hindukid

I will be leaving Cinque Terre by car on a wed. night and I want to be in Luzern Switzerland by early afternoon friday. I have a good deal on a room in Lugano thursday night so I was planning on using that.

I was thinking I would drive to Pisa on wed. night, see leaning tower in the morning, then drive to Milan departing by noon arrive by 3pm or so and see Duomo, then make it to Lugano by 7pm or so. Spend a few hours in the evening in Lugano and a couple in the morning before leaving for Luzern.

Now however I am wondering if I should cut Pisa as it adds 2 hours drive time and instead add more time to Milan or Como or Lugano. I could instead drive to milan wed. night and then have more time to see stuff there. I am very interested in the Duomo but last supper or La Scala might be cool too.

bdemaria

Ultimately no one can make this decision but you.

In planning your itinerary, you need to be aware that the traffic in Northern Italy can be horrific in the late afternoon/early evening. Just "popping" into Milan to visit the Duomo may prove far more challenging than it seems - esp. since you wil be driving. Its sort of like saying, I"m driving from Philadelphia to Boston and plan to pop into Manhattan to see the Empire State Building. I'm not saying it can't be done, but rather that the reality of this plan could prove much more challenging than it appears on a map.

Italy98

I agree with bdemaria. You may want to consider parking in an outlying town and taking the train in and out of Milano (and bypassing Pisa). Travel safe.

allset2travel

Agree with prior posts. Don’t want to drive into center Milano. Traffic and parking (and the cost associated with it) will make you regret it.

I think you can have your cake and eat it too, but lots of driving and not much time. Driving to Pisa is not too bad (with freeway all the way from south of La Spezia). 1 hour in town and head back to north on A12. Caution: the only time I got lost in Italy while driving was in Pisa trying to find my way out of town.

I have not done this, but I think you can park your car near the farthest metro station from Milano center. Take the Metro to the Duomo etc.. For example, if you are driving north on A1 toward Milano, park at or near Metro Station named San Donato (near Metanopoli). Other station will serve same purpose should you come in on a different motorway.
To see the Last Supper, you ought to pre-book. The Duomo and La Scala are minutes apart.
Good luck.

mech11

you ought to pre-book, nothing.........you must bye a ticket before. I bought mine on the internet a few weeks before and it was at the church waiting for me. Pisa is nice 2 hrs. would do it, Venice and florance are great, too bad you don't have more time,

hindukid

I am actually one of the few people who would think that stopping off into manhattan by car to see the empire state would not be a big deal. I guess I am just accustomed to driving in cities and parking.

Do you think Milan is worse then manhattan?

I am now thinking about skipping Pisa and driving to Milan wed. night. There is a cheap rate at the Holiday inn Rho. The website says its right next to Rho train station. Would it be fairly easy to just leave my car at the hotel and then hop a train into Milan and then take the train back. Is this really easier then just driving to the city and paying to park. I feel like I will probably spend two hours round trip if I were to take the train.

thedoorchick

Personally, I found Pisa to be the absolute biggest tourist trap I had ever seen. There's not a place anywhere more overrun with buses and loud people and vendors hawking T-shirts and postcards.

While it's worth a look, I would not care to return, and if I was in a situation where cutting out the Pisa visit would enable a person to see more sights elsewhere, I'd recommend that.

FrAAmer

Having done/visited all of your choices, I would high tail it to Lake Como and stay at the Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio,

http://www.belvederebellagio.com/def...LCID=1033&ID=6

If you can afford it, try to get a de luxe on a high floor with a balcony and then, when ready to go to Lugano put my car on the ferry across the lake to Lugano (which is also a wonderful town).

While in Bellagio, you can take a boat up and down the lake to visit Como and other small towns.

bdemaria

It can be. It isn't just a matter of traffic, the city has a significant electric tram system that adds to the challenges of driving. Parking will be at least as expensive as parking in Manhattan. In addition, don't kid yourself into thinking just b/c it is expensive there will be will places available near the sites you want to see.

You will probably spend more than two hours round trip if you were to drive. IMHO, if your schedule is so tight/planned that two hours makes a difference then (a) you are pushing to much into your time and (b) are going to find Italy very frustrating.

You asked for insights from people familiar w/the area, we have posted it.
No one is forcing you to take this advice.

Non-NonRev

I could not agree more. I thought that visiting San Marino was the biggest overhyped rip-off in greater Italy - that is, until I wasted exactly one hour in Pisa. Utterly skip-pable.

hindukid

OK. So I have revised my thinking some. Now I am thinking we will drive to Milan on wed. night and stay at the holiday inn rho which is cheap, has free parking and access to the train.

I'll get up as early as I can thursday and train it into milan. See the duomo, check out La Scala from the outside, and maybe the Last Supper if I can get tickets. No more then 3 hours in the city.

Hopefully I can back to Rho by 1pm or so. After that I want to drive to one of the lakes. I'll either spend thursday night in Lugano or just come back to Rho since its so cheap.

My question is should I go to Lugano or to Como. I figure I can get there by 2 or 3 at the latest which should give me about 5 hours there. In Como I figure I would probably skip the town of Como, take the ferry to Bellagio, spend a couple hours in Bellagio and take the last bus back to Como. In Lugano I could do the three hour sightseeing boat and then spend a couple hours wandering the streets of Lugano.

So which is the better attraction. lake Como and Bellagio or lake Lugano and city of Lugano?

tfar

Tell us what you are into, landscape and scenery, culture, shopping, art? That will determine your choices as much as practical considerations.

I have driven in Milano and it is not that bad. London is worse and I think NYC is worse rather than better. The tram system is not a problem in my eyes. I was usually able to find parking very close to the Galleria V. Emmanuele next to the Duomo. I wouldn't bother with the train and instead drive on directly to the lakes. The Scala from the outside is totally not worth seeing. Listening to an opera there is a different story. The Duomo is very much worth a visit. The Galleria will take you another 30 minutes. So count 2 hours for all that visiting without the Last Supper. Head out while you still beat rush hour or later in the evening (after 8).

Pisa. It is not a matter of being a touristy spot or not. It is a matter of whether you want to see one of the most important Gothic to early Renaissance architecture ensembles in the world. Simple as that. If you can skip that because you are not interested in an architectural highlight like this, good. If you skip that because you are afraid of tourists, not so good.

Como and Lugano. Both gorgeous. Lake is perhaps even nicer for Como. But city is nicer for Lugano. There is absolutely out of this world shopping at Foxtown in Mendrisio which is on the Swiss side right between Como and Lugano. Museums are better in Lugano, too. Food is good in both places with a possible notch to Lugano. Lugano also has the better tourist infrastructure and nicer live on the Piazza in the evening. The Hotel Principe Leopoldo is easily the equivalent of the Belvedere. You can just have dinner and a drink there and I swear you will not regret it.

I'd go to Lugano also because you can make way to Luzern there already. Driving back to Rho would be a waste of time.

Como is especially nice if you have a ton of time to drive around. Careful cause the streets are crazy and the drivers even more so. Lugano is clearly the better choice for your situation. I have vacationed in that area for all my life, so I do have an idea of what the attractions for tourists are. Having a hotel in the city center of Lugano or the Olivella by the lake close to Morcote would be wonderful and give you plenty of time to just stroll around.

If you are interested in castles, Bellinzona on the way to Luzern has wonderful castles.

I for one think the original plan is good. Tight but good. The only change I would make is to drive to Pisa in the afternoon of Wednesday. See the cathedral and tower. Visit first inside, than take photos during the so-called blue hour outside. Have dinner in Pisa from 7:30-9. Then head to Rho.
Drive into Milan around 10am on Thursday morning (avoid rush hour). Then head directly for Lugano around 12pm. You will catch some glimpses of Lake Como along the way. Around 1:30pm you will be in Lugano. Have lunch at one of the many restaurants along the lake or at the piazza. Check into hotel around 3pm. Take a late afternoon cruise starting around 5pm. This should be gorgeous. In the evening have dinner and drinks at the Principe Leopoldo on their marvelous terrace overlooking the lake. No jeans or sneakers for that one. Back to hotel whenever you are tired. Friday morning, take a stroll around Lugano, Via Nassa in particular. Or go shopping at Foxtown. Don't say I didn't warn you. Then head to Luzern via Gottardo route. Arrive in Luzern around 4pm.

Voila, perfect program. Write Till a postcard.

Till

hindukid

Thanks Tfar for all the helpful advice. We are looking for more nature and scenery and perhaps a little european culture regarding sidewalk restaurants and bars and that sort of thing. I think museums and art are not of that much interest to us, at least on this trip. I also do like to look at spectacular buildings though.

I should have mentioned that I have actually been to the Duomo and the tower of Pisa. It was ten years ago when I was in college so my perspective was probably different. I remember thinking the tower was OK but being pretty blown away by the Duomo. My wife has been to none of these but seems more excited by the Duomo. Perhaps because I built it up though. I also have read about going to the top of the Duomo and I have never done that.

I am against leaving wed. afternoon because that means less time in Cinque Terre and that is a highlight for us. Also I want to get to lucerne early because that is my big highlight. This day was just a day in between scheduled for driving but I have now realized there is a lot I could accomplish.

I have read more about Lugano and I am starting to like the idea of wed. night in rho, thur. morning in milan and thursday afternoon and evening in Lugano. I have a free night voucher at Holiday Inn so I think I will just use it at Lugano. Its supposed to be right next to mount salvatore and we are talking of hiking it up to the top. Perhaps that combined with a boat ride and a dinner in Lugano would be a good plan.

Of course this would change if I got the impression Como was better then Lugano but I am not really getting that.

tfar

You should definitely do the Lugano outline, like I proposed. From an art historical viewpoint the cathedral in Pisa is more important than the Duomo in Milan. Walking on the roof of the Duomo in Milan is super cool. I have done it. You walk right through the forest of little spires.

Luzern is definitely very nice. No doubt about it. Still, I prefer Lugano. For me it is one of the most charming places in the world. No kidding. I kind of compare Lugano to Santa Fe for its very unique vibe.

Hiking up Monte SS or Monte Bre (the other mountain) is a rather strenuous affair and you might not have so much time. But you can take the car to Carona which is beautifully situated on the mountain. Check out the photo series of the Lugano tourist office to get an impression.

The trip from Lugano to Luzern itself should be beautiful. The Gottardo tunnel is very impressive, too.

Till