Indigo5

Hi,
My husband and I are flying into Milan Malpensa on a saturday morning at 10.35 am next month. We will be proceeding from Milano Centrale to Padua by the 5.05 pm train the same evening. So that gives us a few hours at Milan ( this is our first trip to Italy). Here is what I propose to do in those few hours:

1.Catch the bus from Malpensa and go straight to Milano centrale(1 hr). Hopefully not much traffic on Saturday. Check in our baggage.
2.Buy the 1 Euro tkt and go by subway to Duomo - Do a self tour with the audio guide. Climb to the roof top for the views and experience. - 1 1/2 hrs
3.Go around Galleria Vittorio Emanuele - 30 min
4.La Scala opera house - 30 min
5.Walk along MonteNapoleone - 30 min

Subway to Milano Centrale. Catch our train to Padua at 5.05pm ( we have already booked the train tks online).

Would love any suggestions to improve upon this itinerary and any pointers to potential pitfalls. Thanks in advance.

qwovadis

Way too much cramming for me.

Odds are great you will be jet lagged from your flight.

Plan 1 hour bus ride to Centrale from MXP without traffic

7 euros.

Might visit the Duomo the nearby fort have a nice meal

do some shopping if you still have any energy.

Pare back relax for better experience.

Happy Travels,

Viajero2

Way too prescriptive under the conditions. Get to the Duomo, walk around; what you get to, you do. Italy is not meant to be seen skipping around, but rather by nice, relaxed walks.

Indigo5

I know it's too crammed but I don't have much of a choice. I could probably make it a little saner by knocking off the La Scala opera. Is it worth taking the audio guide at the Duomo or will it slow us down?

kybourbon

Sometimes there can be a line to retrieve luggage at Italian train stations. Be sure you allow enough time for that.

christrmpt04

Good to know kybourbon. My fiance and I are planning a quick tour of Milan that is remarkably similar to yours, Indigo, for our honeymoon. Several posters on these forums told us we were crazy and we would be jetlagged, but since we were going to be in Milan anyway with time to spare we wanted to see SOMEthing.

Our philosophy was this: If we are jet-lagged and aren't up to dealing with it, we can always opt out of the sight-seeing and just take the train to Venice. But if we aren't too tired, we will have everything planned so we know what we want to see. It might help to prioritize your sites so that if you run out of time and/or energy you know what to cut.

It seems like most of the major sites in Milan are located close to one another which makes a quick stop like this do-able.

I would love to hear from you after your trip to know if this worked. We won't be going on our honeymoon till October so it would be great to hear from someone who's done this before we leave. If you get a chance, please send me a message after your trip. Enjoy!

FoFoBT

We had a similar break on our trip to Turin earlier this month. In our case we opted to catch a taxi from the Centrale train station to the Park Hyatt as it's right by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. We visited the Duomo, walk around the galleries, had a drink and some snacks, then caught a taxi back. (Somewhere around 10 euros each way as I recall, but that's a rough recollection). And even with that light itinerary, the four hours flew by. Like the others above, I think you're pushing yourselves too hard.

jelopez33

Indigo:your idea looks fine and doable to me.Of course you are being too detailed and,may be , ambitious; but you can cut one or two activities easily and do the rest; of course don't miss the Duomo and the Galleria.Don't even think of jet lag; you are having fun!!!! Enjoy!!!!

Indigo5

Thanks Kybourbon for the heads up on the luggage room queue. I'll keep that in mind.
christrmpt, you've echoed my thoughts perfectly! Even though our plans look very detailed and rigid, we are going with an open mind and a "tentative" itinerary. Every time we've gone on vacation, I've been surprised at the conspicuous absence of jetlag. My theory is - we're probably too excited to be jetlagged! But we are definitely jet lagged after returning home! I'm planning to write my trip report after our vacation. So you'll hear about it.
FoFoBT, our day in Milan is likely to be very similar to yours.Just wanted to know, did you take the audio guide at the Duomo? If so, was it worth it? Especially given the time constraint.

FoFoBT

No, because I had been there a few times before and on one of those times, an Italian friend gave me a tour. I didn't know an audioguide was available, to be honest.

It was beautiful day on my visit in mid-April and I recall quite a line to climb to the top...you might have to factor that into your plans, depending on the weather.

kybourbon

>>>.Buy the 1 Euro tkt <<<

The day pass is 3€.
http://www.atm-mi.it/en/ViaggiaConNo...%20Urbani.aspx

Indigo5

Thanks all of you. Each of your inputs I'm sure is going to be very valuable.

Thanks again

feda

Indigo 5, your plans are really nice,and above all, really feasible. Do climb up to the Duomo roof. If I may, I suggest that you go along the Via Dante, from the Duomo square, which will lead you the the Castello Sforzesco, an awesome medioeval castle, which is worth a visit. Enjoy your stay in the unofficial capital of Italy, as some call it (or the moral capital of Italy as others call it)

Indigo5

Thank you feda, I've made a note of it.

jgg

I think it is good for you to have a plan like you have put together, but like others said, just prioritize and then if you don't have enough time you can just cut something off the bottom of the list. I haven't done the audio tour in the Duomo, but I think with such a short amount of time I wouldn't make doing the audio tour a priority. You could read up on it before you get there, then walk around - the exterior is really the amazing part then head onto the rest of your list. If you have extra time, go back and do the audio tour. As you mentioned everything is really right next to each other.

Indigo5

Thank you jgg. Great suggestion.

rolohof_duvall

3 hours, very aggresive! I admire your moxy. My 2 cents worth: Focus on the Duomo and head to Padua.

I am planning a trip to Italy which includes Milan. Here is what I have found out about the Duomo. You could spend the full 3 hours there:

The Duomo of Milan is the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world. It blurs the distinction between Gothic and neo-Gothic.The Gothic west front was begun in 1616 and completed 200 years later. Located in a small room of the crypt in the Duomo, the Cathedral Treasury of Milan is a must-see for its medieval treasures. Beneath the Duomo is the Battistero Paleocristiano, ruins of a early Christian baptistery dating from the 4th century. The excavations also include the remains of earlier cathedrals. The Battistero is a magnificent example of an ancient octagonal baptistery and it is almost certainly where St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, baptized St. Augustine. The ticket office E1.50 and entrance to the excavations is inside Milan Cathedral, near the back. The excavated ruins include both the Cathedral of St. Thecla (in two incarnations: 4th century and 5th-12th century) and the 4th-century Baptistery. Getting to the top of the Duomo requires buying a ticket (E5 to walk up, E8 to ride) at the Duomo Info Point on via Arcivescovado 1. Facing the Duomo from the square go to the right side to the far corner of the Piazza.

I hope this helps!