Italy - Venice , Milan or ?

I'm driving around from zadar in a few weeks so I don't have much time . I have already booked 2 nights at the Hilton stucky and two nights at PH Milan. I have 5 days total in ltaly and have to make my way back to Zagreb to catch a flight. So with that in mind I'm thinking of :

Drop car off at parking station on 28th may i think it starts with T then catch varporetta to hotel stay in Venice for two days walking around , havent got any idea what I'm going to be doing.

Then pick up car drive to Milan for two nights. Day 1 I was going to drive to lake como check that out and then day 2 spend time in Milan searching the shops. I was thinking about going down to Rome but just don't have the time. Even Florence would be pushing it.

To be honest I'm more excited about the hotels than the destination . I'm also travelling with two small children 4 and 2.

is there just the 3 of you, or is there also an ever suffering wife? do you plan to keep the same car from zadar to zagrib? if so make certain you get italian car insurance. if you are planning to drop the car off in venice, i'd check the drop off rate.

will the hotels take 4 (or 3)?

i also would not go the trouble of going to milan unless just to stay in the hotel. i also would not stay at the hilton on guidecca, unless it was on points and i could not afford a hotel in venice.

I'd rather stay in Verona then Milan, it's only an hour from Venice.
The city itself is stunning, and if you step outside the city there are the beautiful hills of the valpolicella with all it's vineyards and the Garda Lake which is the biggest lake of Italy surrounded by many beautiful small towns like Garda, Torri del Benaco, Malcesine, etc etc..

There is four of us , and I'm staying every where on points In Venice and Milan . I'm picking the car up from Zagreb airport and then returning it back to Zagreb airport. I have taken extra travel insurance for the car and the whole trip .

Driving from Venice to Milan I wasn't going to rush and take
In the sights if I see something nice I was going to stop just wing it really . I might have a look at verona if it's convenient . We both don't drink wine so not really interested in the wine yards but would like to go over to lake como.

I too am on a budget and can only afford to go to Italy if it's on award stays and I have my status for loumge access , breakfast wifi etc.

I heard about some fashion outlets somewhere in Italy just not sure where and how far they are from Milan. I guess I haven't planned as well as I thought I was heading to Rome but the boat from zadar to Ancona is nearly 1000 euros with the car and I just don't have it. So I have to drive my way around.

What's the fuel prices like there per litre ?

you should confirm breakfast in the hotel while staying with points. i never had a breakfast with a point stay at a high end hotel. the cost of breakfast in a high end hotel is usually €40-50pp. my wife and i always ate "down the street" in a bar. if you are not familiar, bars are coffee bars. they do serve wine, and also have sandwiches and pastries. coffee is usually €3-6good alternative for the danieli €50 breakfast.

the hotel we just stayed in in barcelona charged €16pp for breakfast.

Hilton diamond members are entitled to breakfast and so
Are diamond gold passport members so
Won't be an issue. I think I be right for food just were to go is the problem. And how to get there , I have a car but don't know if my Aussie licence is enough to travel around Europe.
I'm really debating where to go and for how long , lucky when you stay on points there is no cancellation fee!

you should confirm breakfast in the hotel while staying with points. i never had a breakfast with a point stay at a high end hotel.

Hyatt diamonds get breakfast whether paid or points, and as an HH Diamond the OP should get club access in VCE.

As for cost: gas runs approx. 1.7EU/liter (roughly $8.50/US gallon), and parking at the Park Hyatt is 50EU/day.

You should also double check w/the rental car agency that the rate you have received allows you to take the car out of Croatia.

I'm driving around from zadar in a few weeks so I don't have much time . I have already booked 2 nights at the Hilton Then pick up car drive to Milan for two nights. Day 1 I was going to drive to lake como check that out and then day 2 children 4 and 2.

Hi there,

Zadar is very far from Zagreb and then you wanna go to Italy???
Why do not stick to the region.
You can visit Istria and very interesting medieval cities such as Rovinj, Pula or Umag. You can head to Slovenia to explore the wonders of that tiny country and see the capital Ljubljana, the caves at Postojna and the world famous stud farm Lipica.
If you still wanna go to Italy by car, avoid by all means Venice, especially in summer. You can easily drive to Padova or Bologna, two nice cities where there is no so many visitors.
If you still decide to go to Venice, prepare for long queues, expensive food, frink and museums, and long walks....The best option is to leave the car at Mestre and then take a train (1 stop)
If you need anything else, contact me to my private message

I'm driving around from zadar in a few weeks so I don't have much time . I have already booked 2 nights at the Hilton stucky and two nights at PHand 2.....

Fuel is expensive in Italy aprox 1.80 eur or more for 95.
Highways are expensive too.
Outlets are in Palmanova, just before Venice.
You need a "Vinjeta" a special seal for the roads in Slovenia.
Fuel is Slovenia is aprox 1.45 eur, en Croatia little less.
Milan region is the busiests part so expect thousands of cars entering Milan.
Think twice before going there...
cheers

50Euros for parking at PH Milan , and then the parking station in Venice is going to costs me more than hiring the car. I got a good deal from hot wire for $350 for two weeks.

Kai.lileboo thanks for your tips they are invaluable I will look further into parking at mestre.