Italy Trip Next Month - Itinerary Help - Starting In Milan/Ending in Florence - First Timers

Absolutely, it will not be your last! A week to me means two stops, maybe three tops. Pick the two that call you the most, maybe add a third if needed.

I'm with valadelphia. How about Milan - Venice - Florence, or Milan - Cinque Terre - Florence.

I could happily spend 3 nights in Milan, and at least 3 nights in Venice. Remember your first day in Italy will probably be short, and you're likely to be tired and disoriented.

Seven nights means eight days (assuming the wedding is on day 8). You will be packing wedding clothing which may mean more baggage. Pick ONE spot between (both for the time and for the distance) Milan (Days 1 and 2) and Florence (Days 6 and 7). Spend days 3, 4 and 5 at one location enjoying yourselves. I really like Verona and it is in the middle of great day trip possibilities. Como is also beautiful, but spring in the mountains can include mixed weather. Have fun.

On arrival day go to Venice and spend three nights there before moving on to the Cinque Terre for two nights unless you hike then add an extra night. A good day trip from Florence is Siena.

Unless you have an overwhelming desire to see Milan, I would go to Lake Como first (or Stresa at Lake Maggiore), Verona (a nice city for tourists) and Venice. And yes, this will give you a nice taste of Italy, wanting to return!

All of these are easy train rides. If you choose Stresa, it’s faster to just take the Alibus from Milan’s airport, Malpensa straight to Stresa.

Trenitalia train app is good to download. The cities are in Italian, so Milan is Milano, Venice is Venezia, Florence is Firenze.

If you choose Lake Como or CT you’ll need to book ASAP for next month

I’d skip both of those and pick 1 town between Milan and Florence
Verona or Venice

Agree with Jean
If Milan not of interest (probably too late to get Last Supper tix)
Go to Stresa on arrival instead-lovely place to get over jet lag, less crowded than Como and probably more availability now

I agree with Christine, and with Jean, although you are very late to be thinking of Lake Como.

Depending on how long the stay will be in Florence, you might just extend your time there and take a day trip ro two....

Milan, Lake Como, and Venice in one week is really rushing its and leaving you very little time to enjoy.

How do you plan to get around..by train?

What is the departure point from Italy--Florence?

Forget trying to "see the country" in seven nights. On a first trip, I'd land in Milan and immediately take the train somewhere else. It's not full of "first time" sites, IMO. Choose two places for two to three nights each, then add time in Florence because you're going to want more time there.

We just came back from our 6-day Northern Italy trip. It's also y first time in Italy.

We started in Lake Como. You can do a train trip from Milan. I haven't been there, but we decided to skip it because it didn't attract me as much as the other locations.

Day 1-2 - Lake Como (Bellagio) I was happy we visited this touristy place off-season. I believe you're coming in April, it's still off-season. But like what other reader said, spring is tricky. We visited when it was so cloudy. Though we can still walk around, I think I would have enjoyed the sights more with the sun.

Day 3: Verenna - I love this lake village so much!! It just has the vibe I was looking for in Lake Como. We hiked to the castle and the views were just phenomenal. Also, their gelato!! La Paserella - is something you can't miss if you're into ice cream.

Day 4: Bergamo - It's pretty, but I would skip it next time.

Day 5 - Verona - I wish I spent more time in this city!! It has the old medieval vibe I was looking for. I got the Verona Card (https://veronacard.info/) and normally, city passes are not worth it, but this card is 100% worth it! Everything in Verona is walkable.

Day 6 - Drive Back

I haven't seen Florence/Cinque or La Spezia, but I highly recommend Varenna and Verona. And spend 2 days in Verona. Take some time to enjoy the cities themselves and not so much on tours.

Happy trip!

gladis, your post is making me rethink our 2026 Italy trip. Looks like we need to add Varenna and Verona to our Venice visit.