My daughter and I are arriving in Venice around 11:00 am on a Wednesday and need to be back in Venice to meet our tour group around 4:00pm on Friday. She wants to shop in Milan. I want to see Lake Como. I was wondering if a good compromise would be to stay on lake Como and shop at the Foxtown outlet. Second question is whether it is feasible to stay in Varenna, and take public transportation to Foxtown, or if we should stay closer in Como? (I read that Varenna is so nice, so I was trying to stay there. Cannot find anything that tells me how far it is from Foxtown.) Need an answer ASAP, as we leave in a month, and I don't have reservations.
Posted by
near NY, NJ, USA
445 posts
Google Foxtown outlet for further information I found this tour leaving from Milan at a reasonable price:
http://ryanair.isango.com/Product/Trip_to_Foxtown_Outlet_and_Admiral_Casino_5342.aspx
The prices in Milan are very high compared to the US.
You can often do better here. If she just wants to browse the big designers, you can always dream!
Foxtown is in Switzerland.
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Mary, When are you going? Milan has their "sales" but its offered 2x's a year. I remembered reading the "outlet" stores in Milan... and I think Max Ruda mentioned it in his tv show. My sister goes to Milan often, and she said that she travels to Switzerland to their outlet for her stuff. I wonder if its Foxtown that she meant?? She mentioned she had to pass Como.
Posted by
bergamo
401 posts
If you are looking for designer names and styles and this sophisticated environment that is hard to find in the US, then go to Milan. See the shops, have an aperativo. Otherwise if you are looking for bargains, save your money and go shopping when you get back to Texas.
Just to add, the Italians have taken the word "outlet" from us, without fully understanding that an outlet should have bargains. The outlets that I have been to have made me decide to hold onto my money and spend more when I visit the US. And with the euro a dollar 60, anything you buy is gonna be expensive
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
I agree--it's very expensive to shop in Italy--I'd stay on Lake Como and make a day trip to Milan for shopping. The train trip is about 1 hour from Varenna to Milan. I think that of the Lake Como towns, Varenna is most convenient to Milan for train service.
Posted by
OP
Plano, Tx
9 posts
Sharon - I know that Como looks closer than Varenna, but if Varenna is only a few minutes further on the train, I definitely want to try to get a room in Varenna. We are now thinking we would spend Wed. night in Milan, right by the main designer store stree, Montenapoleone. That way should could check out the stores again on Thursday morning, before heading to Varenna. Not sure what time the stores open, though. We may be pushing it to try to do all of this and make it back to Venice by 4:00pm on Friday.
Posted by
bergamo
401 posts
Stores along Monte Napoleone open around 9 ish.
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Hi Mary!
Your plan sounds like a good one if shopping is a priority. I'm probably not the best one to ask because I didn't enjoy the time we spent in Milan very much and didn't find the shopping very different from what we might find in a major U.S. city. One night in Milan and 1 night in Varenna is going to be hectic. It looks like Venice is about a 3-4 hour train trip from Milan plus one hour to Milan from Varenna. What about putting the shopping trip at the end rather than the beginning and staying in Milan the last night (Thursday) before you go to Venice--that way you'd have a bit shorter trip in the last day with some time to shop in Milan on Friday morning. Or consider staying 2 nights in either Milan or Varenna and doing a day trip to the other destination. Just a thought!