Help with logistics in Milan
 

We will be taking the train from Venice to Milan and then renting a car to go to the Lake region. Does anyone know where the train station is and how close it is to autoeurope? We are supposed to pick up the car at Via Vittor Pisani. Help greatly appreciated!

We did the train from Milan to Venice, and also picked up a rental car in Milan near Centrale train station to go to Parma - so I think I know where you need to go. The Venice train should take you to Centrale, once there we followed the signs for car rental agencies; we were using Hertz. We found their office, but there was a sign on the door that they had moved to another location and from looking at a map of Milan, it has to Via Vittor Pisani. As you leave the front of the train station (it's all so grand you may confuse a side with the front; the front opens onto a LARGE piazza), to your left running along side the piazza is a street which is Via Vittor Pisani. Hertz - and I would guess they are an agent of Autoeurope - is a couple of blocks up the street.
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From a quick Google hunt, Autoeurope is at via pisani 19. Via Pisani is the huge boulevard that runs straight out the front of the station.

You can tell the front of the station from the sides by remembering that, if the track didn't end and the trains kept going, they would exit through the front of the station.

It's a little confusing right now because the station is full of scaffolding for repairs and beautification, but basically just keep heading the same direction the train was going, and eventually you'll find yourself in the huge piazza toni mentioned.

Cross that and a large perpendicular street; you'll see the Pirelli tower (tallest building in Milan at 50+ stories) on your right. It looks as if Autoeurope is about a block down on the right.

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

living & travelling in Italy:
www.beginningwithi.com

Are you staying in Milan, if not, there is a direct train (albeit a bit slower) from Venice to Lake Como, then hire your car there !

My husband and I are also picking up a car from AutoEurope at Milan Centrale to drive to the Lakes District (Lago d'Orta). We're a little worried about driving through Milan - are the drivers as crazy as in Rome? Our other thought was to take the train to Stresa and pick up/drop off there before returning to Malpensa for our flight home. Any suggestions?

We drove through Milan during August on a Saturday about noon and then again on a Monday afternoon. On both occasions it couldn't have been easier. The rental agencies have very detailed maps, and they were very helpful in pointing out the most direct route. The streets were wide tree lined avenues that quickly led to the autostrada.
We also drove in Rome and didn't think the drivers were crazy there so our judgment may be contrary to other views.

Thank you, Toni - that's a relief to hear! I've actually never been to Rome or Milan, just heard all the stories about the agressive drivers. I live just south of LA and actually drive through the city quite often, so I can't imagine the drivers could be any worse than they are here :-)

I find driving in Milan to be easier than in Rome and I have driven in both twice. Arriving into the city was harder than driving out. To me people just drive more aggressively in Italy and they tend to tailgate. I felt a bit pressured when I didn't know my way around, but I was fine when I studied the route before getting behind the wheel, especially during busy rush hour.

The hardest part is if you need to read the name of the side street as the street names in Europe are not turned 90 degrees like in the US. So the street names are readable only when you are actually crossing/passing by the actual street. I would recommend memorizing the turns that you have to make, how many blocks and remember the name of the side street before you have to turn so you get a heads up one block before you're supposed to turn.

Milan is more slighly more sane to drive compared to Rome. A real nightmare is getting caught in bumper to bumper rush hour snafu which can last for hours in heavy traffic smoke, so do avoid driving during rush hour.

And an addendum to DAX recommendation about street signs, be aware that some of the signs are actually on the corner of buildings not the typical signs we expect in the States.

Why not just drive from Venice and bypass Milan altogether---the time is the same and much less hassle.

That's what I would do. If you prefer to take the train and pick up a car near the lake region then take the train to Bergamo which is a nice medieval town north of Milan (closer to lake Como). You can also train all the way to the town of Como and pick up the car there. However Bergamo is a gem to see.