becca_mo

I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to Italy. Right now one of the best looking deals is a Monograms tour that starts in Sorrento and ends in Venice, but unfortunately it doesn't include Milan. I was thinking about trying to simply stay in Venice an extra night, get on a train to Verona, have a late breakfast there, and then spend the afternoon in Milan and catch a late plane back. I don't have a very good grasp on the distance, and I'm having trouble understanding the Eurostar site, so I thought I'd see if anyone on here knew whether this was doable or not. I don't mind being exhausted, because that's the only was I can sleep on a flight. : )

bobthenavigator

Back where?
Most flights from MXP to USA leave before noon.

thursdaysd

The best place for train schedules is bahn.de (select English at top right). For Venice-Verona-Milan you can buy the ticket after you get to Italy, or try trenitalia.it.

DalaiLlama

Venice S.Lucia (the station down by the canals) to Verona Porta Nuova can be as fast as 1.01 hour, but on the way you should stop in Padova - research it, not to be missed while you are breezing through.

From Verona Porta Nuova to Milano Centrale takes about 1 1/2 hour. Then you have to switch to the airport bus and count on an hour or so to get to MXP, plus check-in etc. - hardly will you make a plane for the US on the same day. BA has a 5PM flight to JFK (via dreadful LHR with its extra taxes and luggage restrictions, then with AA to JFK), but even that would not let you really see Verona.

Add a day and a night, at least, or do it next time.

Why fly from Milan? Fly from Venice if you can. Check with kayak or itasoftware.

The trenitalia site is not that hard to grasp, just take your time and watch your spellings (EuroStar is only one type of train that runs on the same tracks as ICPlus, Cisalpino, IC, and other types of trains).

ellenem

Just wondering, why do you feel the need to fit in Milan on this trip?

thursdaysd

Forgot to say, you want to go from Venezia Santa Lucia to Verona Porta Nuova (from 1:11 to 1:42) and Verona Porta Nuova to Milano Centrale (between 1:20 and 2 hours).

becca_mo

Thanks to everyone that has replied so far, honestly just knowing which stations were the ones I wanted was one of the biggest obstacles. Also, yes, I'll be returning to the US, so thanks bob for letting me know that most flights leave before noon, I'll almost have to stay in Milan if I want to see it then, and that's good to know. I'll add Padova to my list of "things to look into", my only concern is packing way too much in, but thanks for the suggestion. I'm thinking about maybe just going straight to Milan, I know I'll miss alot but I'll be back later. My three reasons for squeezing Milan in (and ergo not allotting it much time)are: 1) There are not as many historic things that I am specifically interested in in Milan as in the other cities on my list. But, 2) I'd like to stop in and at least do some window shopping (I'm a 20 year old girl, it may be silly, but it's something I want to do), and 3) Since I'm reasonably young, I very much hope to be back to do the city justice at a later point.
However, just because I know most people on here have far more travel experience than I, let me ask: If what I want to accomplish this trip in Milan is to see the Duomo and the Galleria and spend whatever remains of my vacation money on one amazing pair of shoes, should I expect that to take more than a day? (If I skipped everything else, just took a morning train from Venice, and stayed an extra night?)

Holly_uncasdewar

Absolutely, you'll be able to accomplish that in a day. Not a problem!

thursdaysd

Yes, you can do that in an afternoon. At least I did, arriving by bus and train from Castelrotto, except that I wasn't buying shoes... The Duomo is very close to the Galleria. How long it takes you to buy shoes is up to you!

LoveItaly

Hello becca, when you stand in the piazza facing the Duomo in Milan..off to the left is one of the entrances to the Galleria. So both are right there for you to enjoy. It is fun to sit at an "outdoor" (under the glass roof) table at one of the cafes and have a drink while you watch the constant parade of people walking by. Italian shoes are beautiful but with the strong Euro expect to pay a lot for a pair. Have fun in Milan!

becca_mo

Excellent, thanks for the reassurance. I won't lie, I can spend a long time shopping, so does anyone know where I can find closing times for the sites, or is there a usual closing time for stores in Italy?

Oh, and thanks for the warning, I realize shoes will probably be quite, quite expensive, but they will be one of my only souveniours, I'm not big on knick-knacks. I did this for my last trip to New York as my souvenior, and they've been a much more satisfying reminder than anything else I could have brought back : )

charnees

Becca, I have not shopped at the Galleria, but almost all the stores in italy close from about 11:30 am to 2 pm or later for lunch. So then they are open later -- maybe until 8 pm.

Charnee

LoveItaly

As a shoe lover I completely understand becca, trust me.

Here is a website which you will probably enjoy reading. Have fun, and enjoy the shoe shopping!

http://www.cityguide.travel-guides.c...ope/Milan.html