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What to do for a week in Milan?

pwrshift

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I have booked a two week trip to Italy leaving mid May. Staying 1 week in Rome at the Westin Excelsior and 1 week in Milan at the Marriott Boscolo Milano. Flying business class British Airways from Toronto to Rome and returning BA from Milan...both via London LHR. All on Marriott and Starwood points!

We haven't seen much of northern Italy, other than Florence and Venice, so I selected Milan based on looking at a map for a good base from which to rent a car and see Como, Monaco, Dolomites, etc. Then I started to do distances which told me that most of these are not 'day trips' by rental car from Milan. Because of some walking problems we aren't overly enthusiastic about train travel, although we are taking the train from Rome to Milan mid-trip.

We have tickets booked for the Last Supper and plan to see the Duomo in Milan, then some shipping at that big shopping centre. Expo 2015 doesn't interest us.

So if I have to scale back on distances to the Riviera, etc., do you have any suggestions on what to do and see in and around Milan? Is a car rental a good idea? Would appreciate your thoughts.

Brian

We had planned an extensive month long trip for last September which had to be cancelled due to some medical problems at that time...so this is an abbreviated 2 week trip instead.
 

GetawaysRus

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My wife and I visited Milan in 2013. We stayed at the Westin using SPG points.

I feel that a week is a long time for Milan. There's plenty to do in Rome, and Venice also has enough to fill a week. Milan is less impressive for the tourist than Rome and Venice in my opinion.

Here's some ideas from my travel file for Milan:

You've done well by reserving tickets for the Last Supper in advance. They're not easy to get at the last minute.

The Duomo is definitely worth a visit. I still remember the statue of St. Bartholmew - very beautiful. It's also a treat to go up on the roof of the Duomo. If you have trouble walking, you will definitely want to find and take the elevator up rather than walk the stairs.

The Galleria shopping area is right near the Duomo.

Look up the Arco della Pace - it's a large arch, sort of an Italian Arc de Triomphe. But I don't remember a lot to do there. Walk to the arch, take some photos, and you're pretty much done.

My wife and I love visiting European churches, and Milan has its share. In particular, Santa Maria delle Grazie, The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore, San Maurizio at the Monastero Maggiore, The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, The Certosa of Garegnano, Santa Maria at San Satiro, and The Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio. We took a public bus and made a tour of several churches. But frankly, we found the churches much less impressive than other Italian cities we have visited. Especially if you have been to Ravenna, the Milan churches (other than the Duomo) may be disappointing.

One odd thing that we did is visit the Cimitero Monumentale. That's a cemetery, largely for Milanese notables. If you enjoyed the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, or St Louis Cemetery in New Orleans, you might enjoy this. But it does mean walking around the grounds. It's level, however, and not difficult to walk.

We chose Milan because we wanted to visit Tuscany, and this was the easiest city to fly in and out of. Our plan was to spend 3 days in Milan and we then picked up a rental car and drove on to the Cinque Terre, Pisa, and finally we based in Siena for our visit to Tuscany. So I really can't say much about any possible short day trips from Milan. My old notes say that I anticipated that the drive from Milan to the Cinque Terre would be a little over 2 hours. Pisa was next, and I remember that it not too much further on (my notes say an hour or just a bit more from the Cinque Terre). Before the trip, we read quite a few negative comments about Pisa, but we really enjoyed our one full day there. Almost all of the main sites in Pisa are clustered together.
 
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pwrshift

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Thanks for your thoughts on Milan and area. Did you have any problems driving, getting lost, language, etc? I like the freedom a car gives you.

While I've paid (in points) for 7 nights In Milan we really want to see the French Riviera, maybe only one night in a swishy hotel near the Monaco casino...leaving the bulk of our clothes in the Milan hotel.

I assume parts of the Italian Riviera might be ok for a day trip? Como is quite close too so maybe I could rent a car for 3-4 days and get outta town.

Brian
 

Talent312

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Before Monaco, I'd go to:
1. Cinque Terre... It rivals the Amalfi Coast in natural beauty.
B. Lake Como.
.
 
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eakhat

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We spent 4 days in Milan, and that was plenty for us. I would recommend the Cinque Terre area. I would love to go back there again.
 

GetawaysRus

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Did you have any problems driving, getting lost, language, etc? I like the freedom a car gives you.

Brian

We picked up our rental car at the Milan airport. There are 2 airports in Milan. One airport (Linate) primarily is for intra-European flights and the other (Malpensa) for international flights. Linate is much closer to the city. Looking back at my old notes, I found a rental with Hertz that allowed pickup at Linate and return at Malpensa for no additional fee. So after a few days in Milan, we took a taxi to Linate to pick up the car.

Car rentals in Italy are not cheap. That's because there is mandatory insurance bundled into the price. I searched and searched and searched some more and finally found a rental for a small Mercedes C class that was quite reasonably priced (using a AAA discount). (My wife did not want to drive a stick. It will be easier and less expensive for you if a manual transmission is acceptable.) Remember that this trip was 2013. We paid 300 Euros weekly for the C class plus 68 Euros weekly for the mandatory insurance. One caveat: my wife is the driver and I navigate. We needed 2 credit cards in my wife's name to take the car. We had her drivers license and passport, but only 1 credit card with her name on it, so that created a hassle. They would not accept a different credit card with my name on it because she was to be the driver.

After we finally straightened things out with the manager, off we went. I had preloaded my GPS (I have a Tom Tom) with a map for Italy. Driving was easy on the highways. In town, it took some getting used to the GPS directions when we had to navigate a roundabout, but overall we did fine. (That means that my princess did not have to yell at me very much that I got her lost.) The biggest challenge was getting to our hotel in Siena, but the GPS got us there without a problem. Returning the car at Malpensa Airport on the day of our return flight was easy.

We had minimal issues with language. In the cities and the hotels, English is widely spoken. I don't speak Italian, but I can speak some French and some Spanish. I did have to fall back on French or Spanish on rare occasion.

I also bring an unlocked quad band GSM phone for use in emergencies, especially if we will be driving on our own. I bought an inexpensive SIM card in Milan with a small number of minutes, but we never needed the phone.

Before the trip I went into a local AAA office and got her an international driver's license for a small fee. We actually never needed that, but I did feel more secure having the international license.

One last thing: if you like staying at Marriotts, there is an AC hotel in Pisa. It's not in the center of the action, and it's not posh, but we stayed there for 1 night (using either an e-certificate or points, I don't remember) and liked it. It was modern and quite clean.
 
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DavidnRobin

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Take train to Varennes (sp?) on Lake Como and take passenger ferry to Bellagio - short trip.
 

pwrshift

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Thanks for your suggestions. Very informative. I know it's gonna bug me pre-paying (points) for 7 nights and not staying in the Boscolo for a night or two elsewhere, but you only live once. :)

http://milano.boscolohotels.com/?desktop=1

Brian
 

Mimi39

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To see the Last Supper you can get tickets in advance online. Best to do it well in advance as they get booked-up. Also it is amazing to go up on the roof of the cathedral and walk around among the gargoyles. We did this a number of years ago, but it was raining last April when I was there so I didn't get to do it again.
 

topmom101

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As a native Italian it makes me very happy to read all your wonderful reviews... I am also impressed by the accuracy of your spelling and attention to details. When I was in my early twenties I toured Italy with a cousin, we got around by train and we did it in 45 days. I think, at the time the total cost was approximately $350.00 each. It was a trip I will never forget. Among the dozens of enchanting cities and towns we visited the one that I still vividly remember is Siena. I remember arriving in Siena and feeling as I had stepped back in time. I am not sure if the city has changed in over 30 years but if you can work it in your itenerary, I urge you to go. Enjoy your trip.
 

pwrshift

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The more I study Milan the more I like it. I didn't realize that Expo 2015 was on in Milan while we are there...or that there's the largest showing of DaVinci art on downtown, as well as extra performances at La Scala while Expo is on. Not surprisingly, I'm now hearing hotel rates are up about 300% during Expo so I got a great deal staying on Marriott points. With the Duomo and Last Supper, and a good choice of upscale dining...as well as shopping and museums, I might not have to go on too many day trips from Milan and save the other sites for another trip, God willing.

http://thepointsguy.com/2015/04/mil...ail&utm_term=0_2b0b8ee2b7-ef9d9a3016-44235029

Brian
 
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