Please help with Itinerary- 6 nights near Milan in less than 2 weeks!
 

To start, we are a family of 3 traveling in mid-March (yes, I know about the lateness of my arrangements and the less than ideal weather) to Milan. It's our adult son's last spring break, thus the reason for the short stay. We got a good deal on flights and just need a break after both of my parents passed away in the last year. Except now I am completely flummoxed over the planning.

Tentative itinerary (that seems impossible right now!)
Day 1 arrive Malpensa at 1300
Night 1- Turin
Night 2- Turin
Night 3- Camogli
Night 4-Camogli
Night 5- Como
Night 6- Como
Day7- 1500 Departure from Milan Malpensa

What we're looking for:
1) Two nights at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo or another beautiful location in the lakes district. Our son is learning to fly, so I've contacted the Aero Club of Como and inquired about their sea plane introductory experience. We'd also like to ride the ferry and explore Varenna. Are they even running mid-March?

My dilemma is that I can't figure out how to the hotel from Milan or back to the airport when our stay is done. I can figure out how to get to the Como train station but not how to use the boat system. Would love some guidance there!

2) Our son loves cars- originally thought we'd go to Turin and see the Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, stay at the NH Lingotto (formerly the Fiat factory), and enjoy the city. My next thought was to somehow get to the Ferrari Museum/Factory in Modena. But again- the journeys seem to take so long. And we only have 6 nights.

3) We would probably also enjoy Camogli, but again, the journey between Como and Camogli would mean we'd spend much of our day in transit. Other suggestions from friends included Stresa and San Giulio.

4) We probably don't want more than one night/day in Milan on this trip. I know there's plenty to see, but I'll save it for another trip. And right now I don't even have room for it in the tentative itinerary.

I would love hotel and sightseeing recommendations. Guessing most would advise against renting a car. I've been reading about the ZTL zones and am sufficiently wary of the prospect.

So, Italy experts, please chime in! I need to be spun around and pointed in the right direction. Thank you in advance for your guidance and knowledge.

Well, you only have 5 days, and presumably you have to return to Milan to fly home, so most of your ideas just aren't realistic in the time available. Personally, I'd skip Lake Como and Camogli in mid-March. I like Torino, and Modena is a nice smaller city. The very good Enzo Ferrari Museum is in Modena (and within walking distance of the train sration), but the Ferrari company factory and museum are in the town of Maranello several miles away. The "Ferrari factory tour" is just a shuttle bus ride around the outside of buildings without even a glimpse of the assembly line. FYI, the Lamborghini factory and museum are in Sant'Agata, a few miles outside of Bologna.

I meant to add that Bologna would be a more interesting base for me than Modena.

Jean, thank you for the recommendation for Bologna and the Lamborghini tour. Do you recommend the Enzo Ferrari Museum over the Ferrari company museum? I think that is what I was reading.
My son probably has his heart set on Como. Hoping the weather forecasters are right with their prediction of sunny and high 40's-50's.
Any suggestions for getting to Como via the hydrofoil or shall we use the bus?

I'll search the forum for hotels in Bologna. I welcome suggestions!

Not sure about the weather in the lakes regionsuring your dates.. We have gone from Milan to Lake Como using a driver ( Davide Guerrero, based in Como), service, and also have used train to Como from Milan, , high speed ferry north to central lake region. I asore Lake Como but for your dates, I agree Bologna would be a wonderful destination, university town.

I would probably forget about Camogli given your time frame and the time of year.

Turin is not a bad idea, in addition to the Fiat connection there is an interesting cinema history museum and there are lots of streets with covered arcades making it a decent place to be if it rains.

Same for Bologna - lots of covered walkways plus interesting things to do inside. It's also a university town so has a nice young vibe to it. And easy day trip to Modena - not sure about the car factory as I've never done that. But the town of Modena itself is interesting.

But I would suggest at least a few days in Milan itself. For one thing there are things to do in Milan itself. But there are lots of good day trip options including Lake Como. If you base in Milan and day trip to Lake Como you can choose your best weather day. If it's raining you do something inside in Milan (the Duomo, museums, shopping) or take a day trip to some other town and use the best day for lake Como. Less than one hour train to either the town of Como or Varenna (mid lake, opposite Belagio). I did that last March and had a great time.

Hotel Berna in Milan is 5 minutes from Milano Centrale where trains would leave for day trips, only 2 minutes from a metro stop - or you can walk to the Duomo in about 20 minutes. It is a nice hotel and has the best breakfast buffet I've ever seen. I am only half joking when I say I go back to Milan just to stay at that hotel (and eat the breakfast).

This trip report is about my March trip last year, you might find the Milan/Lake Como part useful
Zenfolio | Isabel's_View | Part 4: March in Northern Italy: Milan, Genoa, Lake Como, Lake Lugano, Pavia

Camogli isn't a good fit for two reasons: weather and distance.

Como: you wouldn't need a hydrofoil to get there from Milan. It is on land at the southern tip of Lake Como. The waterfront at Como is pleasant since this seems to be a must do for you. You could rent a car and drive to Varenna; it takes about an hour. Or you could take the hydrofoil. I myself don't care for hydrofoil transport, finding it smelly and noisy. But maybe I've just been on some awful hydrofoil. I wonder what others think.

Turin, Como and Milan seem like more than enough for your short time frame. Turin, Modena and Como would hit all your son's bases, but wouldn't leave you time for Milan.

Actually, the winter lasts longer and is colder than in other years. Last night, teperatures went down up to 7 degrees centigrade below zero on all big North Italian lakes. The maximum was reached at 1pm with 0 degrees centigrade.
According to the weather forecast, temperatures will remain at this level until the end of the week, then it should get slightly warmer.
Nobody knows what will be in about 2 weeks, but this week, it wouldn't make any sense to visit botanical gardens.
Boats will begin to run on March 24th. The car and passenger ferries Varenna - Bellagio - Menaggio and Laveno - Intra as well as the boats going to the Borromean Islands (Stresa - Isola Bella - Isola Madre - Pallanza - Intra) run all the year round

Malpensa - Turin: I suppose you know that there are direct buses.

Check out the current weather conditions in Europe...there is snow currently in Rome.

2 weeks from now that could be different but lakes and seaside locations would not be my choice in March this year.

i would also check out Turin and/or Bologna.

If you really want to stay on Lake Como in mid-March, I suggest you stay in the town of Como, where at least you'll find plenty of restaurants open. Or you could stay in Milan and make a day trip to the lake if the weather cooperates.

Many hotels and restaurants in the mid-lake region are closed for the season and will open for Easter (April 1st). Weather forecasts aren't at all reliable this far ahead, but my Italian weather forecast is showing off-and-on rain continuing into mid-March and temperatures in the high 30s to high 40s. So far this winter has been colder than usual, with snow even in regions that rarely see it.

I would skip Camogli altogether at this time of year. Torino is a good idea, and I think Bologna or Modena would be a good substitute for the "summer-weather" destinations. I, like Jean, would probably prefer Bologna.

Our last spring break trip with our son, when he was in a master's program, was to Bologna. It was really fun. From there it's easy train rides to Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara and even Florence. Bologna itself is young, fun and with the porticos it's OK if the weather isn't great. We had a 2-bedroom AirBnB so we could spread out.

No need to go to Milan from Como to get to Malpensa Airport as you can take trains from Como-Nord station (at boat docks) to Malpensa with one easy change of trains - dirt cheap and no dealing with hectic Milan Centrale station. I did it twice from Como. For lots on trains around that area of Italy check www.trenitalia.com; www.seat61.com - general stuff on trains and where to go with them: BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Como has two train stations - San Leandro mainline Trenitalia station and Como-Nord - first one about a mile or so from boat docks.

That said since your son loves cars and the places you are going are not mainly big cities except Turin I'd rent a car straight away from Milan airport and back.

Thank you for all the replies! Wow! Lots of options.
Switching our hotel in Torino to one closer to the city center. A friend recommended the NH in my original post, but after mapping it out, it isn't the area where we'd like to be. We'll try to see the Fiat Factory building and maybe the test track on the roof in addition to the museum I previously mentioned. I've spent several hours today researching Torino, and I don't think we'll run out of things to see.

I am eliminating Camogli. Thinking seriously about eliminating Como and going with the day trip idea if the weather cooperates.

But....I still don't quite understand the ferry/boat service or how to read the schedule. I did find the site, but everytime I plug in destinations, I get zero options. Clearly I'm doing something wrong.

Tuscanlifeedit, I think I worded my question incorrectly in the original post. I can figure out how to take the train to Como, but I can't figure out how to use a ferry/hydrofoil to get to Tremezzo. I see there's a bus option. I'm guessing that's the best route?

I would like to visit Varenna. Is it possible from Como via boat?

neckervd, I did not realize there are direct buses to Torino. Can you share the name of the company I should look for?

palenq, I see the connection you mentioned from Como to the airport. Thanks for that.

So, I'll look at Bologna and Milan. Both sound wonderful. In Milan, our son will enjoy the National Museum of Science and Technology, seeing La Scala, and the other sights in Milan. Should have mentioned he is in his Master's program, having graduated with an engineering degree last May and loves music. Need to research Bologna more.
rosetravels, do you recall the airbnb you used in Bologna?
isabel, thank you for the ideas. I
We will make a proper visit someday. This is definitely a "snack."

Re Lake Como - the town of Como is a medium sized city at the southern end of Lake Como. You can take a train there from Milan. You can get boats from there that go all the way up the lake, but it takes a few hours to get up to the "mid lake" region. Varenna is a tiny village in the mid lake region on the east side of the lake. You can take a train there from Milan as well (1 hour trip). Varenna is a short ferry ride across the lake from Bellagio and also Mennagio. This is the part of the lake most people want to visit. I was there last March and it was lovely, but as people have been pointing out, this has been a bad late winter in Europe so it's possible not many flowers will be blooming yet, or temperatures comfortable.

Anyway - your options are 1) take a train (about an hour) to the city of Como and then a several hour ferry ride to Bellagio/Varenna, or 2) take a train (about an hour) to Varenna and take short (10 minute) ferry rides between the villages in the mid lake region.

But as I said above, there is not much to do anywhere on lake Como if it's raining so in March I would only plan to go on a nice day, so base in Milan for a few days and if you get a good day you can do a day trip (no need for tickets in advance).

BUS MALPENSA - TORINO PORTA SUSA
every hr, for example at 14.05
SADEM

TIMETABLE LAKE COMO BOATS
load down Timetables search Como Lake
and open then the 3 pdf documents

TIMETABLE LAKE COMO BUS
Rete extraurbana
You may be interested in lines C10 and C30

TRAINS COMO LAGO - MXP T1
at least every hr from 5.46 until 22.16. Journey tim 1 1/4 hrs; change at Saronno

Hi - I don't see the place we rented on that site anymore. It was on via Independenza between the train station and Piazza Maggiore. Here's some that look good to me:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1509326...s=2&s=ugfdXxga
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5604845...s=2&s=nwLMP152
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1103489...s=2&s=6NHEIpwC

And this was my second choice on our last trip - it looks lovely and the reviews are great:
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p474798vb

I am making progress! And listened to your suggestions. I really appreciate all the input.

New itinerary below
March 10- arrive Milan 1200, transfer to Torino via bus (thank you neckervd), Turin Palace Hotel for 3 nights
March 11- Torino
March 12- Torino
March 13- on to MIlan (sightsee in Milan upon arrival) Bonaparte Suites for 3 nights
March 14 - Milan (day trip to Como for sea plane and visiting lake towns- weather looks fabulous right now- will keep checking); alternate in inclement weather is a day trip to Bologna; Opera at La Scala possibly this evening!!!
March 15- Milan or Bologna or Como depending on previous day
March 16- 1500 Emirates flight to JFK then eventually on to Phoenix (super long travel day)

Any input is still welcome. I'm feeling good about this plan. Sad to lose Camogli because a dear friend suggested it for us, especially the Hotel Cennobio dei Dogi. Another time.

And again, I so appreciate all of your suggestions!

What do you mean with " March 14 Opera at La Scala possibly this evening!!!
If you want to attend the opera Orfeo e Euridice di Christoph Willibald Gluck (neither a traditional nor a Italian opera, but you know that for sure), you may book your seats (115 EUR/pax) very soon. There are actually still 134 seats available, many of them not among the best one's, however!

We spent 4 days in Como and 2 in Modena a couple of years ago. We flew into Milan, caught the local train to Como and a bus to our village of choice, Argegno. We stayed in a cottage but the Hotel Belvedere is right on the lake and looks wonderful. Staying on Lake Como, even in March, and using the ferries to visit the many other villages is so much nicer than just visiting for one day. (my opinion anyway). We then went back to Milan and caught the train to Modena. We stayed in a hotel between the station and the town, just a short walk from the Enzo Ferrari Museum. The Ferrari museum in Maranello has much more to see and also has the F1 experience (a short ride in a F1 simulator). If you book the two museums on line there is a free shuttle bus you can use to go from Modena to Maranello. My partner of 80 loved the whole experience. I thought Modena was a charming town of pastel buildings and lovely churches. You can also visit the Parmesan cheese factory near there. I have been to Milan twice before but I much prefer the smaller towns in Italy. We also stopped in Bologna for a couple of hours, on our way down to the Amalfi coast, and thought that was rather nice. Enjoy whatever you do.

Just curious why you are taking a bus from Milano to Torino instead of a train. There are several trains per hour, and at least one per hour is a direct that takes only 1 hour and costs about €15. Is the bus schedule better than that?

buzzcolin - people were suggesting doing Lake Como as a day trip due to very real possibility of poor weather, in which case remaining in Milano or day tripping to Bologna would be most people's choice over a rainy day on Lake Como in March. I was there in March last year (a warmer year than this to be sure, lots of things in bloom) and it was very quiet, half the shops and restaurants were still closed, would have been miserable had it been raining (it was lovely on a sunny day)