Should I fly into Milan and tour Milan and Lake Como area

[stipmom]

before my 7 day Med cruise out of Venice? We have done Venice before.

Suggestions needed on what to do pre-cruise . Thanks

[Dowunder]

The answer is yes. While Milan is not always mentioned as a tourist destination in Italy it does have much to offer. It is outstanding for shopping, the Duomo is a must see, the Last Supper should be on your list and do your research as there is so much more. Lake Como can be easily accessed from Milan ( 2 different train services) and would have to be one of the most beautiful Lakes anywhere. Bellagio is certainly worth a visit should you decide to spend a day on the Lake.

[taxatty]

Milan and the Lake Como area would be a nice way to start the trip. In the latter, I'd stay in Varenna or Bellagio--Bellagio is nicer and has much more to see (although only a short boat ride away from) Varenna, but Varenna is right on the train line to and from Milan.

 

Also consider spending a night in Verona, which is right on the main Milan/Venice train line--if for nothing else, to see the spectacular, unamplified (it doesn't need it!) opera in the Roman Arena, even if you aren't an opera fan. The best seats are expensive and disappear many months in advance, but are worth it. We saw Carmen, and it was great-the best of them all is supposed to be Aida--we saw the props for it stored outside the Arena and THEY were amazing!

 

With even more time--see the Dolomites--they rival the Alps for beauty.

 

Les

[photographia]

YES!!! Milan should not be missed! The Duomo is incredible, and you can actually climb right up on the roof, which is an amazing experience. And seeing the Last Supper is one of the best experiences you'll ever have in your life--get a timed ticket online before you go, or else you may not be able to get in (or at least you'll end up waiting for hours before you do). You are only permitted to view it in small groups for 15 minutes max. They practically had to drag me away. :)

[stipmom]

How far is it from Milan to Venice ?The airplane ticket is much cheaper from Milan and I can fly home nonstop? How do I get to the cruiseport from Milan? Thanks

[Dowunder]

Venice is about a 3 hour train journey from Milan (Milano Centrale) to S.L. Venice (train station) check trenitalia.com for time tables , but trains are frequent. From Venice station to cruise ship is short journey one stop by vaporetto to Piazzale Roma or you can walk and then cruise line will probably have a shuttle from P. Roma to ship.

[Dowunder]

Bus Tours

The only way visitors can see Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper without having advance reservations is to take the three-hour APT bus tour (tel: 02 7252 4301). Advance reservations for the bus tour are not possible - visitors should simply turn up at the tourist information office on Via Marconi 1, off Piazza del Duomo, beforehand and buy tickets prior to departure. The tour lasts three hours and includes the cathedral, Sforza Castle and entrances to The Last Supper, the Brera National Gallery and the Scala Museum.

 

This may be helpful and is the way we saw TLS

[murphysmum]

The previous post about seeing The Last Supper as part of a three hour tour is a good suggestion. We were in Milan last year and I waited too long to get tickets for The Last Supper.

 

However, I called the concierge at the hotel we were going to be staying at and he called the tour agency near the Duomo (mentioned in previous post) and reserved our desired date and time. It's probably a good idea to arrange it in advance as, when we were picking up our tickets, we met people who were unable to get tickets...They were sold out for the day.

 

The tour was actually quite interesting and we were glad that we'd taken it.

 

Enjoy!

 

murphysmum;)