joelfreak

Howdy. I managed to procure the NW fare error from JFK to MXP for 7 days in Dec 05. I have decided I want to hit Milan, Venice and Rome within this time, but I am a bit confused on the best and cheapest way to get around Italy. Since I only have a week, I think flying Ryanair or EasyJet which take me thru London would waste hours of time that could be spent otherwise, and the Skyteam Europe Pass looks interesting, since only Altalia seems to fly direct within Italy...am I missing anything that would keep my costs low, but not take up much time?

90minfromJFK-CDG

I suggest taking the train from Milan to Venice (~ 3hr, ~$45) (Trenitalia) and then flying from Venice to Rome on Ryanair (~1.5 flight, ~ free not including taxes). Ryanair has very strict baggage policies FYI...

ChgoBob

I think the train might be your best option. Air One (partner of LH) also flies between Rome and Venice and cuts some time. Probably not as as cheap as Ryanair. We paid around $100 (due to a train strike) (about 1 hour flight, but you have to add time to get to FCO and from VCE to Venice, or the reverse)

joelfreak

How bad would it be to rent a car and drive MXP to VCE?

magexpect

quick and easy. If you get the car at the airport, you won't have to go into Milan at all. The trip will be approx. 3 hours and 20 minutes for the 300kms. and the autostrada fees € 14.-
It'll take much longer by train as you'd have to go into Milan first.
Just for info:
VCE-ROME is 535Kms, 5 hour drive and fees € 27.-

90minfromJFK-CDG

I was under the impression that the OP wanted to visit ALL three cities and not just transit from MXP to VCE and onward to Rome. The reason I suggested ryanair is because they fly into CIA which I believe is more proximate to Rome than Fiumicino...but as always, YMMV

Non-NonRev

For the first timer who wants a "sample" of Milan, a short visit is worthwhile, even if only to see the Cenacolo (Last Supper) and maybe also La Scala and its museum. Train or bus from Mialn to Venice (car rental cost has to factor in, besides the cost of the rental itself, the cost of gasoline, probably arounf €5,- per gallon).

Also. as I've never driven the proposed routes in the winter, maybe others can comment on what road conditions and the climate are like at the time of year in question (and also, does the weather have a significant effect on flight arrivals and departures)?

Don't forget, for the Cenacolo, make a (very easy and inexpensive) reservation for your preferred viewing time, to avoid waiting in line (although in December it might be as much of a factor).


http://www.cenacolovinciano.it/html/hp.htm

magexpect

Sorry, my mistake. I just read MXP and when I see an airport code, I consider this the airport and not the city... Still, the trip is short, I would have started in Venice and go on to Milan and Rome... But everything is feasible. Stopping in Milan first and with a car is not good. High parking costs and the drive in and out is trying.
NON-NONREV is right. December can be a pain to drive as the Po region as well as the Veneto region experience a lot of fog. There are often delays at the airport because of it and the driving can be very dangerous. At this time of year, the train is the best solution.
Sorry, I did not pay sufficient attention.

missydarlin

My vote is for trains... by the time you take the train outside the city to even get to the airports, and add in the time it takes to get checked in and stuff... you aren't really saving much time.

slawecki

I don't think ryanair flies in and out of VCE. I think the time to get to the ryan airport is considerable.

Nebbio(fog) is a real problem in winter. Cars rent for big bucks. Train MXP to the train station, or if that is the wrong station, bus MXP to the other train station and take the train to Venice. Trains should be quite empty. Should only cost €15 or so(that's the cost bologna to venice on the local), and will drop you off in central Venice.

Venice-Rome and Rome-MXP are long train trips. Look on the Italian Alitalia site for rates. There is frequently a special. However, there are a lot of canceled and delayed flights, particularly in the morning at both VCE and MXP, due to fog, which makes the train look a lot better. Check rates on IC's rather than the ES, as they are almost as fast, very comfortable, and 20% or so the cost.

Papa Smurf

A few quick notes about the IC (InterCity)/ES (EuroStar) difference (at least to my limited understanding):

1) When you by a ticket for ES, you're actually purchasing a reservation for specific seats on a particular train that leaves at such-and-such date and time. IC does not give you a seat reservation, so if the train is packed excessively full I believe there's a small chance that you may have to wait for the next train.

2) IC actually sells you the right to travel from one destination to another via ANY IC train within a period of 60 days from when you bought the ticket. On the day of travel, you must validate your ticket by pushing it into a yellow printing machine on the "binario" (train platform) - most people do this right before they step on the train. Once you validate, you have either 6 or 24 hours to take the train depending on the ticket. ES - no validation required (since you have a specific reservation).

3) In general, ES trains are faster and less stops, so the trips are shorter. For example, Ferrara-Rome on ES was about 3:15 in length, over 4:00 on IC.

Non-NonRev

Also, some seats on the ES in 1.class have seat-side power ports (standard Italian 2-rounded-prong plug/recepticles). These can come in handy for recharging battery-hungry digital cameras/camcorders and of course laptops if you brought it along.

I'm not sure whether outlets are offered in ES 2.class or on the IC trains.

gaelflyer

There also seems to be a night sleeper train from Venice to Rome. If you can get by on 5 hours sleep, this would not waste any sightseeing time. The trick is to find an hotel that lets you check in early without charging a vast sum.