Milan or Venice Mid-December

If you haven’t been to either, which I assume is the case since you’re asking the question, then Venice. There is nothing wrong with Milan and there are good things to see there. But it’s a big, bustling business center like many other cities, whereas Venice is a unique place that I think everyone should try to see at least once.

My family stayed in Venice for 10 nights last December, right before Christmas, and it was a great time to be there --- not as crowded as other times we've stayed in Venice, cool but not cold weather (but note where I live!), and everything we wanted to see was open. As evidence of "not as crowded," we didn't need to bother with reservations to the Basilica and instead just stood in a quick line for about 10 minutes. "Cool but not cold" meant that our granddaughter ran around in a sleeveless dress (scandalizing some concerned people) while the rest of us wore light jackets. We visited several popular sites (the tower and church on Torcello, the Accademia, the tower across from San Marco, the Bovolo staircase) and had them either all to ourselves or only another couple of people. We hoped for, but did not get, an episode of high water.

The thing about Milan (where we have stayed several times but only for a night or two) is that it is not very walkable and the various tourist sites or interesting areas of the city are in "pockets" with "just regular city" in between --- so, it's not as obviously charming or different from any other big city as Venice is. Our only real beef with Milan is that we can't seem to easily find the kind of small, local, unfancy places we like to eat, whereas Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, Torino, Genoa, and Palermo are stuffed full of such places.

You can see and do a lot in two days --- just decide where you three really want to go instead of where everybody automatically goes (for example, I've never seen what the point is of the Doge's palace or the Rialto bridge or the "Bridge of Sighs").

I completely agree with the other two replies: Venice is, by far, the best choice for sightseeing and a truly unique experience.

But I have to ask: where are you flying to Paris from? If it’s from one of Milan’s airports, that might tip the scales. With Venice, you'd need to factor in an additional 6-8 hours by train, which isn’t negligible for a 2-day trip.

Milan is much more modern than Venice, with less emphasis on sightseeing - although the rooftop of the Duomo is a must on a clear day when views of the snowy Alps are possible. On the other hand, Milan is full of stylish shops, trendy restaurants and vibrant nightlife, especially in the Navigli district. One unusual sightseeing recommendation, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, is the Cimitero Monumentale. This cemetery features stunningly realistic funerary sculptures in various styles, some created by renowned artists and architects.

Hello cmgavazzi, and welcome to the forum!

I will second the opinion that Venice is an amazing, unique city and Milan is a large, busy city with a flair for fashion and business and the stores will be decorated for Xmas. I'm not the biggest fan of Milan but following Paris (one my favorite places) I think Milan would really suffer by comparison.

Logistics do matter because while Venice's airport is close it can be cumbersome to get to given that the first leg of the journey is usually by water bus. If you're flying into Milan either way then you will have two trains - one into the city and then another to where you're ultimately headed. If you're flying into Venice itself then as long as your flight out isn't early that's pretty easy.

If I can go completely off piste I might also suggest Florence as a possible location. The Xmas market will be in full swing and while not as a unique as Venice it is a special city and the tourist count should be low. It is much more walkable and calmer than Milan and should be headed towards Xmas. With more time I'd throw in Siena or Arezzo for even more Tuscan Xmas faire magic.

Hope that helps, but I probably just added more variables to your decision. Define what your criteria is and go with your gut as long as the logistics don't get so crazy they stomp on the experience.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Thanks for all of your replies. We actually are starting with 4 nights in Florence. Since both of my travel companions have been to Venice, we are now going to fly from Florence to Paris and spend 4 nights there. For our extra 2 days, we will take the train to Lyon, then fly to Barcelona and stay for 4 nights.
5 weeks till we leave…so excited!!!

I have been in Venice in November, and it was flooded under a foot of water, and people were wearing tall rubber boots and.or walking on platforms about 2 feet above the ground. The main attraction of Venice is the fun environment of the canals and boats, and thats suppressed in the cold and rain and floods.

The center of Milan is very walkable - the Duomo, the famous mall next door, the high end shops behind he duomo, and the park and castle a few blocks in front of the duomo. They also have a good subway system, and you can get to China town, or some of the Roman gates, or the main train station easily. From Milan you could do a day trip to Lake Como, Lake Magiorre, Bergamo, or maybe Parma.

You can visit Verona equally from Milan or Venice.

The OP has now responded earlier today that they are doing neither Venice nor Milan ...

So both Venice and Milan are off the table?

Yes-we made a decision to head to Paris from Florence and spend our two extra days in Lyon. We have to end our trip in Barcelona so it was a decision we were all happy with.

With 4 days in Florence I would reiterate looking into a day trip to either Siena or Arezzo.

Siena is more interesting as a city but Arezzo goes all out for their Xmas festivities if that interests you.

https://www.italia.it/en/tuscany/arezzo/things-to-do/event-christmas-markets-in-arezzo-2022
https://www.terredisiena.it/en/siena-en/siena-christmas-markets/

Arezzo and Siena are both easily reached by train and Siena has a bus as well that many people prefer.

Have a great trip!
=Tod