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Found a Cheap Flight - Need Help with Itinerary

Posted by (Minneapolis, MN, USA) on

I found a good deal on a flight to Milan for March, just after I will finish a major project at work so I went ahead and booked it. It was $615 RT to Milan, and I had a $500 gift card on Delta so it cost me $115 out of pocket so it was pretty hard to resist. I fly out 3/11, arrive MXP on 3/12 early afternoon and return on 3/22 in the morning. I'm thinking 2 nights at the end in Milan for sure and either 3-4 nights in Florence. For the 3rd location, I'm debating between either Venice or Parma / Bologna. I've never been to any of the cities I'm considering. I'm interested in Parma and Bologna as I was thinking about taking a food tour there, but I'm also interested in Venice as I really like art and architecture.

Rome is off of the list as I will be visiting there in December for 5 nights as part of a trip to both London and Rome with my mom.

Posted by
920 posts

Great price! This is utterly tangential but may affect hotel demand. The World Figure Skating Championships are in Milan during the latter part of your trip. Just FYI!

Posted by
117 posts

Milan hotel prices do look somewhat high that week. Good to know. I will make sure to book early. Thank you.

Posted by
21278 posts

Head to Venice immediately from Malpensa and give it at least 3 nights, then Bologna for 1 night, then Florence for 4 nights, then Parma for 1 night and Milan for 1 night. I'm not a fan of 1-night stands, but sometimes they have their part. Another idea would be to take an early train to Parma, store bags and spend 8 hours there, then a late train to Milan so you have 2 nights there with at least 1 full day.

Posted by
15798 posts

That's terrific! All I can tell you is that whatever you choose, you'll enjoy it . . . and the rest will just have to wait for your next trip. There are no bad options. I love Venice and it is unique, so I think everyone should visit.

Parma is about an hour by train from Bologna and the ticket costs €7.35. You can stay in one and day trip to the other.

Posted by
11613 posts

I suggest two nights in Bologna, with a daytrip to Ravenna. You could do a food tour from Bologna instead of spending night(s) in Parma.

Posted by
7175 posts

I'd split the difference between Parma and Bologna, and choose Modena.

March
12. Arrive Milan. Train to Modena (4)
13. Day to Bologna
14. Modena
15. Day to Parma
16. Morning train to Florence (4)
17. Day to Siena
18. Florence
19. Day to Lucca
20. Afternoon train to Milan (2)
21. Milan
22. Depart Milan

Posted by
768 posts

When my wife and I were in Italy a few years ago, we learned from the RS Forum that Bologna is a rail "hub". We followed-up on this and booked a hotel a short walk from the train station in Bologna for almost a week. We made several day trips to Venice, Florence and Verona. We enjoyed the sights and tastes of Bologna especially the Mercato delle Erbe where we spent several hours. We were there on a market day at the Piazza Maggiore where we tasted the best aceto balsamico ever (really). Also near Bologna by train, If you are interested in architecture, you might consider Vicenza the "city of Palladio", and while not on a main-line railway, maybe Siena and the Piazza del Campo, arguably one of the best public spaces in the world. Verona is also a relatively short train ride away. In the words of RS "[it is] packed with genuine history".

Happy travels.

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