Need lodging help for Easter week 2026 between Milan and Venice

Start your research at booking.com
Use the filters for budget, location, #beds etc

You can trust the reviews there as can only be left by folks who have actually stayed at property

You can book on booking.com or find the hotel website

You can also search this forum for recommendations
Filter by Type and Date

Personally I might move around less - 2 nights is just one full day somewhere and then you move on. I think you might enjoy moving less and seeing more before your tour schedule gets to that kind of pace.

Maybe 3 days in Verona and 3 days in Bologna with a day trip to Padua from Verona. Or maybe see Padua on the way to Venice?
Padua has some great sights but I personally don't think it ranks up with the other 2 in terms of the city itself.

I know Rick doesn't cover Bologna but he has some suggestions for Verona. Search previous threads here for lodging advice - especially Bologna. Use Booking.com as research and then contact the hotels directly if you can is my go to. In Verona stay in the loop of the old city or in Veronetta (north of Via Gaetano Trezza) just across the river which is more of a neighborhood but close enough to the city.

My $.02,
=Tod

Thanks for the speedy replies and recommendations; I appreciate all the 2 cents you can throw my way!! I have found a place for the first two nights in Milan so that's a start. Will keep looking. Regina

hey hey regina
my own opinion, you are moving around too much. your 2 nights in each place gives you 1/2 late afternoon, full day, then check out next day.
check in times 3-4pm check out 10-11am unless early approval (get in writing/email) or pay for extra night. stay in one town for more nights and travel by train
look at booking.com, put in filters you wish/hope for, of course easter will be busy, closer you are to city center it will cost you since many want the same you do :) plus it's supply and demand with many hotels/small family hotels/B&B's know
where are you staying in venice? many posters have recommend monasterystays.com
look at where/who/what/when and restrictions, something may suit you guys. good luck have fun enjoy
aloha

I have had good luck in Bologna booking via Airbnb. I always look for places with a washer.

I would only stay in three places. Moving every two days wastes sightseeing time, can be tiring and can be a pain if you can’t check-in to the new hotel when you arrive which is likely to be the case if you leave the previous city early. I would do Milan 3, Verona 3 and Padua 2. There’s so much to see in Milan that I wouldnt know how to plan Milan with just one full day.

If you decide to stay in Padua, Majestic Hotel Toscanelli, is well located near the historic center. It's nicely appointed and is an easy taxi or bus ride from the train station. I enjoyed my 2 night stay there in late September. It was enough time to enjoy Padua's historic sights.

I appreciate everyones ideas and advice. Yes in some respects two nights in a place is too short. I do like longer stays (last year I spent 30 days in a small village in the Alsace region of France) but that will not work this time. So we have decided to do this:
Milan 2 nights
Verona 2 nights
Ravenna 2 nights
Padova 2 nights
Venice 2 extra nights before the RS tour starts.
So final question on this: After Verona should we do Ravenna or Padova first? Which would make more sense travel wise? Is Trentalia the best place to look for transportation info? Thanks again. Regina

Milan>Verona>Ravenna>Padova>Venice

All of your destinations other than Ravenna are served by fast trains.

Trenitalia or use their app
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Use Italian station names:
Milano Centrale
Verona Porta Nuova
Ravenna
Padova
Venezia S Lucia

From Verona- fast train to Bologna (51 min) then change to a regional to Ravenna (1hr1 5)
Make sure you leave enough time to change at Bologna- it is a huge station and fast trains are on diff level than regionals.

From Ravenna to Padova- requires a change-choose a route with change in Ferrara rather than Bologna- much easier to change in Ferrara

Hotels we have stayed and would return to all of them
All in great locations with easy access to train/vaporetto/centers/sights

Milan-Duca di York
Verona-Hotel Accademia
Ravenna-Hotel Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi
Padova- Majestic Toscanelli
Venice- Unahotel Ala

Geeze you guys are good. Christine thanks so much; that is kind of what I came up with earlier today in my research. I did not think about changing trains elsewhere though and that is great advice.

Once I get all this pre tour stuff sorted I may be back for more help regarding the 2 weeks post tour in southern Italy!!

Thanks again. Regina

Christine,
Do you think I need to book train tickets now? Since they are the fast trains, not the regional. Thanks. Regina

You generally can book fast train tickets about 2 months ahead of time. EDIT: I just checked March and tickets on Trenitalia seem to available now. I'll be there in March so I need to start looking at tickets now, I guess, I was going to wait until next year.

They can be purchased early at (sometimes significant) savings by trading flexibility for price, but if you are willing to commit to a specific train you can book early and save money.

Check Trenitalia and .Italo the state and private trains companies for prices and availability. Italo only runs fast trains and all local trains will be Trenitalia.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
https://www.italotreno.com/en
Both have good apps for your phone to track trains, buy and hold tickets.

Local tickets do not change in price and do not need to be purchased ahead of time, but if you are booking a multi-leg trip there is no reason not to.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Thanks Tod! I will get cracking on it! Just love this group and all the great info. Regina