Milan and Switzerland from Venice

[stipmom]

I am on a 7 day cruise next year on the Splendour of the Seas . We have been to Venice before and are looking for other ideas. I am thinking of flying into Milan and doing a few days in Milan and Lake Como and then post cruise doingouple of days in Southern Switzerland. Has anyone done something like that? Thanks

[photographia]

A couple of years ago I flew into Milan for three days, then took the train down to Rome. It worked out well! You can pretty much see everything in Milan in that time-period. There's a bus you can take from the airport into the center of town (to the main train station, actually), and the tourist-attractions are pretty much contained in a walkable area. Just be sure to book your timed ticket to see daVinci's Last Supper on the internet in advance, or else you'll waste lots of time trying to get one AND may be unsuccessful! And of course that's THE star attraction of Milan.

[Steph27]

A few years ago we went to the furniture show in Milan. Almost everyone was smoking! So glad that we had 3 nights on Lake Como after that. Took the train to Como and then the ferry to Bellagio. Stayed at the Serebeloni Hotel. Terrific! You can visit the sights from Bellagio. An excellent way to start or end your cruise!!

[vivian02]

I think you have a great idea. I have wanted to do this and will probably do it once the dollar gains some strength. I had the idea to head into Milian for one night and then head to Lake Como. From there I would head to Friberg Germany and tour the Black Forest for a couple of days. Spend one night in Baden Baden (World famos Spa's) and then head for Switzerland, probably Interlaken. I think you have a great idea. Taking the train would be very easy. Tim

[Destin Mom]

Hi stipmom. We are staying in Lake Como area for a week prior to boarding our Med cruise in Venice. We have stayed in Bellagio previously and are staying just outside of Varenna this time in Fiumelatte village in a house on the lake. It is pretty easy to transfer by train via Milan. Gorgeous area all around Lake Como. We looked into a week or two in Switzerland via train from Como this year. The Switzerland leg looked amazing but lots of hiking and since we have a 5 and 6 year old, we didn't think they would enjoy the hiking as much as we would. Also, there is a gorgeous ride to St Moritz that I know the adults would enjoy but for the kiddos, it would be too much time on a train. I think your plan sounds wonderful. And one tip if I may...consider apartment or house rentals if you are a more independent style traveller. They are much less expensive than hotels with 3X the space. Have a wonderful trip!

[ab0si]

I am an anti-fan of Milan. That is just me, of course.

 

The lakes are great. We prefer Maggiore to Como but happily spend time on both. Maggiore, btw, extends into Switzerland. Pretty ferry ride. The train from the Milan airport (Malpensa) does not go to the main Milan station -- and it's almost exactly in the wrong direction, anyway.

 

To get to Como via public transportation:

 

There used to be a bus, but I think they stopped direct service. Yo can check at http://www.sptcomo.it/vantaggiMal.php

 

Via train: Take the Malpensa Express, but get off at Saronno rather than going into Milan: http://www.ferrovienord.it

 

Getting to Venice is easy on the train. Como->Milan->Venice Santa Lucia

 

There are two direct trains, but they arrive in the early evening.

 

 

Paul

[taxatty]

Consider seeing Switzerland before the cruise. The train ride from Milan to Lugano in Switzerland is not too long and pleasant, and the Lugano area is beautiful and scenic. From there you can take the train back to Como, but I suggest instead the bus ride to Menaggio on Lake Como, and stay there or take the short ferry rides to Bellagio or Varenna. To go from there to Venice, take the train from Varenna to Milan and from there to Venice.

From Venice after the cruise, I would suggest the Dolomites in Northern Italy--closer, easier to get to and just as nice as southeast Switzerland. Go to Bolzano by train via Verona and use it as a base, or for a fun small town, stay in Castelrotto and tour the area by car.

Les

[agabbymama]

I am an anti-fan of Milan. That is just me, of course.

 

The lakes are great. We prefer Maggiore to Como but happily spend time on both. Maggiore, btw, extends into Switzerland. Pretty ferry ride. The train from the Milan airport (Malpensa) does not go to the main Milan station -- and it's almost exactly in the wrong direction, anyway.

 

To get to Como via public transportation:

 

There used to be a bus, but I think they stopped direct service. Yo can check at www.sptcomo.it/vantaggiMal.php

 

Via train: Take the Malpensa Express, but get off at Saronno rather than going into Milan: www.ferrovienord.it

 

Getting to Venice is easy on the train. Como->Milan->Venice Santa Lucia

 

There are two direct trains, but they arrive in the early evening.

 

 

Paul

 

I second the Lake Maggiore suggestion, it actually was our favorite stop of our 30 days in Italy. We traveled down the Eastern coast, crossed over to Sicily, then back up the Western coast. We stayed at a small B&B between Beligrate and Stressa and it was absolutely beautiful sitting on our balcony viewing the lake, we stayed 4 nights there rather than just the 1 night at each stop. There are 3 islands that you can visit with a short ferry ride. Stressa is a big resort town in the Summer I understand it gets really crowded. We had a car and drove to Zermatt, Switzerland. That was lovely too. Switzerland is so clean, and everyone spoke English and was so friendly. I was a little disappointed as the Matterhorn was hidden behind rain clouds and you couldn't see a thing, but maybe I'll make the trip back someday.

 

If you are traveling with someone, I would strongly recommend possibly flying into Milan and getting a car, for exploring Northern Italy and Switzerland. It is really easy to drive throughout Italy and Switzerland. Then turn the car back in at Milan and catch the train to Venice. Post cruise you could possibly again rent a car and explore the Dolomites and Austria. Innsbruck isn't far and again it's very easy to drive, the roads are well marked, and everything is fairly close together. We drove from Munich South through Austria to Verona Italy in one day, arriving approximately 3:00 in the afternoon.

 

I'm not planning on renting a car this trip as we are two older women travelling alone. If my husband was accompanying us, we would definitely rent a car to explore on our own. Have fun planning, then taking your trip!

[sunsetbeachgal]

We did a villa rental in Tuscany last fall and did Switzerland and Italy Lakes before the rental, as we had done Rome/Venice/Florence/ Amalfi on several Med. cruises. We flew in/out of Milan and rented a car. Stayed for a few days in Stresa on Lake Maggiore which had been recommended to use and which we loved. You can take boat tours and tour some incredible mansions and gardens! Very quiet and lovely area.

 

Then we drove to Interlaken, Switzerland over the mountain passes. YOu didn't say what time of year you are traveling, but this driving over the mountain passes can be only done in good weather months-we did it in late Sept. and ran into snow and it was quite scary on the hairpin turns, but very pretty. Be forewarned-Switzerland is unbelieveably expensive!

 

Good luck!