdì Santo and part of Sabato Santo. But Rome will be very crowded during those days so hotels will be more expensive and other attractions will be busy. I would suggest you do Rome first. Depending where you are coming from I have always thought that the best way to deal with time zones is to immediately follow local time so when arriving at Malpensa take the Malpensa Express to Milano Central station and either the Frecciarossa or Italo to Rome. Based upon your arrival at Malpensa you ought to be in Rome around 14.00.

Then I would work back to Milan with obviously a stop in Florence. Your departure time from Malpensa means that you can easily spend your last night in Milan rather than seeking somewhere close to the airport.

Further info as to your preferences and interests can bring additional suggestions.

This is what we plan. Thanks.

This Sounds great. Than you. And yes we are travelling from Dubai. We would prefer to skip tgecEaster crowds. Since wecarriveearly in Milan we would opt to take the train to Rome and work our way back to Milan. How many days would you suggest in Rome?

In Rome, the week after Easter is when the major crowding occurs,. The week before is actually considered low season. Extra visitors before Easter will mostly be religious pilgrims, and they will mostly be at the Vatican. Since Easter is the 1st, visiting Rome before the 30th would not risk getting caught up in anything more than the usual crowds.

How many days to spend in Rome would depend on your interests. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to see in Rome? Or could you tell us something about your general interests?

Good Friday is a normal working day in Italy, and, although I've never spent that day in Rome, I've never seen any Good Friday services that would be worth mentioning. When I lived in the US, most churches had 3-hour long services from noon to 3 PM, the hours when Jesus was reportedly on the cross. In Italy, I've only seen short services, in the evening, when people have returned from work. Our town has a procession, where they read scripture readings, prayers, and sing hymns, It has no appeal to tourists, There is a procession in Rome, in which the Pope participates, and which ends in the Colosseum. It's strictly religious, and probably would appeal only to devout Christians. Anyway, it's almost impossible to get anywhere near the Pope (or the Colosseum) that evening. I think the Colosseum is closed the entire afternoon.

In southern Italy, but a lot further south than Rome, there are interesting folkloric processions and a lot of pageantry, often with pre-Christian elements.

I'm in a similar situation to the OP. 13 days in and out of MXP in November.

I don't have a detailed itinerary yet, but my plan is 8 days in Emilia Romagna and 3 days in Florence and an allowance for 2 travel days. I've never been to ER before and haven't been to Florence in close to 20 years. I enjoy exploring and getting lost in cities, some light hiking in the country, a little of the museum stuff, and obviously food and wine. I don't plan to have a car, but I try to go off the beaten path from time to time since I've discovered that some of the most interesting little towns to visit aren't in the guidebooks. I've visited Piedmont, Venice, Sienna, Rome, and Milan recently, so I don't need to repeat those destinations this year.

Does anyone have thoughts on what I should consider including in my trip?

Thank you

semihat - I would suggest you make a seperate posting to avoid confusing reponses.

Rome I'd say 4 days and perhaps include a day trip to say Ostia Antica - Rome's ancient port and a archaeological site similar to Pompeii sans the sweltering crowds - actually on edge of Rome -or day trip to Tivoli for Villa d'Este water gardens and Hadrian's Villa - research those! Maybe 5 days if two day trips.

Then spend the rest in Florence and maybe do a day trip to Siena by bus (1 hr) to see an iconic classic Tuscan hill town.

Maybe first night in Milan and one less day in Rome?

"Maybe first night in Milan..."

No. You land so early in the day, it would make more sense to keep moving to either Rome or Florence and have your time in Milan at the end. One less hotel check-in/out.

we flew in to Milan and immediately went to Bologna for 3 nights. Then we spent 3 nights in Florence. We spent our last night in Milan to ease our trip home. You could rather easily substitute Role for one of those cities. That said, I think Rome and Florence both deserve at least 4-5 days