Village of Italy Airports preference

There are frequent trains from Modena to Bologna, typically taking about 30 minutes, including on Sundays. Have you checked the Trenitalia website or app? Don’t look for a date too far out in the future. Just check the next Sunday to get an idea what the train schedule is like.

No to plan C. IF you are going to fly out of Venice, I'd plan to spend the night there.

I did Village Italy but it was before Covid and the new itinerary. I did fly in to Venice, spent several days there and then flew out of Milan.

We did this tour 2 years ago, flew into Venice and out of Milan. I know they changed the route because people weren’t crazy about it ending in Lake Orta (very cute small village on pretty lake) but it sounds like ending it in Modena is going to require more effort than our 45 minute cab ride to Malpensa. Sorry, I’m no help but it is a great tour, we really enjoyed it. You could always check with the RS tour office and see what they’re recommending.
Edit to add, imo I would spend the night close to whatever airport you fly out of. I still remember our first night in Italy, going on the advice that a train from Milan Centrale would leave every thirty minutes for Varenna, only to find out, not that day (I believe our tour guide referred to it as “dependo”) and standing in the train station eating pizza by the slice versus the planned dinner on the hotel terrace overlooking the lake….

We don't know where you're flying to, but I would check flights from both Bologna and Milan. I'd expect flights from Milan to be cheaper with possibly fewer connections, and the 2-hour easy train ride to Milano Centrale from Modena might be worth it. Of course, then you have to get out Malpensa, so another hour on the train.

I answered a similar question about ending in Modena now and what to do.

After Modena - post tour options: Modena is easy transportation for travelers. There’s a direct train 90-minute to Milan. I will add that one of my favorite church interiors is at nearby Parma at the Parma Cathedral - gorgeous & lovely warm tones! Or, Bologna is just 30 minutes by train, also, in the opposite direction. Bologna is much busier with tourists, but still a good choice. Or, head north on a direct train for 70 minutes, and you’re in Mantova with some amazing Gonzaga museums, etc. to enjoy! All of these cities mentioned are prime Italian food - yum! (Mantova is handy to Verona, and you’re back on the main train line between Milan & Venice, ; )

Absolutely do not try to stay your last evening in Modena before a flight the next morning in Venice. Stay in the city of departure the night before you fly out.

Look at RT to Milan if you need a RT. Padova is on the main Milan-to-Venice train route. And in my comments above, you could head to Milan to fly back. If it was my trip, I would fly to Venice and stay a couple of nights there before the tour begins. And fly home from Milan (Malpensa). I use Delta & partners, so doing a multi-city flight on one reservation number works well for it.

You go through customs at the first non-EU airport you enter or exit from the US.

If we fly from Venice to Munich and then to the US will we go through customs in Munich , not Venice?

I think the intent of this question is where does one do the EU/Schengen passport control exit processing, not US entry customs.

If that is the case then you would do the passport control processing in Munich .

@Jean, what does RT stand for please? And @Joe32F thank you for correcting my verbiage! Just curious at what point we need to plan on needing more time at the airport. I think it might be easiest to use Sunday as a travel day to either Bologna, Milan or Venice and plan on leaving Italy on Monday! We plan on starting our trip by flying into Venice on Saturday. We would have the balance of Saturday and Sunday am to see Venice before taking the train to Padua for a 4 pm RS tour meetup. We had this same situation when we did Sicily- it required an extra night in Milan for an early morning flight out the next day. Thanks!

I haven’t done this tour but have flown out of both Milan and Bologna airports. We debated between Milan and Bologna airports last summer and decided on Bologna. I like Bologna better. It is smaller and closer to town. Milan is nearly an hour outside of town. Now there are not direct flights to my home airport from either one. If I could get a direct flight from Milan home, I would do that.

Hi, “RT” is round-trip - having the same city as arrival & departure. Often it’s much more conducive to an itinerary to fly into one city and leave to come back home from a different city with one reservation as a “multi-city” ticket.

@Jean,

I've been planning on taking Village Italy next year and have given some thought about what the itinerary would work best; my preliminary plan is very similar to what you described:

• Fly from US to Venice, and stay 2 nights in Venice
• Venice > Palova/Pauda by train
• Village Italy Tour
• Modena > Milano Centrale by train
• Stay 1 night in Milan
• Fly back to US from Milan MXP

Do you think it's possible to take the train to Milan and fly back on the same day? I normally would have stayed overnight in Milan before flying home, as train delay can really mess up the whole thing. My alternative plan involves taking 2 trains from Modena to Varenna, spend 2 nights in Lake Como before flying home from Milan.

@Mindfulness ”Do you think it's possible to take the train to Milan and fly back on the same day? I normally would have stayed overnight in Milan before flying home, as train delay can really mess up the whole thing. My alternative plan involves taking 2 trains from Modena to Varenna, spend 2 nights in Lake Como before flying home from Milan.”

I’m risk adverse besides having three flights to arrive back home from Malpensa(Milan), so I stay at the MOXY at Malpensa before flying home. I really like Stresa on Lake Maggiore - a favorite spot for me to get over jet lag, and I know they have the Alibus from Stresa that goes directly to the Malpensa airport if you’re wanting some relaxing time at a beautiful lake before heading home. That lake is west of Lake Como and just north of Malpensa. Otherwise, I would just leave Varenna the day before your flight.

Hi @Jean:
Yes I'm also a risk-averse traveler when it comes to international flight; so for either itineraries I will stay overnight at a hotel near MXP. Your suggestion Moxy MXP Airport is an excellent one; it's only a short walk to the free Airport Bus stop in front of the T2 Arrival. Thanks for your inputs!

We did this tour in 2024 before they changed the end. Modena is mucho better. My advice: Afteryour last your breakfast, take the train from Modena to Bologna. Spend the day in Bologna - fabulous food & shopping! Fly home from Bologna. Much easier airport than Milan.

I did the last trip of 2025, but we ended in Lake Orta; the itinerary for 2026 changed the ending point to Modena.

I flew into Venice and spent a few nights exploring there, then took a quick train ride to Padua, very easy to do.

Our guide arranged for taxi services for all of us from Lake Orta back to the Milan (MXP) airport. But I think if you are ending in Modena, you may be able to take the train, but either way, it's a little over 2 hours back to Venice or Milan (MXP) airport.

If you can fly home easily from Bologna, it might be a nice place to explore at the end of your trip.

As far as "Customs", you will go through when entering back into the US at your point of entry, but leaving Venice, you will go through security and passport control.

I did this tour in the fall of 2024. It is a great tour!
When I did it, we did end up in Lake Orta my experience has been on all of these tours that the guide will help you navigate transportation back to the airport at the end of your tour .

In our experience, the guide coordinated our departures so that we could share transportation to Milan airport and also share the cost. This is right third tour and I’ve always had the experience that the guides are very helpful and navigating transportation.