Our tour starts in Venice at Hotel Mercurio. We are doing the Best of Italy 17 day tour of RS. Thinking of arriving there 2 to 3 days earlier to rest first day and do some day trips from there. (Milan,+???) Or fly into Milan initially, rest and travel there until tour begins in Venice. Which do you think is best?
End of trip is in Rome… we are thinking about staying longer to see more as well…. Ideas?
Thank you!
Paula
Welcome to the forum!
Will this be your first time to Italy?
The tour spends just one full day in Venice and two full days in Rome. I'd definitely arrive early and stay late, if only to get a better look at those two wonderful places. Italy has a nearly endless list of cities and towns worth visiting (including Milan, though most would not rank it at the top of the list), so you can easily make use of as much extra time as you can spare.
Yes… It will be our first time in Italy
If it were me, I would arrive in Venice early and spend a minimum of 3 full days in Venice. And I would stay longer in Rome, a huge city with lots to see and do. Make sure you have a minimum of 4 days in Rome.
Hi Paula, you will love that tour! Yes, definitely arrive early!
When we took that tour, it began at Lake Como. We flew into Malpensa (Milan), and immediately took the train to Verona for three days. It’s a very nice city to get acclimated to Italy and easy for tourists. You could stay there a couple of days and then take the train over to Venice. Mantova is close to Verona and has some wonderful Gonzaga museums, plus the piazzas are very traditional. Otherwise, the default suggestions for Verona are usually Padova or Vicenza.
Another place if you flew into Venice, instead of heading to Verona, would be to go to Ferrara - an hour by train. There’s a castle in the center of the city. Amazing food, plus it’s a direct train over to Ravenna for the stunning mosaics. But, for a first trip to keep it simple, I’d send you to Verona..
I really like Italy and have been there ten times. Milan isn’t where I would suggest someone stays for their initial time in Italy.
