Milan
Jul 22nd, 2006, 12:42 PM
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Milan
My family will be in Milan for 2 days including travel time from US. I understand the airport is far from the center of town,I want to see the fashion district and the Last Supper for which I have tickets. My husband wants to drive to Lake Cuomo and visit Bellagio. Somethings gotta give...Which would be better on a limited time frame. We then travel to Venice which I don't want to cut into. Then 3 days in Florence, 3 in Sorrento and 3 in Rome. We leave this week. I know there is a right and wrong way to do this trio. Appreciate the benefit of others experiences. Thanks
Jul 22nd, 2006, 12:56 PM
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Why not just stay in Milan, take one day to see the Duomo and do the fashion district, then the next day, take the train out of Milan Centrale to Como, catch a ferry to Bellagio, walk around, have a meal, catch the ferry back and have dinner in Milan? It seems a lot less hassle that way.
Jul 22nd, 2006, 12:58 PM
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P,
Since you are going in August and this seems to be your first trip, I would recommend going straight to Venice from Milan and add a day to Venice and another day to Rome.
Plan B would be to go to Como and recover from jet lag there before Venice. Save Milan for another trip.
Buon viaggio!
Since you are going in August and this seems to be your first trip, I would recommend going straight to Venice from Milan and add a day to Venice and another day to Rome.
Plan B would be to go to Como and recover from jet lag there before Venice. Save Milan for another trip.
Buon viaggio!
Jul 22nd, 2006, 01:11 PM
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Yes, the center of Milan is a far distance from the city center. It costs a small fortune from the airport by cab.
With all respect, your plan sounds like a lot of ground to cover in the time frame implied. Are you driving to all these places? Taking the train? You may like the ability to see these major places -- they are all lovely and worth visiting for different reasons, different priorities. But personally, I'd prefer to see fewer places and not try to cover as much ground. Save some for another time.
If you want my first cut on this (but listen to others who have more experience, or may be more in line with your priorities
As a fashionista, it kills me to say this, but I'd skip Milan, or maybe just take a day or so for it. The fashion district is fabulous and inspiring, but unless the sales are on and you want to do some real shopping, there are other good places in this world for fashion (notice I didn't say better, but Paris, New York, London, etc. and etc. have their charms.) But if you can't wait another minute more to see the golden triangle, etc. then go (but also visit 10 Corso Como, if you can make it, which is not in this area.) So you'd be in heaven if you want to do some good shoppping. Similarly, if you can't live without seeing the Last Supper, go. I'm from a Catholic background and appreciate art, but I still haven't seen all the art treasures I'd like to see. The good news is that it probably isn't as crowded as Rome and Florence, but there are many more attractions in those cities that would be more interesting (although Milan definitely has a few things of interest.)
My other choice would be to skip Sorrento. It's just that much farther out of your priorities, and things get pretty crowded (and quite warm) in those parts at this time of year. Save it for another time, perhaps slightly off-season. (I was just there, in Rome, and Carpi in June, and it was already quite warm. It was definitely in full swing, but not yet as crowded as I know it gets in July and August.)
For the other destinations, much depends on how much time you want to spend soaking up beautiful scenery, seeing fabulous art and historical sites, taking your time to enjoy the unexpected, etc.
With all respect, your plan sounds like a lot of ground to cover in the time frame implied. Are you driving to all these places? Taking the train? You may like the ability to see these major places -- they are all lovely and worth visiting for different reasons, different priorities. But personally, I'd prefer to see fewer places and not try to cover as much ground. Save some for another time.
If you want my first cut on this (but listen to others who have more experience, or may be more in line with your priorities
As a fashionista, it kills me to say this, but I'd skip Milan, or maybe just take a day or so for it. The fashion district is fabulous and inspiring, but unless the sales are on and you want to do some real shopping, there are other good places in this world for fashion (notice I didn't say better, but Paris, New York, London, etc. and etc. have their charms.) But if you can't wait another minute more to see the golden triangle, etc. then go (but also visit 10 Corso Como, if you can make it, which is not in this area.) So you'd be in heaven if you want to do some good shoppping. Similarly, if you can't live without seeing the Last Supper, go. I'm from a Catholic background and appreciate art, but I still haven't seen all the art treasures I'd like to see. The good news is that it probably isn't as crowded as Rome and Florence, but there are many more attractions in those cities that would be more interesting (although Milan definitely has a few things of interest.)
My other choice would be to skip Sorrento. It's just that much farther out of your priorities, and things get pretty crowded (and quite warm) in those parts at this time of year. Save it for another time, perhaps slightly off-season. (I was just there, in Rome, and Carpi in June, and it was already quite warm. It was definitely in full swing, but not yet as crowded as I know it gets in July and August.)
For the other destinations, much depends on how much time you want to spend soaking up beautiful scenery, seeing fabulous art and historical sites, taking your time to enjoy the unexpected, etc.
Jul 22nd, 2006, 03:57 PM
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pgertie,
Wow. Lots of places to pack in a limited time frame, indeed. Just on the Milan part, you can take the Malpensa Express train from the airport (takes about 45 minutes, runs every 30 minute, about Eur11). Much better value than taking a taxi.
Fashion district (aka Via Montenapoleone) is quite compact, Duomo is not that far either. You can definitely cover the central part of Milan in 1 day, head out to Como late afternoon. Agree with MmeX--you will see many of the same brand stores in other major cities, and August is after the summer sale.
Wow. Lots of places to pack in a limited time frame, indeed. Just on the Milan part, you can take the Malpensa Express train from the airport (takes about 45 minutes, runs every 30 minute, about Eur11). Much better value than taking a taxi.
Fashion district (aka Via Montenapoleone) is quite compact, Duomo is not that far either. You can definitely cover the central part of Milan in 1 day, head out to Como late afternoon. Agree with MmeX--you will see many of the same brand stores in other major cities, and August is after the summer sale.
Jul 22nd, 2006, 04:12 PM
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Here are some thoughts:
Has your husband figured out how to get from Malpensa airport to Lago di Como without going through Milano?
If so, in order to get from Lago di Como to Venezia by train, you will have to pass through Milano. Leave your luggage at the train station and use taxis to see what you want to see. Then head to the tran station, pick up your luggage and go to Venezia.
If you husband can't come up with a way to go straight from Malpensa to Lago di Como then I suggest one day/night in Milano, one day/night in Varenna, and then onto Venezia.
Bear in mind that if you are arriving in Italy on a Sunday, many shops in Milano may be closed. If you have a particular shop you are determined to visit, find out in advance if they are open in July or the day you would plan to be there.
Has your husband figured out how to get from Malpensa airport to Lago di Como without going through Milano?
If so, in order to get from Lago di Como to Venezia by train, you will have to pass through Milano. Leave your luggage at the train station and use taxis to see what you want to see. Then head to the tran station, pick up your luggage and go to Venezia.
If you husband can't come up with a way to go straight from Malpensa to Lago di Como then I suggest one day/night in Milano, one day/night in Varenna, and then onto Venezia.
Bear in mind that if you are arriving in Italy on a Sunday, many shops in Milano may be closed. If you have a particular shop you are determined to visit, find out in advance if they are open in July or the day you would plan to be there.
