Milan to Venice: Any recommended 2 night stopover?
 

We booked a flight to Milan for the purpose of visiting Venice. We have 1-2 extra days to spare while transporting ourselves from Malpensa to Venice. Is there a wholesome quaint place in that area fit for a stopover? Thanks!

Not sure about the quaint, but the halfway(ish) area is Lake Garda or a bit further on, Verona.

Consider Vicenza. Good stopover for a couple of nights.

Will you be driving?

Thank you all for the replies. Regarding taking the train or driving, I am flexible. Will decide depending on which place will have been decided...

There are two possible routes by driving, which take about the same amount of time. One follows the A4 autostrada, and passes by Lake Garda, Verona, Vicenza, and Padova, all of which are very interesting places to stop. These are cities, which all have their old and quaint neighborhoods, but don't expect the entire city to be preserved in amber. I'm not sure what you mean by wholesome.

The other route is by the A1 to Bologna and then the A13 to Padova, and continuing as on the first route. On this route, you might consider Brescia (which I don't know well), Piacenza, Cremona (a bit off the route), Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, and Padova.

Mantova is in between the two routes, but it wouldn't be a lot out of the way.

If you go by train, the Frecciabianca trains to Venice stop in Brescia, Peschiera del Garda (on Lake Garda), Verona, Vicenza, and Padova.

Or you could take a train to Bologna and then on to Venice. The Intercity trains to Bologna stop in Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Modena, and a few other less well-known places. The regional trains from Bologna to Venice stop in Ferrara and Padova, among other places.

I suggest you read up about these cities, and decide which appeals to you the most. Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna are famous for their food, and also have beautiful centers. Verona is a graceful city with a well preserved Roman arena. Ferrara is a charming little city with a large ducal palace.

A car would be of no use to you in either Milan or Venice, so if you rent one, it should be just for the trip.

Modena

I would seriously consider Mantova. It is a small but beutiful city where everything is reachable by foot.

Also tis year it is the 2016 Italian Cultural Capital so there are many exhibitions, shows etc beyond the usual.

Unfortunately the official site is only in Italian but the following may give you some suggestions -

http://www.italy24.ilsole24ore.com/a...?uuid=ACIsKtOB

http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2015-10-28/mantua

http://www.italymagazine.com/feature...apital-culture

I stopped in Parma in between Milan and Venice a few years ago. Wonderful town!

Having been to Verona many times I would take the train but go via Bologna.

You have an embarrassment of riches between Milano and Venezia, so you need to give a lot of thought to what you want to do. As others point out, Verona is wonderful, and you could happily spend two easy days right there. Verona would also be good if you wanted a day out (with car)that include wonderful options: One would be an easy day trip to Mantua. Beautiful city, great art. Another would be a tour of Paladian villas including Vicenza - an easy day bringing you back to Verona in the late afternoon. A completely different experience would be to take a day up to Sirmione on Lake Garda for a great Italian Lakes experience. So my vote is for Verona, but I hope you get back to that part of Italy because of the many other great possibilities between Milano and Venezia.

We can recommend Verona, Padua, or Bergamo. Any of these three would be a good choice as we enjoyed each one.

The Piazza Bra in Verona is outstanding for people watching during the summer opera season.

Buon viaggio,