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Get ready to wake up early and go to bed late! This itinerary has you moving from place to place and is packed with things to do.
Stumbling upon places and allowing things to unfold is a big part of travel for me. I hope you will explore and find magical places during your travels, take breaks when you need, and/or disregard all the day’s plans when you find a place you love and want to stay longer.
That is the magic of being an explorer, which you are! Please find my itinerary as a guide, inspiration, or a back-up plan.
Accommodations:
The Milano Centrale Railway Station is a key location for this trip, you will use it practically everyday. Therefore, book accommodations near the station or near other modes of transport that will get you to the station (many do). It will save you time each morning for the already long commutes to different towns!
Packing:
Lots of town/city walking, so comfy shoes are a must! Many of the towns have steep stairs or still have cobble stone. I packed a pair of chunky-heeled boots and ditched them two days in.
Here is exactly what we did!
Itinerary designed by “E”
CITY OVERVIEW
Make this day what you are comfortable with! Account for when your flight lands and jet-lag.
Milan Duomo
10 am: Land in Milan 🛬
10:30 am: Buy train pass
In the airport, buy 7-day Trenord tickets that run through all of Lombardy or buy them online ahead of time.
We were here for 8 days, so we purchased a 7-day pass and on the last day, purchased the tickets we needed (we only rode twice, one including the airport). Consider an additional day pass on the last day if you plan to bounce around Milan before you head out.
10:45 am: Head into Milan
Take the Malpensa Express train that goes straight to the city via Milano Centrale station.
11:45 am: Store luggage
Since check-in was at 3pm, we had some time to kill.
Milano Centrale has luggage storage for €6 per piece of luggage for the first 4 hours and €1 extra per additional hour. Look here to find other options to store your luggage in Milan.
12:10 pm: Duomo Di Milano
TRAVEL TIP!
The day we visited actually happened to be Easter weekend. Lesson-learned, holidays here usually mean two things. More shops are closed, more locals are out.
The streets, squares, and attractions were much more crowded than we were expecting. We actually didn’t go into the Duomo this day because they were already sold out of tickets for the day before we arrived.
I assume this only happens during major holidays and peak season, so plan accordingly, and you can always get tickets ahead of time!
We purchased the stairs option because it is €7 cheaper and they turned out to be very manageable. If you can handle it, I can recommend it, especially because you go up original stair cases.
1:25 pm: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Located right next to the Duomo, it’s convenient to give this famous shopping hall a peak. Even if you aren’t into the luxury stores, the tile artwork and structure are still worth admiring.
1:40 pm: Stroll the area
We didn’t stay long in the Galleria. Instead, we took time to wander the streets and take in the city. This is how we ended up finding Da Zero!
2 pm: Lunch at Da Zero
They make Neapolitan style pizzas. I learned on this trip, I don’t prefer that style. It’s a little too floppy for me, and a little lacking semolina. We did order a couple of their crocchés, which are little fried potato balls with various fillings. Delicious!
Here is a second location if you happen to wander in a different direction 😉
3:30 pm: Check into accommodations
Time to rest a bit! We stayed at an Airbnb just north of Centrale Station, about a 7 minute walk to the entrance.
 
4:30 pm: Terra Gelato
Make sure to get the Salted Pistachio flavor here!
The last time I was in Italy I was traveling solo, so I allowed myself a daily gelato because there was no one to judge… Luckily, E was on board, so we kept at it this trip. This is LOVE and this is LIVING.
While E travels to see things, I travel to eat –and see things, I suppose.
5:30 pm: Rest/Dinner
We went back to the Airbnb and I unpacked while E checked our routes for the next day. He’s a human GPS, which is great when we both had little to no service and Italy and relied on wifi when we could get it.
Then we went back out for dinner at Ristorante Al Vesuvio which is is 100% hidden-gem-status worthy.
 
I’m not sure why the reviews are so low. We went here two times, and both times the food and portions were really nice, especially for the price. Pizzas are around €5, pastas can be as low as €4.50. I got a huge plate of seafood risotto for €8! You are not going to find this in most places in Milan.
Unfortunately, it temporarily closed right after we left, but it should be back and running in a couple months time! I’ll update this post as soon as I know.
After this, we just went to bed early since it had been a travel day and the next day was packed.
CITY OVERVIEW
Disclaimer: we went on EASTER DAY, so things did not go to plan… but here is the breakdown had it had.
Como, Lake Como
8:30 am: Como
Plan ahead! Catch an early train to Como S. Giovanni, (about a 1 hour ride from Milan).
The outside of the station is beautiful! It’s on a hill, so you also get a nice view of the town as you head down the stairs.
9:00 am: Basilica di San Fedele
On the way to this church, I got distracted by cherry blossoms and a street market. DON’T STOP!
This day is pretty packed, so you’ll want to stay on track in order to avoid being stranded in Como in the evening. We ended up seeing street markets practically each day in every city we visited, I promise you’ll get another chance. I noticed many of them hold the same type of items, as well.
9:45 am: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta – Duomo di Como
Another beautiful cathedral to visit while heading toward the lake.
10:15am: Funicolare Ride
Walk lake side and take in the view! You’ll end up a the Funicolare Como-Brunate.
Your Lombardy Travel ticket works here! Unfortunately, you still need to stand in line and show the pass to the clerk so he can print your funicolare ticket.
Since it was Easter, we had to wait over 1 hour in line before even getting to the loading area (where we needed to wait another 15 minutes for the next car). We also arrived around 1pm which didn’t help, because everyone was out by this time.
This is why I suggest sticking with the itinerary times today and get there in the morning to possibly avoid the crowds even more.
11:30 am: Brunate
Let’s assume you get up there in a reasonable time, unlike us. You will be met with a some restaurants right outside the station that have a nice view, but we opted to venture in a little deeper and check out Locando Milano 1873. This way we avoided the crowds and had a quiet, practically private, lunch in a beautiful courtyard nestled in the quaint streets of Brunate.
On Day 6, you’ll have a lunch with a lake view that I think was much better, anyway. Como is quite smoggy, so you don’t see much looking down from Brunate.
I didn’t love my polenta dish, and his pasta was pretty good, but a rather small portion. The burrata and ham was nice! We mostly enjoyed the quiet experience and the owner was very friendly. He runs the restaurant and attached hotel, which is actually the first hotel in this town. The feeling was very homey.
Whichever dining option you choose, I highly advise spending sometime getting lost in the streets of this tiny town before or after your meal.
Trekking down from Brunate to Blevio
1 pm: Scenic Hike + Alternative Options
Now we head down to the town of Blevio, there are a few ways to get there based on your mood.
Option 1: No hike. Instead of walking down the mountain side, stay in Brunate a little longer, then take the Funicolare back down to Como, and then bus to Blevio and/or Torno!
Some additional sites to see in Brunate:
Option 2: Medium hike. We took the Partenza Strada Regia Trail down to Blevio. Sensitive/weak knees be warned, it’s a lot of steep down-hill, and a can get rocky. Blevio is so peaceful, beautiful, and just a little bougie, haha!
I highly recommend walking in the neighborhoods in Blevio by taking any stairs that lead up to the villages because these particular roads aren’t too pedestrian friendly.
Somewhere in Blevio
Depending on what time you end up there, you might have time to bus to Bellagio and finish out Day 4! Otherwise, you can but back to Como and then train back to Milan. Pay attention to bus and train times around this area and to Milan! They may stop running sooner than you think!
Option 3: Longer hike. If you really want to get your hike in, you can hike further to Torno instead of Blevio. Enjoy the town, or bus to Bellagio finish out Day 4, again, paying attention to evening bus times.
??? pm: Dinner or Head Home
Depending on what option you picked the rest of the day is going to be up to you.
Since we had a late start to the morning, the Easter crowd, AND the Easter bus schedule (being shorter) working against us, we did the medium hike and still got back to Milan very late. So for dinner, we grabbed a quick bite from McDonalds – I, for one, like to see what’s up in each country’s McD’s.
They just released their pistachio McFlurry and all I have to say is GET IT! I became obsessed with everything pistachio this trip… If you’re a hazelnut-lover, get the Baci McFlurry, which is a hotter and more high-quality Ferrero Rocher. This counted as my daily-gelato. DON’T COME FOR ME.
I also enjoyed their limited time chicken club and their mini fried calzones were interesting, too. It’s so funny how McDonalds makes different international foods in every country. Yes, they had tiramisu, too (it’s not the best, but good in a pinch, I suppose).
CITY OVERVIEW
8:50am: Bergamo
50-minute to train from Milan. You’ll want to be on-time today so you get stranded by the end of the day – speaking from experience…!
9:10am: Citta Alta
Take a cable car up to the old city. Check out Porto San Giacomo, the old city wall.
I also stopped at Nessi because the window display caught my eye. Get the pistachio shortbread tart!
Across the bakery is a shoe store, Calzature Belingheri, if you were in need of foot inserts like me.
10:00 am: Bergamo Cathedral
10:20 am: Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
It costs 5 euro to get in, and it is very worth it, in my opinion. This was probably my second-favorite cathedral from the trip. It was so vibrant and bold.
11:00 am: Lunch
Take a stroll and see what calls to you. We wanted to try, Al Donizetti, but unfortunately it was closed that day – a common theme we encountered during this trip which did not please planner E, LOL.
Instead, we went to Mimi’s – La Casa dei Sapori. It was a nice dining experience with GOOD olive oil for the bread and good local cheese tasting plate. We got the Rabbit Tagiatelli (really good) and Walnut Pesto Raviolo (pretty good). Plus our first tiramisu of the trip!
A cheaper lunch alternative, would be Il Fornaio, which was poppin’ and looked delicious. I saw many people take a slice (often adorned with a WHOLE BURRATA ball) and eat it in the square while sun soaking.
12:30 pm: Daily Gelato
Today’s daily gelato was at Gelateria Domus. 10/10
12:50pm: San Lorenzo Bastion
Green space on the other side of town with view of the valley. We sat for a minute to digest and rest our feet. Don’t worry about relaxing too much, though, because the next stop is a thermal bath!
1:10 pm: Head to San Pellegrino via bus (40 minutes)
2:00 pm: QC Therme San Pellegrino
I fell IN LOVE thermal baths since my first experience last year. Going to one in THE San Pellegrino made it *chef’s kiss*!
Beautiful views, awesome pools with various jets, relaxation rooms and ton of saunas are what you can expect from this place. A dream. The whole spa/building was built so well, you can feel the peace and tranquility the moment you walk in. If you have never been to a thermal bath, you are in for a treat!
Reserve your tickets ahead of time, especially if you want a message. I especially recommend doing this activity in any given afternoon because there is an aperitivo hour that is included in the price of your entrance. It includes a tray of breads, cheeses, olives, and meats, as well as unlimited drinks. With a morning entry, they offer a lunch buffet, but it is around 30 euros extra. You can buy a 5-hour pass or an all day pass.
CHECK BUS ROUTES IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET STUCK.
They day we went, the last bus back to Bergamo was at 7pm, and from there the last train to Milan was only 9pm. If you don’t want to stress, go ahead and book a night in San Pellegrino, that way you can also enjoy the all day pass. I definitely think it’s worth it, our 5-hours went by surprisingly quick.
We ended up getting stuck and stayed the night at Hotel Avogadro since it was the cheapest last-minute option. They offered to make us breakfast, but we left at 5 am to get back on course. It’s not going to be the fanciest, especially after a visit to QC, but it did the trick, and the workers were very kind! Make sure to tell them at check-in if you plan to leave early so you can arrange check-out, too, since the front desk is not open that early. We didn’t do that, and it caused some confusion in the morning.
7:30pm: Head back to Milan + have dinner.
CITY OVERVIEW
This is when we really did the Duomo, since we couldn’t the first day. We also used it to make up for our delays on Day 2. So if you already did the Day 4 afternoon on Day 2, you can spend the whole day today in Milan, there is plenty to see!
8:00 am: Free morning
Sleep in a little, do some shopping in Milan, see some sites. Here are some suggestions for you!
- Sforzesco Castle
- Sempione Park
- Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Holds the original Last Supper Da’Vinci painting; BOOK 3 MONTHS AHEAD AT LEAST
- Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio
- Chinatown
AFTERNOON
2 pm: Bellagio
Leave Milan around noon and train to Varenna form Milan, then take the ferry to Bellagio (if you are coming from Day 2, take a bus from Blevio or Torno to Bellagio instead). This route will take about 2 hours total.
Walk the little town, get in those streets. Find a cute restaurant, but consider booking ahead.
Travel Tip!
Many restaurants close their kitchen in the afternoon and only serve wine! We ended up at La Lanterna Bellagio, which was serving food and we didn’t need a reservation for. It had a cute artist theme and was known for its painted glass bottles that you could buy and mail home. The food was just decent, though.
Purchasable Art in La Lanterna Bellagio
3:30 pm: Basilica st. Giacomo
This is a small church, but still worth seeing if you like those things.
3:45 pm: Punta Spartivento
Sit by the lake and take in the gorgeous views.
4:30 pm: Ferry back to Varenna
Walk the Trail of lovers aka Greenway dei Patriarchi.
If you still have time, check out Castello di Vezio at the top of the hill and the Terrazza Panoramica which is right next to it.
6 pm – Milan
Head back to Milan. This is a good day for a nicer dinner reservation that you can go home first to actually get ready for. Otherwise, we just opted to try San Giorgio Restaurant-Pizzeria which was another one of those cheaper local spots that had better reviews than the one from Day 1. We got a cool dish called gnocco fritto, which was fried dough with parma ham and a buratta ball. And they made my pizza into a heart <3.
CITY OVERVIEW
8 am: Mantua
2 hour train ride from Milan. I had left-over-heart-pizza-breakfast on the train at 6am. Breakfast in question above.
8:30 am: Basilica di Sant’Andrea
My favorite church of the whole trip. I really appreciated the art style, color combos, and dedication to the theme. The ceiling and wall faces are actually completely flat, it’s been painted to look 3D!
9:30 am: Ducale Palazzo
Buy Daily Ticket for the National Archaeological museum, Castello di San Giorgio, Palazzo Dulcale. Stop by the Gardini di Piazza Lego Lombardia for free, too.
There are many morning markets in this town. They seemed to pack up around noon. I can’t find any schedules or names, but it seems like a daily thing. Walk around and you’ll more than likely come across one! If it helps, the day we went was a Thursday.
You’ll likely see people selling sbrisolona, a traditional almond crumble cake from Lombardy, the pride of the city of Mantua. I liked it!
12:30 pm: Lunch – Osteria dell’Occa
This is a homey spot that the locals love. Get there when they open, because they take no reservations, and it fills up FAST. The lamb chops were amazing, but the polenta with beef was alright in my opinion… Surprisingly, polenta has been disappointing me here so far! I think I just got unlucky. I would definitely get a pasta the next time, because everyone’s plates were making me jealous.
We got the sbrisolona which came in little pieces. In the markets they were sold in large pie pans. I wonder which is better!
2:00 pm: Te Palace
At this point, we were getting worn out, but by all means, keep going if you’ve got the steam! Listen to your body 🙂
Head home or check out Te Palace.
6:00 pm: Daily Gelato + Dinner
We stumbled upon Gelateria Paganelli and had an amazingly fresh sorbet. I can’t remember the name, but it was beautiful coral color and was a mix of a few fruits. They had lots of wonderful flavors, like pistachio with cayenne!
For dinner, E wanted to eat at Trattoira Sabbioneda de Romolo, but it happened to be closed due to health issues of the staff. We checked out Miscusi instead, which is hyped up by the younger crowd, but definitely not worth the hype. The pasta was too al dente and they skimped on the sauce. The portion was half the size and double the price of the hidden-gem I found. The one thing I think would be worth the visit is the the profiterole which was like a mini tiramisu ice cream treat. So nice.
CITY OVERVIEW
To prep for this day, you might want a Switzerland Train Day-Pass or prepare to buy a ticket every time you need public transport while in the Ticino region, which I will identify where that would be with “[need a ticket]”.
Ticino is the only Italian speaking Canton in Switzerland! It’s the only Swiss city south of The Alps and is heavily influenced by Italian culture and architecture.
8 am: Lugano
1 hour from Milan. If you don’t have a Swiss pass, you must get off at Chiasso to get tickets for Lugano or risk getting checked by a train attendant and ticketed. They are on top of it in Switzerland!
8:15 am: Take bus to Castagnola
Route to get to Olive Trail. [Need a ticket]
8:30 am: Olive Trail
Walk trail towards Gandria. It shows a beautiful view of the lake and greenery and wisteria are really in bloom in the spring! This trail was amazing.
This will take about 1 hr if you go slow and take lots of pics like I did, or about 40 minutes going straight through.
9:30 am: Monte Bre
The trail ends in Gandria, we were unlucky and came in a window that didn’t have a bus for another 1.5 hours. A kind woman saw us looking lost and advised us to walk to the Ruvigliana, Ronchetti bus stop (10 minutes) which would take us to Cassarate. From there we would take two cable cars up to Monte Bre. [Need ticket]
10:30 am: Osteria Funicolare
We got a quick snack at Osteria Funicolare for something warm and a really nice view of the lake and mountains. The Panoramica Restaurant is also pretty popular, but I think this place was cozier and it has trees for shade.
11:30 am: Punto Panoramico
If I can ask you not to skip one thing, it would be this (and the San Pellegrino Spa…). Take a 15 minute hike to this point and prepare to be blown away! From here you could take the trail back to cable car or go east to the village of Bre.
1 pm: Parco Ciani
Head back to Cassarate via the cable car or take a bus from Bre. Then, have a little rest in the park. Or you can grab some food at the Piazza Della Riforma first, and have a picnic!
1:45 pm: Piazza della Riforma
Enjoy the city and its unique Swiss/Italian architecture and large square.
2:15 pm: Cathedral of Saint Lawrence
After visiting this church, walk up steps or ride cable car [need a ticket] to take train to Locarno [need a ticket].
3:15 pm: Eat
We tried to go to L’achetto, but of course it was closed despite the Google listing. We opted for a quick snack from Coop in the Piazza Grande where we grabbed some Ovomaltine spread. THE BEST THING EVER, DON’T EVEN MENTION NUTELLA AROUND ME IF OVO IS IN THE ROOM. Grab a jar or as many as you can fit in your suitcase.
From here, you can take the funiculare to the Madonna del Sasso and explore the city OR head straight to the second spa of the trip.
4: 00 pm: Termali Salina and Spa Locarno
Enjoy another warm pool experience filled with natural salt water! This place is also connected to Lido with regular pools. It’s smaller than QC, and not as elaborate, but still a nice way to relax, nonetheless.
We had our daily gelato here, as they sold jars of GROM gelato. The lemon was amazing!
Photo via Termali Salini and Spa
7:00 pm: Dinner
Check train times and see if you have time to catch dinner in Lucarno, otherwise, take a train to Milan and enjoy dinner there! Don’t forget to buy a ticket to Chiasso for the Swiss portion of the ride home.
CITY OVERVIEW
11 am: Brechia
We slept in a little today and then took a train to Brechia from Milan around 10 am. Once there we took the metro to Piazza della Vittoria.
11:20 am: Piazza Paolo VI
Enjoy the square coming alive and check out the two connecting cathedrals – Old Cathedral and Santa Maria Assunta, Brescia
12:00 pm: Piazza della Loggia
Through these streets are tons of markets, secret streets with fun themes about them, and food vendors (mind you, this was a Saturday, so could factor into how many vendors were out).
12:30 pm: Lunch
E originally wanted to go to I Du Dela Contrada but it was full, so we opted for La Pinseria, which we had passed while wondering the streets. It ended up being one of our favorite eats of the whole trip because of the food, location, and energy from the staff!
I highly recommend this place, especially if you love crispy-bottomed pizza. Save room for the Pistachio Pinseria.
2:00 pm: Capitolium o Tempio Capitolino, Roman Theatre of Brescia, and the Church of Charity
Take a look at ancient and preserved Roman Ruins. The theatre is right next door and the Church is down the street.
2:20 pm: Chiesa di San Cristo
Around the corner from the ruins will be the Chiesa di San Cristo, a monastery. When we visited, there happened to be a student orchestra practicing. It was beautiful!
3:00 pm: Milan
At this point we were really losing steam, especially from fighting through the weekend crowds in the streets. It was very lively, don’t get me wrong! If I wasn’t so tired, I would love to join the tight crowds of people in the small side streets with music for a drink! We decided to head home early and rest before our late dinner plans.
8:30 pm: Dinner
Il Brutto Anatroccolo is a well known local and affordable spot known for their Risotto Milanese. They do not take reservations and it opens at 9pm on weekends. We arrived there at 9:05pm. We did try to be there sooner, but I make us a little late (of course), oops. Though it wouldn’t have matter because when we arrived all the tables were filled and the next table would be available in an hour and a half from then. The locals knew the drill and had probably been lining up before 8:45pm! Plan accordingly if you want to go here.
Otherwise, consider going to Osteria Milanese OSSBUS, like we did. Here you can make a reservation and they also serve Risotto Milanese – what I saw more than half the restaurant ordering. The saffron-infused risotto was so tasty and comforting especially topped with the ossobuco.
10:00 pm: Enjoy Night Life
After dinner, we walked along the canal AKA the Naviglio Grande and watched 18 year olds order 2 euro shots from street bartenders with merely a fold out table, portable color changing lights, and bad dj tunes. It was fun to be in a city setting for a change – albeit, I wanted to keep it brief.
I realized early on in out trip, I preferred our other Lombardy adventures into the smaller towns to hanging out in Milan, but to each their own!
10:30 pm: Daily Gelato!
Don’t miss out on Gelateria La Romana. It has amazingly unique flavors and high quality ingredients. The bonus is they add chocolate sauce at the bottom of the cone! I died and went to heaven, really.
Of course I got the pistachio flavor…
We rounded out the night here as it was actually quite a chill place to hang out. I’ve never seen a gelato shop be a hang out place, but the world definitely needs more of this.
CITY OVERVIEW
It’s Day 8, so your 7-day pass will ended today at the exact time you bought it the first day. Ours expired in the morning, so we bought a new metro ticket for each trip we took this day.
9:30 am: Check out of accommodations
10:00 am : QC Termemilano
We were so pleased with QC Terme San Pellegrino, that we thought we’d end our trip at the Milan location since we had an evening flight. QC will hold you luggage for you free of charge. As a reminder, lunch is not included, but apperitivo hour in the afternoon is!
3:15 pm: Lunch
We opted for lunch at the McDonalds next door, because I really needed the pistachio McFlurry one more time, and we still had to have a daily gelato (yes, I know it’s not really gelato, but it will do). It’s located right outside of the metro station that takes you to QC Terme as well as back to the Centrale Station for the express train to the airport.
4:30 pm: Head to the airport
The express train takes 1 hour 15 minutes to get to the airport, and it was in good time for us and our 8pm flight.
Final thoughts
This trip surpassed my expectations, thanks to E’s planning. We packed in so much. I appreciate the heavy loading in the first few days and leaving more flexible days towards the end to allow room for resting and the inevitable pivots we had to make. I hope you’ll pay a visit to some of the these places and make lovely memories of your own!
