Milan , Venice and Florence in 4 Days ?? Too ambitious ??
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy, flying to Milan on the 29th Sept(Sat).The flight timings were not convinient to fly out of Venice so we are flying out of Milan on the 2nd Oct evening.
I have seen several suggestions of skipping Milan in Italy for the first visit.Is this going to be a disaster the way our flights are booked

We were planning:
Arrive in Milan and take a train to Venice
See Venice on Sat and spend the night
Depart to Florence on Sun evening
See Florence on Monday and depart to Milan on tuesday morning
Spend Tuesday in Milan and depart

Should we rule out Florence and stick to two destinations only? Please help

yes, this is too ambitious
i'd drop milan off the itinerary
venice and florence are much more interesting IMO

IMO trying to "see" 3 cities in 4 days anywhere would be a recipe for disaster. And more so in Italy where every city is so rich in terms of sights. They will all be a blur. Each is a great place and deserves time to be seen and enjoyed rather than ticked off on a list as "been there" (because that is all you will be able to do, you won't actually see very much in any of the three IMO, esp Venice where just getting one's bearings can take some time). Pick one place and stay there. If that is Venice (even from Milan), then go there and do that. I think Milan is actually a great little city, but if for some reason you feel the need to go to Venice then do that. I would NOT try to include Florence. I would even limit time in Milan.

Venice is between 2.5-3 hours by train from Milan. This does NOT include getting to the train station from the Milan airport, for which you will need to add at least an hour. And this is after you have spent time waiting at Immigration and baggage claim and then worked out how to get to the train station in Milan (taxi versus bus). Plan on at least 2 hours after you land before you will at the train station to get the train. My guess is that you will not get to Venice until the early afternoon if all goes very will. If flights or trains are late, you would have less time. So you can see why I would think you would need more than just Sat afternoon and Sunday there.

I believe that many museums in Florence are closed on Monday. I know that the Uffizi for example is closed on Mondays. That would be another reason to not go to Florence on the Monday.

It can be done, however don't do it. I lived in Italy and have been to all the places you want to go, however I didn't stay long since they were all a 2 hr train ride max from Verona. Venice is so nice and can hardly be taken in with one day. Milan is okay. If your into over priced shopping or name brand shopping then go, other then that the Duomo is the nicest thing to see. (Though when I went it was covered by a big D&G sign while construction was going on!) Florence takes atleast 2 day, but you can visit Pisa while there it is only an hour train ride, and literally the leaning tower is the only thing to see there. I suggest Florence and Venice, but you can try to fit them all in, but it won't be nearly as enjoyable.

Too much. I would also suggest dropping Florence and concentrating on Venice. Return to Milan by late afternoon the day before your flight home. Walk around the Duomo area, have dinner.

You might look into flying from Milan to Venice (if there is such a flight). You're already at the airport, and the train option will take several hours as Cicerone mentioned.

Agree with Jean.

Conceivably possible but you won't see much imo and will spend too much time in train stations, on trains, and checking in and out of hotels.

Milan and Venice alone are too much for 4 days imo, but if the Milan flights are already booked... well it's only a 3 hour train ride between the two.

I enjoy Milan and this it is a great city for a long weekend.

Your itinerary is more than rushed, IMO. If Venice is your priority, go there and overnight in Milan on your way home.

I fly into Florence via Milan so personally I would make an air connection and go there instead as I prefer Florence to Venice. That is if Milan alone is not enough for you and it sounds like it is not.

Thank you for all your responses.
Unfortunately, we are stuck with Milan as the flight timings were very inconvinient from Venice.
With your suggestions , I think we will stick to just Venice and head back to Milan on the Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

Would you suggest booking the train tickets in advance between Italy and Venice?
If we want to keep our budget down, is there any place that we can stay close to Venice and commute within 15 - 30 minutes by boat or bus ?

You should look into the possibility of a connecting flight upon arrived in Milan. That would definitely be quicker than going to the train station and travelling by train. Those kind of flight are generally inexpensive.

But coming in to Venice by train is MUCH more convenient than landing at the airport.

You can buy a ticket between Milan and Venice at the train station, when you are ready to go. They run quite frequently (you want to end up at San Lucia not Mestre).

I was looking upfor accomodation in Venice on the 29th and 30th of Sept but seems like only 30th is available in most places.
Would staying in Mestre be a good idea ?Any suggestions please ?

No, I would not advise Mestre. Check out www.venere.com - I plugged in your dates and 20 hotels had availability in Venice.

Thanks hazel1 for the suggestion.
I have rented an apartment in Venice for 3 nights.

I shall also look up the option of getting a flight connection to Venice if possible when we land in Venice.

Both my husband and I love to eat. Any suggestions on places to eat in Venice?

Do we need to dress formally in Venice or will jeans and shirts/ tops suffice for my husband and me?