HELP with Milan to Milan 21 day itinerary

Posted by wine4 on 06/04/14 09:17 PM

Hello,
I just booked airfare to/from Milan (LIN) Oct 16/14 to Nov 6/14 for my 19 yr old daughter and myself. Just wondering if anyone can suggest interesting itineraries with not too much backtracking.

Must sees: Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome and Pompei. (possibly Verona, Pisa??) Would like to stay 2 nights min per city and 4 or 5 nights in Rome for sure. I was told by a few people to ensure some 'down time' half way through the trip so we are not 'sightsee'd to death'. I thought Cinque Terre would be more restful than the rest but can't figure out route on trains that would be cheapest and most expeditious.

We will not be renting a car. We will take the train or bus everywhere.

Thanks to everyone for the help.

Sharyl

Posted by gerri

lexington, il

06/04/14 09:45 PM

4105 posts

Not knowing how many days planned in each location, or what your interests are, the path is below is fairly easy as far as train transportation.

Use Trenitalia.com for timetables and fares. Use Italian names for cities

Milan (Milano)- Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre-Florence (Firenze)

Florence-Venice(Venezia)

Venice-Rome(Roma)

Rome-Naples(Napoli)-Pompeii

Naples-Milan

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

06/05/14 04:04 AM

11852 posts

Using Gerri's excellent itinerary:

Milan (Milano)- Cinque Terre - Hopefully you arrive in the AM (on the 17th) and can go directly to the CT. Stay 3 nights, Oct 17-20. IMO less than 3 nights is a waste as it is kind of a trek to get in and out of the CT.

Cinque Terre-Florence (Firenze) - 4 nights Firenze Oct 20-24

Florence-Venice(Venezia) - 3 nights Venezia Oct 24-27

Venice-Rome(Roma) - 5 nights Roma Oct 27-Nov 1

Rome-Naples(Napoli)-Pompeii - Stay in Sorrento and see more than Pompeii. You have time! The Amalfi Coast starts shutting down in early Nov, but we had a great trip to Ravello last year the first weekend in Nov. 4 nights Nov 1-5

Naples-Milan -- Nov 5 take a fast train to Milan directly to Naples. Worth seeing are the Last Super and the Duomo, which you can fit in in 1/2 day/evening. Make a res for the Last Supper as soon as you can.

Regarding the CT - it is late in the tourist season by the end of October. If it rains... You can day trip to Pisa, Genoa. These cities at least have some indoor activities.

Posted by wine4 OP

06/05/14 08:17 PM

14 posts

Thanks for your suggestions. I was thinking about some down time half-way through our trip and was hoping Cinque Terre would fit the bill. However, it would involve back=tracking and more trains, etc.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

06/05/14 11:01 PM

16895 posts

You can just as easily route yourself Milan-Venice-Florence-CinqueTerre-Rome-Naples before returning to Milan. Cost and travel time will be about the same no matter which logical order you choose. See also Rick's Time & Cost Map for an easy overview of both. The direct Naples-MIlan train for the return only takes 4.5 hours.