Welcome to another post of helping a reader travel! This weekly post is to help readers get a slew of travel advice from thousand of Deals We Like blog readers. Thus far, we’ve been able to help other readers travel to Maui, The Greek Islands, Pacific Coast Highway, Argentina /Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, Cape Cod & The Islands, Iceland, Geneva, Canadian Rockies, Rome, Israel, Peru / Inca Trail , Stockholm, Chicago, Paris, Hanoi, Austin, Puerto Rico, Bruges, Salzburg, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Jamaica, India/Golden Triangle, Auckland, Singapore, Moscow, The Oregon Coast,Seattle, Portland, Hawaii Islands,Alaska Skiing, Brazil, Prague, Budapest, Paraguay, Cabo San Lucas, Edinburgh, San Diego, Hilton Head, Dubrovnik, Tanzania, The Seychelles, Belize, Miami, Vienna,London, Tahiti, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Burgundy, Charleston, and Savannah.
With last weeks sub $150 fares from Newark to Milan, I’ve had a few readers ask me how to split up a week long itinerary in Italy. While many are flying straight into Milan, is it worth staying in Milan? What other cities and itinerary would you recommend? I already did a post on Rome, but in the next few weeks I’ll do specific city posts on other major cities throughout Italy, i.e., Venice, Florence, Naples, Bologna, Genoa, etc.
So let’s start out with a recommended one week itinerary of Italy and then we can get into the major cities in the following week! If you’ve ever been to Italy, let’s help out many Deals We Like readers!
Also, if you have any upcoming travel where you need some help, feel free to email me at dealswelike@gmail.com to be a featured “Help a Reader Travel” Monday special. Thanks!
While these are typically run on Monday’s, with all the Cyber Monday deals posted yesterday, I am posting this on Tuesday!
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Thanks for the post! I was lucky enough to score these cheap flights and this will by my first time to Italy. Any suggestions are much appreciated!
It is easy to move around by train. Don’t know Milan. Will say that we would tend to visit 2 places (and enjoy being there) in a week (assuming a day travel is included in those 7 or 8 days), but some like to move more quickly and grab lots of site. Parco nazionale delle cinque terre, on the coast south of Milan is very nice. You may want to see Venice, which is great but a tourist trap. Rome is amazing. An Italian secret is Padua, where you will find few tourists. And, well, if you are more of a mountain person could go north instead and visit the Dolomites, which are quite spectacular. Have fun.
A couple of years ago we spent 15 days in Italy and left thinking we had allocated too much time in Rome – 6 days. There is too much to see throughout the country. I discovered I loved Florence if for no other reason than to see the two Davids – Botticelli’s David and, of course, Michelangelo’s supreme David. My wife still lists Sorrento and our side trip to Pompeii as a favorite of hers. Don’t forget the hill towns. We chose Orvieto and if we had the trip to do over again we would spend more time there.
We flew into Milan for our last trip to Italy, but I only spent 3 days there. We spent the rest of the time in Bologna and Venice. I am unsure about winter travel, but travel during the fall between those locations was fairly easy. We also took day trips to Lake Como and Ravenna and paid for a foodie tour in Parma and Modeno areas.
Have fun!
To follow up, a couple days in Cinque Terre is really nice and a short train from Milan. You will have to search trains to Monterosso, but our favorite of the five towns has been Vernazza. No official beach, but the beach that is there is basically all yours! Very friendly hosts at all the “hotels” and great prices. Il Pirata has some really great pasta and desserts (and the best service… Ever!). Lots of hiking, eating, and relaxing in a beautiful location!
From there you can train through Pisa (2 hours stop to look at the tower and then back on the train) on the way to Florence for a couple days. Florence to Rome with a stop in Siena and a couple days in Rome before heading back to Milan! Pretty simple 7 days where you get to do a lot without spending your whole trip in a train!!
If you are into fashion then Milan is the center of the universe……well it is according to Italians………..
And then not to see the Amalfi seems like a true missed opportunity although you will burn up a day moving between the two……….
I just got back from Milan. Definitely worth a couple days, but there isn’t much to see after that. We spent a day in Lake Como, a 9 euro round trip train ride and 30 minutes from Milan. From Lake Como, you can continue on to Zurich and spend another couple days. That itinerary would easily take up the week.
Just a week?!? Not nearly enough [less than 2 weeks is a crime] but if that’s all you have then its: Fly into Milan, spend a day or 2 – ya gotta see the Last Supper and Milan Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco, [Zani Viaggi has a nice tour that gets all three in one day – with time left over to stroll] Lorella Baroncelli is the BEST Guide [Lorella.baroncelli@libero.it] but I think she’s committed to large groups for Zani Viaggi. Milan is so rich with culture, fashion, tradition etc, it really needs 2-3 days not the rushed shot we took at it.
If you’re flying in and out of Milan, you could do worse than the Sheraton Malpensa right in the Airport terminal. It’s just plain convenient for flying in and out with handy trains to downtown right outside the front door and easy access when driving [the car rentals kiosks are on the same floor]. Then catch a train to Firenze for at least 3 days [it really needs more – we cant get enough of Fierenze] then train to Rome for 3 days [Again it really needs more] flying out of Civitavechia.
For more details on the fun stuff in Italy – see our Travel Blogs, THE NOWAT [Notes of A Wacky American Tourist] – http://www.TheNowat.blogspot.com there are 3 blogs on Italy 2001 – 2008 – 2011. skip past the opening narratives in each which is mostly for the regulars on distribution and start with the landing, etc.
Happy to elaborate more – drop a note to UncleChuckSez@Bellsouth.net
Stay at a small town in Lake Como at a bed and breakfast (check tripadvisor reviews). Way way better than a hotel in Bellagio, unless you need such luxuries…