Milan - Ravenna?

Wow, that is a long way to double back. You'll spend a lot of time in transit. If you've got a couple of days the Lake Garda, Lake Como area is right there. Consider winding down there prior to your journey home.

The journey is between 2 hr 20 min. and 3 hours each way, depending on the connection time in Bologna. Doable as a day trip if you get an early start. But much better to overnight there (and much less expensive than a night in Milan). Could you go straight from Ravenna (via Milan) if your tour ends at Lake Como?

Jane,

I agree with Alan. It would take too long ( 2.5 - 3 hours) to go to Ravenna from Milan.
Varenna in Lake Como is an easy one hour train ride from Milan, and it's a peaceful place to relax before your flight home.

Edit...

I just realized that your tour ends on Lake Orta, right?
If so, I'd stay on Lake Orta or travel to Stresa on Lake Maggiore.

I'm still just playing with ideas here. For some reason, the lakes don't interest me all that much, although I may well change my mind once we get there. I just know that the amount of time the VI tour spends in Ravenna will be unsatisfactory, but then, so is the amount of time we have for the whole trip!

Thanks for the input; you've verified my suspicions. I'll either plan an overnight to Ravenna, or save it until next time.

Thanks again.

I agree with your spending a night in Ravenna; it's s beautiful city with a lot to see, yet it's low key and peaceful.

Jane,
Is it possible for you to arrive a few days before the tour, so you can spend more time in Ravenna?

Have you considered visiting Verona?

Yes, we're arriving the Friday before the Monday tour start. So we may well go visit Verona or another nearby town as a day trip from Padua.

I've toyed with the idea of going straight from Lake Orta to Ravenna on the last Sunday of the tour, enjoying Ravenna Monday, spending the night there, then on to Milan on Tuesday. But we fly out on Thursday, so that only gives us one full day, at most a day and a half in Milan.

I think we'll probably just put Ravenna on hold this trip. As I peruse the guidebooks, I can find plenty to do in both Padua and Milan, enough to fill the days we have there.

Thanks, everyone. Is there ever a trip with enough time?

Jane, are you flying into Venice and home from Milan? Have you already bought your tickets?

I'm still strongly considering this tour, but thinking of flying into Rome and home from Milan. Fortunately, I probably have more time than you do. I was thinking of weighting the extra time on the front end of the trip, allowing me to spend a little of it in Rome, Ravenna, Venice and Padua before it starts and only 2-3 nights in Milan at the end.

So that's why I asked the question. If you arrived sooner than Friday, you might have time to go to Ravenna at the beginning instead of the end. About 3 hours from Venezia Santa Lucia, 3-4 hours from Roma Termini, 2.5-3 hours from Milano Centrale and 2.5 hours from Padova.

Lo, that would be wonderful, but I'm pretty much limited to 3 weeks total. And yes, I've already bought our tickets. We took advantage of the latest British Airways sale, and I had to commit to dates.

Are you on the VI tour? When are you going? PM me if you don't want it out there.

Oh, I just checked a PM you had sent me last month; it looks like we might be on the same tour!

Ravenna is fairly distant. Consider Parma, just one hour from Milan.

Yes, it's the Village Italy tour I want to take, but I haven't committed to anything yet, and may not be able to until January. My first choice is the one from June 26 to July 9. I've never traveled to a hot place at a hot time in Europe, and I'm hoping I can pack even lighter than usual. I also hope that there still will be a slot open by the time I know for sure that choice will work with everything else I have to coordinate around. I'll be traveling solo and paying the single supplement.

Assuming all works out (whenever I go), I definitely want to add some extra time in Ravenna. I've only seen the mosaics once before, in 1977, and I don't think a short visit enroute will be enough. Some who've been on the VI tour say the same thing.

Likewise, they say there's not enough time in Padua. I've never been there, so arriving early for the tour, like you plan to do, is an easy choice. And I've never been to Milan, so adding time there at the end, like you are, is also an easy choice.

Finally, by flying into Rome and home from Milan, and adding enough time before the tour starts, I can spend a little time in Rome, go to Ravenna for a couple of nights, spend a little time in Venice and still get to Padua a couple of days before the tour starts.

In terms of your initial questions, the only way this is practical or doable is that I have about 2 extra weeks to add to the tour.

I like Varenna and Lake Como as a day trip from Milan.

Lo, when I talked to Mitch at the RSE office last week, he said there were still plenty of slots open on that tour.

Thanks to everyone for suggestions for day trips from Milan. In hindsight, I should have tacked on one extra day, then we could have gone from Lake Orta to Ravenna, spent 2 nights there, and then had a couple of full days in Milan.

But no harm done. We'll spend extra time in Ravenna another trip. There's always another trip, right?