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Italy Itinerary help

Here is our itinerary so far....we will be taking trains to get around. My only real concern is getting from Varenna to Milan on way to Venice, I have tickets booked but worried about crowding, but we leave early in the morning.

Day one - arrive in Milan at 11:20 AM
Day 2-3 - Milan, Have the Duomo rooftop tour at 10 AM, have Last Supper tour at 5PM
Day 3-6 - Arrive in Varenna, stay there for three days, nothing booked. Debating renting a boat one day.
Day 6-8 - Venice, have nothing booked but will most likely do Doge palace etc. Staying near the train station.
Day 8-15 - Florence. Staying near Ponte Vecchio in an Airbnb. Have Uffizi booked day 9 first tour in morning, have David scheduled
day 10 first entry in morning.

Day 15 - Back to Milan for flight out the next day, staying the night at the airport.. Debating stopping in Bologna for the day if we can
find somewhere to store bags.
Day 16 - Flight back

We want to use Florence as our base for day trips etc. We were in Rome last year after a cruise, so won't be going there. Any suggestions on anything else to make sure I book? Anything you suggest we see that I haven't covered. We really want to explore while we are there this time. Wife, me and 12 yr old daughter.

Thanks

Posted by
1456 posts

You seem to have a firm a handle on what you want to do and see and how you have your days arranged. One tip is most people here count nights rather than days since it makes it clear where you are each night and making reservations and travel arrangements. You get nights - 1 full days somewhere so 3 nights is 2 full days.

If you are spending a week in Florence and are interested in Bologna I would consider doing from Florence since it's only 33 minutes by fast train. And then you can tour the city without worrying about luggage. Siena - either by bus or train - from Florence is the great Tuscan day trip to consider as as well. I wouldn't do too many day trips from Florence because there is so much to see there. The Duomo museum is great and you have enough time you can do more of a one site a day and throw in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello without over packing a day.

In Venice I would think about scheduling tickets for San Marco and add on the extended museum entrance. I think it's fascinating but even if you are not that into it the access to rooftop view of San Marco and the Grand Canal are worth it. Be sure to wander and get lost away from the crowds in Venice and just enjoy the uniqueness of the city. I live it and it is like nowhere else.

If your group has any interest in fashion check out the Armani Silos in Milan - not too far from the church of the Last Supper.

Varenna is really about the views, the villas and their gardens and the mid-lake ferry to see other views and gardens. One note - the ferry station in Bellagio is crazy complicated compared to Varenna so give it some extra time coming back and expect some chaos. When you get off and head into Bellagio it's easy to miss how busy it is around you but it'll be there when you come back.

Book fast trains between big cities ahead of time for savings (sometimes significant) but you're trading flexibility for prices since they often can't changed or refunded. I've had good luck with AppTaxi in northern Italy for calling cabs and all Tuscan buses are now supposed to be credit card tap in/tap out but I believe the paper tickets still exist for now. Everyone should have their own tap card for clarity. Some places will allow you to put multiple people on a card but I'd be sure to triple confirm it before trying it.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

Posted by
29019 posts

You've only planned one full day in Venice, which I consider painfully short. At the least, I'd plan a late-ish departure from Venice when you head to Florence. I can't provide guidance on luggage storage, but if you're staying at a hotel, you should be able to leave your bags there on departure day.

Single-ride vaporetto tickets are painfully expensive at 9.50 euros, though it's possible your daughter will get a break on the fare. It's very much worth figuring out how much you'll be using the vaporetti. A 24-hour pass costs 25 euros, and that might make sense for you on Day 7. Since you are staying near the train station, you'll avoid the need for a vaporetto immediately upon arrival and when you're ready to depart.

I don't know when you plan to take this trip, but lodging in Varenna is much in demand and the supply is not large. If yours is a 2025 trip, you need to look for lodging in Varenna ASAP.