we are hoping to go to venice this summer but are having a hard time finding a flight home that is doable, does it make any sense to go to venice then to milan? we will have only five full touring days(I am not including day we land and day we would leave) thanks for any input you have

Of course, there is a cost in terms of rail to get to Milan, for example, and time that can be 2.5 hours or so. But, if the cost is hundreds of dollars more, as it sometimes can be, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Only you can decide! Do some research on your options (you might find rome2rio.com a useful starting resource) to see if it makes sense. And consider the value of your time -- it is often possible to find a less expensive flight from another location, but at with an "opportunity cost" -- the cost in time and other "value" to foregoing things that you would have to skip to make it to the otherwise less expensive flight -- it might or might not make sense for you.

Good luck with your decision!

Where is home? You could always connect out of Venice

>>> having a hard time finding a flight home that is doable,
What is your definition of "doable?" Is it the departure time? Is it the cost? Is it the arrival time? Is it the number of layovers? If others cannot grasp what you mean by not doable, you will get irrelevant recommendations. Why don't you list specific flights you looked and articulate what is not "doable" about them?

>>> does it make any sense to go to venice then to milan?
How do we know? Makes sense in what way? What do you think Milan offers you that you don't find in Venice?

If those were my options I'd just stay home. I cannot imagine spending any kind of money for such a short stay in one of the world's most wonderful countries or cities. Zooming in on place like Venice or Milan and then zooming out just seems like mental cruelty to me. Maybe not to others..........Why not just watch videos?

"How many days would I need to see Venice?"

Many thousands (or more) tourists visit Venice for only a single day, so if your objective is to check it off a list, then one day is all you need.
Many of us here on Fodors enjoy a slower style of travel which may mean staying somewhere like Venice for a week, in an apartment, in a location not swamped with day trippers arriving on bus or cruise ship.

For a 1st time visitor, I would think 3 days would give you a good amount of time to see and enjoy the city without feeling rushed. Here's a possible relaxed 3d itinerary that would give you a good overview.

day 1 - walking tour, visit St Mark's, maybe ride a gondola on side canals or vaporetto (water bus) along the Grand canal - maybe once during the day, and once at night.
day 2 - tour of Doge's palace, more walking touring, various sites.
day 3 - boat ride to visit Murano or other islands.

mix in gelato, seafood, espresso, etc and

Many people are disappointed with the more modern city of Milan. Not one of our favorite places in Italy. I don’t like paying to go into churches, but the Duomo and museum were well worth it. The adjacent shopping Galleria is stunning, but it is largely a bunch of high end shops. There is the Last Supper if you can get tickets, and La Scala, where we snagged the best seats in the house for a small price for an off-season performance.

As a starting point, google “x” days in Venice. It will give you an idea of what others have done there in similar time frames and compare that to your interets. I am generally okay with three nights in Venice. I would consider some place like Verona, which is on the way to Milan. Maybe one night in Verona and one night in Milan to be a bit closer to the airport.

Easiest way to go by train from Venice to Milan Malpensa airport:
Venice dp 16.20 - Gallarate ar 19.55 (direct train).
Sleep either at Gallarate railway station (Hotels Astoria and La Nuova Rotaia) and reach the airport the following morning by taxi (a few miles) or by citybus Gallarate dp 5.55, 6.18, 6.31, 7.20, 8.00, 8.17, 8.25, 9.00, 9.30.......
or in a airport hotel.
Venice - Gallarate train fares start at 20 EUR if booked well ahead.
https://www.lefrecce.it/

Milan is certainly worth some time, especially the museums and the cemeteries, while La Scala is wonderful if they are playing and you can buy a ticket. I would recommend that Venice is better when walking around before 8 am and after 8 pm, but you can visit some lovely places during the day and take the vaparetti off to many islands.

The food in Venice.... is aimed at mass tourism but it is possible to find good fish and mussels etc. I'd ask your hotel who is good at the moment.

If you get bored of Venice ( ) there is always Padua/Padova

<<
are disappointed with the more modern city of Milan. Not one of our favorite places in Italy. I don’t like paying to go into churches, but the Duomo and museum were well worth it. The adjacent shopping Galleria is stunning, but it is largely a bunch of high end shops. There is the Last Supper if you can get tickets, and La Scala, where we snagged the best seats in the house for a small price for an off-season performance.>>

Every time you post about Milan I get the impression you never really explored the city, which wouldn't be a misguided impression, given the way you seem to like to travel. I don't think you've ever spent any time getting to know Milan beyond the obvious guidebook attractions. That's fine. Leave it to others who aren't just passing through and who have the curiosity to delve beneath the obvious.

There is never enough time. My focus would not be on what I missed but on what I was able to see. Our first visit to Venice allowed us only three nights. We had only so much time away. Instead of focusing on how little time we had in Venice (even not knowing we might return many times since then), our favorite memory is literally leading a night-time procession of thousands of people, arm in arm, with the Bishop of Venice and the patriarch of Venice (Cardinal Scola, runner-up for Pope). It was the feast of our Lady of Good Health in November. And, we had a prominent place on the altar of the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute. All just a little accident because, in the midst of heavy police security, we were mistaken as official photographers. Long story, but even short visits can have wonderful travel memories.

I agree with greg. What is "doable"? Are there no connecting flights from Venice to your home airport? Since you would "waste" time going to Malpensa, I don't see that as different from wasting time making a connection somewhere. Are you trying to use miles or points?

IMO, I wouldn't go to Malpensa unless there was absolutely no other way to get home, which I doubt is the case. FWIW, we've made easy connections in Zurich and Munich from Venice because there are non-stop flights from there to our home airport. Ditto Frankfurt, but I avoid Frankfurt whenever possible.

Sorry. I didn't answer your question on rail cost. Right now on trenitalia.com, prices for July 1, for example, range from about $17-33 pp depending on time. A little bit more if you split the trip, say Venice/Verona and verona/Milan.

thnaks for all the help in the end we are flying into venice and then going to rome. will post questions regarding that in a seperate post

If you have 5 days you can spend 2 days in venice and 3 days in milan. From venice to milan you can use train.(approximately it takes 2,5 hours) In venice i recommend you to spend 1 day in venice and 1 day you can go to Murano & Burano Islands. In Milan you can spend 2 days exploring the city and visitting the museums and 1 day you can go to como.

With that amount of days I would skip Milan and fly into Venice. Go to Venice for three 3 days and then either Verona, Padua, Vicenza or Lake Garda. If you must fly into Milan, skip it and go to Lake Como or somewhere on the way to venice from Milan.Just a warning, many people hate Venice. They complain it is crowded, dirty and overrated. We found it magical. The people who complain about that tend to stick to San Marco's square and the Rialto Bridge. Don't skip them, especially San Marco's Square, but there is so much more to Venice. During the day, take the time to visit each of Venice's neighborhoods which I am listing below:

1) Cannaregio - my absolute favorite. We stayed here and it was perfect. Its a 15 minute walk from San Marco but is more authentic and has amazing restaurants
2) Castello - huge neighborhood with stunning architecture. The Venice Bienalle takes place here. Has a lot of great restaurants as well. It is next to San Marco too (the western part is quite touristy) so if you want a central location this is another good neighborhood to stay in
3) Dorsoduro - lots of museums are based here. But its also really enjoyable to walk around. This neighborhood is very lively at night
4) Santa Croce - lovely to walk around and has this really beutiful building. Forgot what its called. This is farther out than Cannaregio and Castello and is super quiet
5) San Polo - the rialto bridge is here so it gets super crowded. But it also has a really nice fish market and has wonderful restaurants

At night, when all the cruise ships have long gone, visit Venice's most famous neighborhood, San Marco's square. It is absolutely magical at night.

If you have time you can visit Venice's many islands. Skip Murano. It is the definition of a tourist trap but Burano (still very touristy) is beautiful. After Burano you can go to Mazzorbo which is across the bridge. There are other nice islands but you probably won't have time to visit them.

Now another common complaint about Venice is the food. Do not eat in many of the pizza restaurants next to the Rialto Bridge or the many tourist traps in San Marco . Most of them have menu's in english just for tourists and are ridiculously over priced. The food is terrible too. Instead, download the Eat Italy App on your phone. It has excellent restaurant recommendations for each neighborhood. I especially enjoyed Promessi Sposi in Cannaregio. Enjoy your trip!