Hello, dear travelers! Italy, the boot of paradise on the map of Europe. Italy is endowed by nature with a wonderful climate, sea and beautiful views. And man has given it architecture, sculpture and painting. I decided to make an itinerary of Italy for you, which, if necessary, you can always adjust on your own or increase the number of days of stay.
My route in Northern Italy will start with a flight to Milan, but you can choose any other city, the flight to which will be cheaper.
Accommodation
Depending on the length of your trip, some cities you’ll dedicate a day to, others you’ll want to stay longer in. There are many online services for booking hotels.
When choosing a place to stay, don’t just focus on price. Some tourists prefer to settle near train stations for easy transportation. This is not always a good option for Italy. Station areas in major cities are populated by migrants and homeless people. You can also encounter theft at train stations. If you do not want to spoil your aesthetic pleasure from the architectural beauty of the city, choose hotels based on their proximity to the sights you plan to visit. It makes sense to book a hotel near train stations if you plan to stay overnight in the city.
Transportation
Italy has a well-developed rail network between cities. Since this is the 21st century, we recommend buying tickets online. This will also allow you to choose the best option in terms of budget in the comfort of your own home.
Tickets to museums
Let’s continue the topic of buying online. To get to the famous museums of Italy want always a lot of tourists. At any time of the year you will encounter long queues for entrance tickets. Book or buy tickets online. You will save yourself a lot of time. Every major museum has a website with an online ticket purchase option.
Milan
You can start your trip from the fashion capital of the world. It is better to settle in the Duomo district. This is the central part of the city. Therefore, it will be easy for you to bypass all the interesting places. But if you prefer other districts, it’s not a problem either. Milan is well connected by public transportation. In the center there is a subway.
Let’s start our acquaintance with the city from the Cathedral Square and visit the Gothic Milan Cathedral. It is huge and beautiful. It is open to the public every day. Be sure to go up to the upper terrace to see the panorama of the city. For religious people, it will be interesting that in the Cathedral is kept a nail, according to tradition was on the crucifixion of Christ. Also inside you can see a golden statue of the Madonna.
Also on the Cathedral Square is the Galleria Emanuele. In terms of architecture, the building is a masterpiece. It has the shape of a cross. The entire length instead of a roof is organized by a glass vault. Inside the building is decorated with mosaics.
Gallery – a large shopping center with the most famous firms in the world of fashion. Despite all the pathos, there are also brands for people with average income in the arcade.
After passing through the Gallery, we get to La Scala Square. Externally, the building of the world-famous opera is not remarkable. The main thing is what’s inside. If your plans include attending a concert, buy tickets on the opera’s website in advance. Buying them at the box office before the performance is expensive, or they may be sold out.
Once in the fashion capital, it would be foolish not to visit the Fashion Quarter. It is located in the very center. Since the middle of the last century, instead of bakeries, fashion stores began to open there one after another. Now it is the most expensive place in the city in terms of rent. All major fashion brands have a store here. Interestingly, all the stores are unprofitable. But none are closing down. As it is prestigious to keep a store in the Fashion Quarter. Italians usually do not dress here, they prefer to visit outlet stores during the discount season – August and January.
Verona
The cheapest way to get from Milan to Verona is by Flixbus. It runs several times a day.
Trains depart twice an hour. There is a fast train to choose from, and there is a slower option – the electric train. The electric train comes with stops, but it is cheaper. To make tourist life easier, buy your tickets in advance.
For sightseeing in Verona it is enough to allocate one day of your trip. Walk from the train station to the center. It is close. Verona uses the love story written by Shakespeare to attract tourists. Tourists love it. True, to be photographed under the balcony of lovers you need to stand in line.
Verona is good for walking. It is a classic version of an Italian town. Narrow stone-paved streets, sculptures, beautiful architecture. In the center of the city there is an amphitheater, around it a myriad of restaurants. All for tourists. If you go deeper into the city, you will find cafes with more attractive prices.
Venice
Next stop Venice. You can get there by the already known Flixbus or by rail. The bus goes from Verona to Venice 4 times a day. You will spend 2-2,5 hours on the road. The train ride will also take up to two hours, depending on the number of intermediate stops. If you are not tight on funds, take the fast train. It goes non-stop and you will be offered several classes of service to choose from.
Venice is a small town. You can devote one day to it. I have already written about what to see in Venice in one day here. The city consists of islands connected by canals and canalicles. There are 118 islands in total.
Walking on foot, keep in mind that it is not always possible to cross from one bank to the other by bridge. Sometimes there are simply no bridges. And you need to use local water transportation. The city is expensive. If you want to save money, use public transportation vaporetto, something like a river streetcar. And when you want a bite to eat, go inland, away from the center.
The heart of the city is the Grand Canal. It’s like the main street in Venice. You won’t find any promenades to walk along, though. The fronts of the houses here face the water. It’s a magnificent sight. It is not for nothing that the canal has taken part in filming movies many times. Piazza San Marco overlooks the canal. Here is a whole complex of sights – the cathedral and the bell tower of the same name, Doge’s Palace, the obligatory attribute of the square – a myriad of pigeons.
If you decide to stay here longer, the next days you can go to see the neighboring Venetian islands – Murano and Burano.
