Northern Italy has a more subdued temperament than the southern part of the country. There are magnificent mountain ranges, sea coast, majestic architecture, famous soccer clubs, the best food, love of coffee and art. Our itinerary for 3 days: Milan – Lake Garda – Verona. But if your vacation is longer, it’s worth grabbing a few more great places.
When to go
The season of a trip to northern Italy depends on specific goals and weather preferences. In my opinion, though, Italy is always beautiful.
Winter .
It’s pretty dank and wet. You can walk around with hot coffee, and it’s the best time to visit museums.
Spring
March is an unpredictable month in terms of weather, but that doesn’t stop you from enjoying excursions. There is a major plus – great prices.
In April the prices are still reasonable. Walks are a pleasure. However, if the trip falls during Easter week, expect an influx of tourists.
May is a gorgeous month, it’s already warm, but not yet the summer heat. Prices are going up a bit. There are more and more tourists.
Summer
Temperatures in Milan in July can reach 40 degrees. The prices are high. There are a lot of vacationers. Some establishments don’t work because it’s the beginning of the vacation season. But a beach holiday on the Venetian Riviera will be perfect.
Autumn
The 1st half of September is still hot, the 2nd half is comfortable. Prices are still quite high. Although in the 2nd half there are already fewer people and prices go down.
In October, it gets colder and it may drizzle. Plane tickets and hotels will cost quite a bit. For hiking, locals don’t highly recommend October.
November is rainy and foggy. Wear warm clothes, grab umbrellas and head out to explore museums, galleries and other attractions.
Milan
Day 1: Fly to Milan or Bergamo. There are buses from Bergamo airport to the center of Milan, the trip takes about 1 hour. From Milan airport it is faster to get by train.
Milan is the fashion capital, a business center, a living monument to architecture and history. Everyone wants to see the majestic Duomo and the ancient Sforza Castle. Check out the Antique Market along the Naviglio Grande Canal. Every last Sunday of the month, you’ll find clothing, furnishings and design objects of all kinds.
Soul of the city – La Scala Theater. The social life of the Milanese of the XVIII century flowed in the halls of La Scala. Nowadays it remains the most respectable opera house of Europe and tickets for the premiere are sold out in a moment and cost several hundred Euros. You can venture into La Scala and Italian opera for €10. On the day of the performance at 13:00 come to the theater box office and sign up on the special list. By 17:00 you have to come back and buy your ticket. And at 20:00 the performance begins.
Italy is a country of soccer. So it’s impossible not to check out the San Siro Stadium. Locals call the stadium “the voice of the city”. Exactly here every week you can loudly sing and shout in support of your favorite team.
Day 2: Early in the morning we rent a car or take a train and go to Lake Garda. I highly recommend Sirmione. It’s not far from the highway, cozy and colorful, there is a spa beach with thermal springs.
A 10-minute drive away is Gardaland amusement park and aqua park. Gardaland themed amusement park is an Italian Disneyland. The park covers an area of 500 thousand square meters.
You can go further in Riva del Garda; nearby there is an amusement park and the province of Trento with stunning mountain scenery. If you go by train from Milan you can get to Desenzano, also a very nice place with Roman architecture and beaches, a great place for youth entertainment and partying. You can stay here until the evening and not stay overnight. In 30-40 minutes we get to Verona, there we walk and spend the night.
Day 3. To see Verona it is enough to spend 1-2 days actively. Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is an important historical monument of the city and a religious place. Castelvecchio Castle – a building with seven watchtowers is built of red brick and has an ascetic appearance.
It is impossible to see the city without visiting the main square. In Verona it is Piazza delle Erbe. After the main square it is worth seeing the Cathedral which was built in Verona in the 12th century.
The most romantic part of Verona is Juliet’s house. According to legend, this is where Juliet from Shakespeare’s tragedy lived. It is believed that lovers should kiss on this balcony to keep their love forever. You can also make a wish and rub Juliet’s breasts, then it will definitely come true.