need a lot of help.we are landing in milan aug 8 and have to be in venice aug 13 in afternoon.the plan is to rent a car and see milan, lake como,italian alps and anything in between.need help with itinerary,lodging,timing .
thank you
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11356 posts
Alex: Do you have a good guidebook? That's the place to start. Of course the greater portion of people on this Helpline suggest Rick Steves' books for a reason. :-) No one here can guess at your interests or budget so read teh guidebook for ideas then come here to refine your plans with targeted questions. That said, 5 nights is not a lot of time.... Perhaps your first 2 at Lake Como, then 3 in the Dolomites on the way to Venice? Milan not worth a night in a brief Italian trip, but that's just my opinion. Unless you are bound and determined to see The Last Supper. (Be aware you need a reservation for the latter, well in advance.) But get that guidebook and read it fast! You need to be making your plans and reservations! Laurel
Posted by
NYC area
2912 posts
Hi Alex, You should be able to do your trip easily. I think Laurel has a good plan. 2 nights Lake Como and then head to the Dolomites for 3 nights. You could drive from Lake Como to the Dolomites as such: Drive east on the S38 via Sondrio to the A22/E45 to Bolazno. 30 or so min. north of Bolzano take the Val Gardena/Klausen/Chiusa exit and head into the Val Gardena. Pick a spot for 3 nights in the Dolomites, either the Val Gardena or the Alta Badia. These 2 valleys are seperated only by the Gardena Pass, which is our favorite drive in the area. From this area your drive to Venice should be under 4 hours. My opinion is the best of the Dolomites are between the A22 (Ortisei, Val Gardena) and Cortina d'Ampezzo. www.val-gardena.com www.altabadia.it www.worldisround.com/articles/355539/index.html www.worldisround.com/articles/324504/index.html www.worldisround.com/articles/351565/index.html Paul
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8166 posts
If you fly into Milan, you're just about 40 miles from Lake Como and the Swiss border. You can see all the European road maps on Mapquest.com. Sign into Milan and arrow north and east to see the roads.
You can also get directions from point A to point B. You should consider visiting Lake Como, and driving north and east through western Austria into Innsbruck. Go east of Innsbruck before turning south, going over the Grossglockner Highway and ending in Lienz, AT. It's the second highest peaks in all of Europe, and by far the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my well traveled life. The road is a straight shot into Udine, Italy, which is something like 50 miles NE of Venice. Every inch of this itinerary is knock dead gorgeous.