Hi!
Planning to go to Italy for the first time from California, and trying to decide which city/airport should we arrive and stay first:
Milan or Venice?
Not in this order, but we really want to spend sometime in:
Lake Como (or any of The Lakes) - Tuscany (countryside vineyards) - Cinque Terre - both Venice and Treviso (my great grandparents were born in Treviso) - back home from Rome.
Thank you!
Personally I don't think it makes any difference. I would go with the one that is more convenient. However,, with your schedule you might consider Venice and head west with min back tracking.
Venice is the perfect place to get over jet lag
If you choose Milan I recommend going right to Stresa on Lake Maggiore -easy to get to from MXP
Venice is much easier to fly IN to than out of
Thank you Frank and Christine!
So, Christine, do you think this below would be reasonable?
Flying to Venice, then after stay in Milan or should go strait to Stresa on Lake Maggiore (?), then Cinque Terre and Tuscany.
Venice-Treviso-Italian Lakes-Milan--Cinque Terre-Tuscany-Rome.
Thank you kenko!
When is this trip and how many nights in Italy?
Stresa works if you are flying in or out of Milan
Otherwise from Venice I would go to Garda and skip Milan
Check flight arrivals and departures for Venice from/to your home airport. For us, there was a midday departure.
This trip is for September 2026, anniversary trip ;-)
We are planning 21 days. I am thinking avoiding Rome this time.
I would do:
SFO/LAX (whichever airport you use) > VCE (via any European hub > visit Venice and Treviso > Lake Como or Lake Garda > Florence/Tuscany > Cinque Terre > Rome > Fly back from Rome FCO.
In terms of flights, I would look for a flight that takes you directly from your airport in California directly to Europe, then connect to Venice. For example with United/Lufthansa/ITA airways or Delta/AirFrance-KLM.
You don't need to fly to Milan at all for your trip, unless you want to. Most flights to Milan arrive at MXP, which is farther west, almost half way between Milan and Turin.
Thank you Roberto,
We live on the central coast, so either LAX or SFO works....I will take a look on the flights timing.
Make sure you are searching for “multi-city” flights or open jaw -NOT 2 one way flights
Usually under Advanced Search
Begin your search in Google Flights-set up some price alerts
Book with the actual airline
Why skip Rome??
21 days (or nights) is a great amount of time
Try to stay 3-4 nights in each location
Venice 3
Treviso 2
Garda or Como-3
Florence 3
Tuscany hilltown 3-4 with car
CT-2-3
Rome-at least 4 or as many nights as you can give it
Thank you. I will check the flights. I was thinking about the time to visit Rome. We are both in the wine industry and it would be nice to visit Valdobbiadene and Valpolicella regions on this trip. Just trying to figure it out if it would be doable one day trip to the "prosecco region" and how to get there and how to get to Valpolicella.
Valpolicella is outside Verona
Train from Venice to Verona is easy ( fast or regional trains)
Then probably bus or driver to vineyards
You might look for guided tours from Verona or from Lake Garda
Verona itself is worth a few nights-you could stay there and day trip to Garda and vineyards
That's awesome. Thank you!
You will probably find prosecco tours from Treviso and Venice
SFO/LAX (whichever airport you use) > VCE (via any European hub) >visit Venice and Treviso > Lake Como or Lake Garda > Florence/Tuscany > Cinque Terre > Rome > Fly back from Rome FCO.
Since you are interested in the wine regions, then I would stick to Lake Garda, rather than Lake Como. They are equally beautiful, but Valpolicella is really close to Lake Garda, and if you are interested in the prestigious Franciacorta bubbly wine from the homonymous region (between Lake Garda and Lake Iseo) you can visit that too.
In that case I would also rent a car, because it will be convenient to visit rural wine areas both in Veneto and in Tuscany.
This is my revised suggested itinerary.
-SFO/LAX (whichever airport you use) > VCE (via any European hub)
-Visit Venice and Treviso, and possibly Verona (none of these cities need a car to visit).
Venice deserves 2 or 3 nights, and maybe an extra one for a day trip to Treviso.
Verona deserves a full day, so you could go there from Venice in the morning and spend one full day, and sleep one night in Verona.
-The next morning rent a car in Verona to see the lakes and the wine areas.
-Visit Lake Garda, Valpolicella, Franciacorta (lake Iseo) with the rental car. You will need at least 3 nights for the lakes.
-Drive with the same rental car to Tuscany's wine area of your interest (Chianti hills, or also Val d'Orcia for Brunello di Montalcino, if you are interested in wine areas). Stay in that area with the car.
-Drive to Florence. Return the car upon arrival.
-Visit Florence for 2 or 3 nights.
-Train to Cinque Terre
-Visit Cinque Terre for 1 to 3 nights.
-Train to Rome
-Visit Rome for 3 or 4 nights
-Fly back to US from Rome (FCO). If you want there are non stop flights from FCO to SFO (ITA Airways and, in summer, United) and to LAX (ITA Airways)
I like Roberto's ideas! But if you're avoiding Rome (you said upthread) you could head to Milan after CT, do a bit there and then fly out of Milan too :) I have my eye on Stresa on Lake Maggiore for a stay before a Milan flight :)
Thank you Katherine!
So much to do! I am afraid that visiting for the 1st time I want to do a lot (wine/food/relax/romance/culture), but I like to plan.
I like your idea Roberto! To visit Valdobbiadene and Conegliano as you did mention a visit by car, do you think I could do in one day from Treviso? Thank you s much! Oh, yeah....sparkling from Franciacorta would be amazing too!
I wouldn’t bother to rent a car for a day only. If you have 3 nights at your disposal for your wine country travel ok.
You only have 3 weeks, so you have to make choices, you can’t visit it all.
Venice needs 3 nights
Verona needs a full day, and at least one night if you are interested in opera at the Arena.
Lake Garda and Valpolicella or Franciacorta needs 3 nights
Treviso also needs a day, but it can be visited from Venice, it’s near.
Florence needs 3 nights
Tuscan countryside maybe another 3 nights
Cinque Terre is hard to reach. You can see it in a day but to get there is what takes time.
Rome, if you want to see it, needs 4 or at least 3 nights.
We spent 2 wonderful nights in Verona this past May, and we would have enjoyed another night. While there, we took a wine tour to the Valpolicella wine region. The tour was with Pagus Tours in Verona, and it was wonderful. We were the first tour of the season, and luckily, there was just me and my husband. They take a maximum of 8 passengers. Our driver and tour guide was wonderful. Very friendly, warm, and knowledgeable.
Oh my ... thank you so much for the recommendation on the driver! This is what we do at central coast Cali and appreciate a great referral!
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Skip Cinque Terre and relax for an extra day or two in the Tuscan wine area.
If you fly to Milan one day one night is plenty. Then get a car and do the lakes and then ditch the car and stay a few nights in Venice. After that take a train to Florence and do the city. Then get a car and visit the Tuscan hill towns and wineries. End in Rome for at least three nights.
Thank you Buffalo!
