b_thall

My wife and I have 13 days, the second week of November, to make a big circle, starting and ending in Milan. Our travel will be by EurRail Pass. I'm interested in not only your "must see" cities, but also in number of days you would recommend to spend in each of them.

Many thanks,
BarryT

jamikins

Can you define what you think of by northern Italy? It could mean Piedmonte, Dolomites, veneto, emilia romagna, Lombardy...what do you like to do on vacation?

zoecat

I agree- we need more information from you.

You will probably not need a rail pass. Point to point tickets are cheaper than a pass in Italy, especially with only 13 days.

Dickie_Gr

Milan, Turin, Como, Garda, Piacenza, Padua, Venice, Verona then Milan.

Skip the train and take the river cruise from Padua to Venice via the Brenta Canal. Incredible architecture.

neckervd

There are no Brenta boat trips in November (too cold and may be foggy and rainy)

b_thall

Definition of "Northern Italy"= Let's say within a 3-4 hour train ride from Milan.

Now understand why I will pass on the EurRail pass.

b_thall

Jean

I would skip the lakes and stick to medium-to-large cities. Although the lakes are surrounded by beautiful scenery, they are best experienced in good weather months when everything is open and the ferries are running with frequency.

In 13 days, I wouldn't stay in more than 3 hotels or perhaps 4 hotels if you only wanted to spend one night in Milan.

If possible (depending on your arrival time), head immediately to your farthest destination (Venice or Florence, perhaps?) and then work your way back to your last night or nights in Milan.

FYI, the greatest chance of acqua alta in Venice during your timeframe will be Nov. 16-18 between about 2:00p and 4:30p each day.

I agree you don't need a rail pass.

Jean

You can check train timetables at the link below (use Italian spellings for all cities and "Malpensa Aeroporto" for the airport).

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

jamikins

You need to give us more to work with than that...what do you like to do on vacation. We don't travel for art and never go to art museums...we love to stay in one area for several days and enjoy the local cuisine and wine and love photography. Without knowing what you want to achieve on your vacation we are all just giving you what we would do...which may or may not fit your idea of a holiday.

Obvious choices are - Torino, Venice, bologna, verona, Milan, Florence....

neckervd

In 3 to 4 hrs, you can go by train from Milano Centrale up to:
Aosta, Cuneo, San Remo, Pisa, Rome, Ancona, Venice, Bolzano/Bozen.

Check Turin, Cremona, Mantova, Parma, Verona, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Lucca, Siena .....

b_thall

More info:
We like to walk cities to get the "local" feel, perhaps hire a day guide to show us the more than superficial sights; we like to see relatively few museums and just a sprinkling of churches/cathedrals.

b_thall