pavlovb

My wife and I are taking advantage of cheap flights in and out of Milan with the understanding that Milan is not a desirable place to visit compared to the other options. Would like to know your thoughts on this itinerary:

4/19 arrive Milan (MXP) 10:45 (1 night)
4/20 morning train to Rome (4 nights)
4/24 morning train to Florence (3 nights)
4/27 morning train to Venice (4 nights)
5/1 morning train to MXP from Venice for either 10:55 or 13:00 depart

We plan on standard sightseeing for one day at each city but would prefer a more leisurely trip taking advantage of good food, wine, locale and culture.

With that in mind, is this too short of stays at the various cities? If so, which would cut out?

All thoughts welcome...and thanks in advance!

mytravelove

Hello there!

I think that's quite a good itinerary. It's not too much moving around. You'll definitely be able to get to know each city well. Of course always the longer you have the better, but what you have planned is very doable.

I'd just suggest taking rather the 13:00 depart flight, just in case the train's delayed.

slawecki

sounds quite reasonable to me. if you can get an open jaw back from venice, i would do that.

PWMTrav

Good plan. Looks to me like you have Florence for a weekend and leaving on Monday - many museums are closed on Mondays, so good choice for that as a travel day.

Perche

It's good. When you say MXP 10:45 I presume you mean AM, right? If that's the case, in your case when you get to the Milan train station I'd just take the train direct to Rome, and spend one more night in Rome. You can easily catch the 2PM and get into Rome a little before 4:45PM, while you still have some light. You might even make the 1:15, a slower train and get there at 4:35, but why rush? Probably just take the 2PM non-stop, Milan to Rome, which you can easily make. Not much sense wasting a day in Milan on a 12 day trip.

pavlovb

Thanks for the feedback.

Would it would be worth it to skip the night in Milan and take the train directly from MXP to Rome? Then use the extra night in Florence for possibly a Tuscan wine tour?

It was in my original plan but I thought the immediate train ride would be a bit too much travel. We are flying from AZ to NY on a red eye from 4/17 to 4/18 so we are already looking at 13 hours of air travel within a 29 hour span.

pavlovb

Ha, one step ahead of me Perche.

Perche

You have three major cities to visit, and not much time for a city as large and interesting as Rome. Squeezing in a Tuscan wine tour now means squeezing four events into 11 days. That starts getting to the point of when people try to squeeze in too much. There are so many good things to do, and you just can't do them all. Three great cities in 11 days is plenty.

The train from Milan to Rome doesn't add much burden. The train from MXP to Milano Centrale train station leaves from right within the MXP airport. Then you don't even have to leave the train station just look at the board and see what track the non-stop to Rome is leaving from, and go there. Put your legs up on your luggage and take a nap, and get off at the last stop in Rome less than three hours later. A night in Rome compared to a night in Milan, no contest. The non-stop train from Milan to Rome is safe, easy, and a good place to take a nap if you use basic, common sense precautions.

PWMTrav

I'd advise the 5th day in Rome over an additional day in Florence, and Florence is my favorite city to visit. Rome is very spread out and an extra day will help you enjoy more of what you see instead of rushing past it.

If you do an extra day in Florence, hire a driver to do a vineyard tour - but if I personally were doing the extra day in Florence, I'd keep it within the city and enjoy more of it, especially if it's your first visit there.

JMN57

As Perche says, just get to Rome on the first day and blow off that first night in Milan because you'll need it at the end of the trip.

If you are planning on an AM train from Venice to MXP and then catching a flight, I would re-think that approach. You should probably go the night before and, as many have noted, the Sheraton @ MXP is a great place to stay before departing Italy.

So, skip the Milan overnight on arrival and re-cycle it for the end of the trip.

pavlovb

OK so I'm dropping the first night in Milan. I was trying to avoid having the last day and night of the trip stuck in an airport hotel but if its going to be a hassle from Venice to MXP then I'd have to consider it.

Any quick suggestions for hotels in each city? I have points with Marriott and IHG so those are my preferences but I'd sacrifice points for cash if it means a much better location.

helosc

You don't have to stay in an airport hotel, you can stay in town. It's just that it is wise in general not relying on a train connection making a same day flight.
You can easily spend an enjoyable afternoon, evening and morning in Milan;

PWMTrav

Florence:

Granduomo for a good location in Piazza del Duomo, lighter on services, but accommodations are more apartments than rooms. I'd recommend a Superior apartment over a Comfort, for a little extra space and generally a better view. They also have Deluxe, which I believe are all front facing (one or two with a balcony in the piazza), but I haven't felt the need for that.

Hotel Lungarno for full service, upscale, in the Oltrarno area. Generally nice space, close to Ponte Vecchio, but far enough from it, if that makes sense. This side of the river gets a bit less tourist traffic, is closer to some of my favorite places to eat, drink and see.

If I had to pick, I'd take Granduomo, but I like the extra space and the kitchenette. Never know what you're going to find at the market.

My personal preference in Italy is to avoid American hotel chains - they're too familiar. It's the one negative of brand standards.

pavlovb

Beautiful recommendations. I should have clarified that I'm looking for more budget minded places but those are possibilities since I planned on splurging a bit at one of the cities.

PWMTrav

Granduomo is generally less expensive than Lungarno. I wouldn't categorize it as cheap, but sometimes you get lucky.

For your dates (24-27 April) it looks like the comfort category is sold out and superior are going for 855 euro total (285 per night). That's on the high side - I've paid in the 300 euro range for a 2BR there (basically two adjoining apartments).

It's a nice location, but Hotel Lungarno is actually cheaper for the same time period, so if you're splurging a little on Florence I'd go with Lungarno. It's pricing at 277/night for their lowest room. However, if you have access to Amex FHR, book through them - you get an included airport or train station transfer (even though it's totally walkable from the train station), a dining credit, breakfast, and I believe an upgrade to a river view room if available (currently 100 euro more per night for that room if you were to pay for it.

I'm not saying you need to spend that much per night, but with the exchange rate the way it is, it's a better bet now than it was last year when I was in Italy!

Keep in mind that Florence is completely walkable in the historic center. If you stay in Oltrarno, walking to the tourist sites on the north end of the historic center isn't a problem (assuming you're ok walking about a mile, end to end). I'd say Oltrarno is a nice place for couples who might prioritize food and traveling a little slower, while staying in Piazza del Duomo is better for families with smaller kids - due to a central location for frequent breaks and more opportunity to eat on the run when necessary.

Let me know if you're interested in dining recs or anything like that. If you don't get a response from me in this thread, PM me.