Seven Days in Northern Italy: Lake Como, Venice, and Milan
A late-October route built around trains, ferries, and shoulder-season deals: three nights on Lake Como, two in Venice, one last night in Milan. Times, costs, and where it is worth slowing down.
This is the trip we would do again without changing a thing. Seven days, three towns, one train line, and almost nothing we had to be on time for. We flew into Milan and turned straight north for the lake, worked our way to Venice by rail, and looped back through Milan for the flight home. Below is the whole route, the way the days actually broke down, and links to the full guide for each stop. If you take one thing from it, take the pace: we let the trains, the ferries, and the low autumn light set the schedule, and they never once steered us wrong.
The route at a glance
| Days | Where | Getting there | The short version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Lake Como | Train from Milan Malpensa, about 2 hours via Saronno | Base in Como town, ride the ferries between villages |
| 4 to 5 | Venice | Train from Como via Milano Centrale, about 3 hours | San Marco, the bookshop, cicchetti, and the gondola |
| 6 | Milan | Train from Venice, about 2.5 hours | Duomo, the Galleria, the Sforza castle, aperitivo |
| 7 | Fly home | Malpensa Express, 50 minutes from Milan | Morning in the city, afternoon flight |
The fast trains between Milan, Como, and Venice are cheap if you book a few weeks ahead, and the whole thing runs on one rail line with easy changes at Milano Centrale.
Days 1 to 3: Lake Como
The lake does not ease you in. The train bends around a hill and it is just there, flat and silver, ringed by mountains. We based ourselves in Como town, started each morning with a cappuccino on the balcony, and spent the days riding the ferries between Bellagio, Varenna, and the smaller landings. Late October gave us gold plane trees, open tables, and the whole lake nearly to ourselves.
Read the full Lake Como guide →
Days 4 to 5: Venice
You walk out of the train station and the street is a canal. Two days is enough for the main island if you time the sights against the crowds: San Marco after four, the Rialto after dark, the gondola in the morning. In between, we got happily lost, ate cicchetti standing up at the bacari, and climbed the staircase of water-damaged books at Libreria Acqua Alta.
Day 6: Milan
After the water and the quiet, Milan was a fitting loud finale: the marble mountain of the Duomo, the glass dome of the Galleria, the brick bulk of the Sforza castle, and an aperitivo to close it out. One day on foot covers the essentials, and the airport makes it an easy first or last stop.
If you go
- Go in the shoulder season. Late October and early November trade a little warmth for empty piazzas, gold light, and honest prices. Bring a layer for the evenings.
- Let the route be the itinerary. Milan to Como to Venice and back is one rail line with easy changes. Book the fast trains a few weeks ahead and they are cheap.
- Base in Como town, ride the ferries. Do not try to sleep in every village. Pick a base with good transport and let the boats do the touring.
- Two nights in Venice, one in Milan is the right balance for a week. Add a third Venice morning for the outer islands if you can.
- Watch the restaurant hours. Lunch runs roughly noon to two, dinner from seven, kitchens close in between, and aperitivo fills the gap from six.
Planning your own version? Our trip planner starts from your home airport and dates and finds where a week like this costs the least, and both Como and Milan appear on The Edit hotel list if you carry the Sapphire Reserve.