Hi There! Just booked flights from Boston To Milan and Venice to Boston via Aer Lingus (as well as to Greece and back via Aegean)
We are a family of 4 (two adults, 2 boys - ages 10/11 and 13). We travel carry on only and generally do laundry halfway through the trip.
We've never been to Milan or Venice. In the cities, we tend to be "flaneurs." So we'd like to stay somewhere convenient ti public transport.
We are also looking for accommodation recommendations for Milan/ area/Venice area (hoping to stay for 250 euro or less per night). Don't mind staying outside the center so long as there are good connections to and from the airport. I'm a little confused on how to get to Venice from Marco Polo airport.

Aug 21 Leave Boston
Aug 22 Arrive Milan (Linate). Q: How best to get from Linate to Milan center?)
Aug 23 Milan
Aug 24 Milan
Aug 25 Fly from Milan Malpensa at 10 AM to Paros (via Athens). Arrive in Paros around 3:30 PM. Take 8 PM ferry to Naxos.
Q: How best to get from Milan to Malpensa?
Q: How best to get from Paros airport to the ferry port? Internet says a taxi costs 12 euros, which seems to good to be true.
Aug 26 Naxos
Aug 27 Naxos
Aug 28 Naxos
Aug 29 Naxos
Aug 30 Naxos
Aug 31 Ferry from Naxos to Paros; fly out of Paros at 3:25 PM, arrive in Venice (via Thessaloniki) at 9 PM.
Q: How best to get to Venice from the airport at 9 PM? I was wondering whether we want to base ourselves in Murano or somewhere outside the city center?
Sep 1 Venice
Sep 2 Venice
Sep 3 Venice
Sep 4 Depart Venice at 12:20 PM, arrive Boston 6:50 PM

Hi Overit- I can't answer all of your questions but I can tell you that when I arrived at the airport in Milan (Fall 2022) I took a taxi to our hotel- I believe it took less than a half hour and wasn't too expensive. Also, regarding your stay in Venice. You definitely don't want to stay in Murano if you want to explore Venice. It's a great half day trip, but the schedules and cost would make it to restrictive for you. I stayed at the Saturnia, which I recommend if you can reserve a room in the renovated wing. It's a 5 minute walk from a water taxi stop (important!) and it's proximity to St. Marks square, and lots of shops, restaurants. I don't know how much the rooms are now. Venice is magical. Enjoy!

Take a taxi from Linate into Milan. Linate is in the city environs, much closer than Milan MXP.
Why aren't you staying in Paros since you are flying there? NO need to travel on to Naxos.Paros also has Antiparos to explore.
Venice- taxi or bus, Allilaguna or private water taxi from Venice airport to Piazzale Roma. Then walk or take a ferry to Venice itself..

I think it's easy to get lost in Venice in the daytime. Arriving in the city for the first time, in the dark, I'd hire a water taxi.

From Linate airport, I'd take a taxi... although if you study the metro map, it might be easy to reach your hotel.

https://www.atm.it/en/Pages/default.aspx

Milan to Malpensa, I'd take the Malpensa Express train from either the Centrale or the Cadorna train station... whichever is close to the hotel.

For hotel recommendations, you need to be more clear about your budget. Is it a quad room for 250 euros per night, or two rooms for about 125 euros each per night, or two rooms for about 250 euros each per night...? FWIW, I wouldn't stay outside of the center of either Milan or Venice. Too much time lost in transit.

Hi Happy Trvlr!

We aren't staying in Paros because we love Naxos. This will be our sixth stay in the same place. We did Antiparos once, and it was lovely! But my family prefers Naxos.

Thanks. We could do two single rooms, but prefer an apartment type setup for the four of us.

Wondering if we should try Treviso or somewhere near Venice instead of Venice. Hotels are expensive.

I've always wanted to try an agriturismo. Maybe this would be the time. Does anyone have any idea where to find agriturismos in Northern Italy?

https://www.agriturismo.it/en/

Is it really worth to fly from MXP to Paros instead of Naxos for a fare difference of not more than around 10 USD/pax?
(ATH dp 18.00 - Naxos airport ar 18.45 instead of ATH dp 14.50 - Paros airport ar 15.35 - Paros ferryport dp 20.05 - Naxos ferry port ar 20.35
The fare for the seajet alone will be around 35 USD/pax.

MILAN:
Linate - Milan city center can be done by public transport, by taxi or by Starfly bus to Lambrate and Milano Centrale (only every 60 min). All depends on the location of your hotel.
MXP:
Take the train Milano Centrale dp 6.55 - Milano Porta Garibaldi dp 7.05 - Malpensa Terminal 1 ar 7.47
or the train Milano Cadorna dp 7.27 - Malpensa T1 ar 8.05.
or the Autostradale bus Milano Centrale bus station dp 6.50 - Malpensa T1 ar 8.00.
All depends on he location of your hotel

Naxos - Paros:
I wouldn't trust the Power Jet via Mykonos and take the direct Bluestar 1 ferry at 9.30am

VCE - Venice historic city:
either Alilaguna catamaran from the airport.to different stops in the old town
or bus to Piazzale Roma
or bus to Mestre railway station and local trainfrom there to Venezia Santa Lucia
lAll depends on the location of your hotel

I would stay in town. enice can get sympathic in late evening or early morning without al the da trippers.
If you prefer to be outside, check B&B Relais Toti at Mogliano Veneto, a oldfashioned Venetian villa in a big garden, 2 minutes from the railway station with trains to Venice every 15 min or so from early morning until midnight.

Thanks. I did find this website. It's overwhelming. Wondered if anyone has any personal experience with one of them.

Ha! My preference was to fly into Naxos on that very flights. But Mr. OverIt goes mental in Athens airport and did not want to spend 4.5 hours ther. He prefers lunching in Paros and ferrying to Naxos. We travel light though.

I hear you about staying in town. But it's high season and rates are $$$$. I'm wondering if it makes more sense to try something outside the city this tome and return during low season.