Should we stay in Milan or Verona on the way to Venice

Verona is very nice. I think it would be a great stop off. You can see quite a bit in a short time in Verona.

When, what does "family" mean and are you driving or training?

Verona is a beautiful place. I'd say give it a full day if you can.

Thanks guys - my family of 5 (3 older teens) - would probably love Verona. I would still love to see the Duomo in Milan -is there is a place to check bags in Milan for a few hours before we take the train to Verona? Aside from RS suggestions - any personal hotel favorites in Verona? Thanks!

Use booking.com to find hotels in the area you are interested and the price you are willing to pay. I've booked one night at hotel Marco Polo in Verona for this May. I hope it's good! It's close to everything, and not far from the train station.

In addition to the Duomo (and consider taking the elevator to the roof), your teens might like a look at the Castel Sforzesco, even just a walk around the grounds (free). Verona is lovely, not too big, and it also has a great castle that is now the museum (Castelvecchio). An alternative would be Padova, if your family is interested in artwork (the Scrovegni Chapel, needs a reservation and time limit inside the small chapel is strictly enforced). I've never used baggage check at Milano, but it's a huge train station so I'm sure you can do it. Leave time fpr lines on check-in and out.

While you are down by the Duomo, check out the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele_II Walk through it to get to Teatro La Scala

Yvonda, Verona, Verona, Verona!! It is only an hour or so from Venice so you could spend a day and a half there. Check out Hotel Torcollo (sp?) in Verona. TC

Definitely Verona, but book your hotel as soon as you can. It's always have conventions and other events, if not the Opera.

Yvonda, My suggestion would definitely be to stop in Verona for a night. It's a beautiful city, and the Roman Amphitheatre is awesome. One question though - when is this trip taking place? If you'll be in Verona during Opera season, it could be difficult finding a room (especially at a good price). While there you may wish to have a look at the fictitious "Romeo & Juliette" garden and balcony. It's quite a tourist trap, but fun to watch. Regarding Hotels, the Guidebook has some good recommendations. As mentioned in a previous reply, Albergo Torcolo would be a good choice (but it's sometimes hard to get a booking). If you want to be closer to Piazza Bra (and lots of restaurants), you might also have a look at Hotel Europa. I've never used it, but I believe the Left Luggage office is on the ground floor, which is about two floors below track level. Cost is currently listed at 5.00€ for the first five hours, and then 0.70€ from the 6th to 12th hour. It's open from 06:00-24:00. As someone else mentioned, BE SURE to allow time for dropping your luggage, as there could be a queue. Also, be sure to allow time for the trip from Milano Centrale to the Duomo. The trip on the Metro is very easy! As I recall, that's the fourth stop on Line 3, direction San Donato. On the return to Milano Centrale, the direction will be Comasina. Happy travels!

You might email Mossimo at La Finestra sull' Arena and see if he can accommodate a family of five. He and his wife runnwhat is described as a B& B, but one of the units is a two bedroom apartment that slept four of us comfortably. I believe they have another unit, without a kitchen, on the floor above. Maybe you could have three in the apartment and two upstairs. The building is on a pedestrian street leading away from Piazza Bra, in a great location. You can see the Roman arena from the balcony/ windows.

Thanks a lot guys! We're going the end of May and I've decided to stay in Verona - my girls were super excited about the whole Juliet thing. My only thought is I hope I haven't over scheduled for day 1(arrive early am in Milan from an overnight flight, see Duomo, hop train to Verona. A couple of people have posted about checking bags at the train station - I just wanted to make sure they were talking about the Milan train station - did I mention it is 3 older teen girls(read - lots of luggage) - so that is a real concern. Thanks for all the posts - very helpful!

Yvonda, This would be a good opportunity for the girls to learn the "pack light" travel system. This will NOT be like travelling domestically. You might point out to them that if they pack it, they're going to be carrying it! Hauling gargantuan luggage items onto and off trains won't be a "nice" travel experience. I'm sure some of the ladies here will be able to provide lots of good advice and packing tips. One point to clarify - there is more than one rail station in Milan, including Milano Centrale and Milano Cadorna. You'll want to travel from the airport to Milano Centrale, either by train or the Malpensa Shuttle (Bus), as that's the one with the "Left Luggage" office that I mentioned earlier. Hopefully you'll be able to do the touring you want in Milan. After a long international flight, there's NO WAY I'd have the energy to spend a day touring Milan and then carry on to Verona. Cheers!