Best Day Trips from Milan
Are you looking for the best day trips from Milan, Italy?
Milan is the second largest city in Italy after Rome, and it’s known for being the business and financial hub of the country. It’s also a city that is known for fashion, high-end shopping, art, and culture.
Some of the top things to do in Milan include:
- Visiting the impressive Duomo di Milano, the city’s main cathedral
- Seeing The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Shopping (or window shopping) at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a beautiful covered arcade from the 19th century that is now filled with lots of high-end designer shops
- Touring the Teatro alla Scala opera house, or even catching a performance there
- Visiting Sforza Castle, a medieval fortress that has been turned into a museum
However, you honestly only need a day or two in Milan. It’s a cool city for a short visit, but it’s just not the kind of destination where you could easily spend a week and never run out of things to do.
That being said, Milan is a great base for taking day trips around northern Italy. It’s a major transportation hub, and you can hop on the train and be in a variety of unique destinations in less than an hour or two.
Note: All of the train times listed below reflect taking the fastest train available, which is typically the high-speed Frecciarossa. It’s a good idea to book these train tickets in advance to lock in the best price. However, you can also take the slower regional trains for a lower price — it’ll just take more time.
Here’s a look at the best day trips from Milan:
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Milan:
- Como and Bellagio day trip from Milan
- Verona and Lake Garda day trip from Milan
- Lugano and Lake Como day trip from Milan
Lake Como
Lake Como is a dreamy, picturesque destination that is one of the top day trips from Milan. This lake is known for its charming towns, luxurious lakefront villas and gardens, and stunning alpine lake scenery.
From Milano Centrale train station, it’s just 40 minutes to Como, the main town on the lake. You can also take the train to Varenna, another town on the lake, in one hour and 15 minutes. I would recommend going to Varenna over Como because it’s a prettier town and you can then take the ferry to Bellagio.
Bellagio is one of the most beautiful towns on Lake Como, and it’s 40 minutes from Varenna by ferry. You can spend the morning here, then the afternoon in Varenna, before heading back to Milan in the evening.
If you’d prefer to take a guided tour, this full-day group tour includes round-trip transportation by coach bus from Milan, free time in Como, a visit to a villa, free time in Bellagio, and a ferry ride.
Bergamo
Bergamo is a medieval city northeast of Milan. This is a great day trip if you’re interested in history and architecture. Bergamo’s old town, or Città Alta, is located high on a hill and encircled by old stone walls.
From Milan, it’s just a 50-minute train ride to the main part of Bergamo. Then you’ll need to either take the Number 1 bus for 15 minutes or ride the Bergamo funicular for 10 minutes to reach Città Alta.
In Bergamo, some of the top things to do include strolling through Città Alta’s charming streets, visiting the Piazza Vecchia, and admiring Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cappella Colleoni.
Verona
If you’ve ever read or seen Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, you’ll probably be familiar with Verona as the setting of this famous tragic play featuring two young, star-crossed lovers from rival families.
You can easily visit the fair city that inspired Shakespeare by taking the train from Milano Centrale to Verona. It’s a journey of one hour and 15 minutes. In Verona, there are plenty of things to do.
One of the most popular things to do is visiting Juliet’s House, a Gothic-style medieval home with a balcony that looks like it’s straight from Romeo and Juliet. Verona is also home to an ancient Roman arena, which is like a scaled-back version of the Colosseum in Rome — but still a very impressive sight to see.
If you’d prefer a guided tour, this full-day tour from Milan is a great option. Not only does it include several hours in Verona, but you’ll also spend a couple of hours in beautiful Lake Garda on the way back.
Lake Garda
Speaking of Lake Garda, it also makes a great day trip from Milan. This picturesque lake in northern Italy isn’t quite as famous among foreign visitors as Lake Como, but it’s well-known to Italians.
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, and like Lake Como, you can discover spectacular scenery and picture-perfect towns. The easiest town to get to from Milan is Desenzano del Garda. It’s just 50 minutes away by train, and from here you can take a boat trip or stroll along the waterfront promenade.
Sirmione is one of the top destinations on Lake Garda, and this charming town is just a 25-minute bus ride from Desenzano del Garda. One of the highlights here is the fairytale-like Scaligero Castle.
If you’d like to visit multiple destinations in one day, this full-day tour from Milan that includes both Verona and Lake Garda is a great way to get an overview of two amazing places in northern Italy.
Bologna
If you’re looking for a great city break, head to Bologna. This lively university city is home to history, culture, and delicious food. The prestigious Bologna University is the oldest in the world, founded in 1088.
There’s amazing history around every corner in Bologna. One of the most popular things to do is climbing the almost 500 steps of Asinelli Tower for amazing views over the city. Bologna is also one of the foodie capitals of Italy, known for tagliatelle al ragù (AKA spaghetti Bolognese) and Mortadella sausage.
One of the top things I’d recommend doing in Bologna is a food tour like this one.
Bologna is just one hour and 15 minutes by train from Milano Centrale.
Parma
Another excellent foodie city in Italy that you can visit on a day trip from Milan is Parma. Parma is much smaller than Bologna, but you shouldn’t overlook it, especially if you love Italian cuisine.
Parma is famous for Parma ham (called prosciutto di Parma in Italian) and Parmesan cheese (AKA Parmigiano Reggiano.) No day trip to Parma is complete without sampling these delicacies. You also shouldn’t miss the Parma Cathedral and Baptistery, both of which are known for their stunning frescoes.
To get to Parma, it’s a one-hour train ride from Milan.
Lake Maggiore
One more northern Italian lake to consider for a day trip from Milan is Lake Maggiore. Like Lake Como, it straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland and offers stunning alpine scenery. Unlike Lake Como, it’s a little less touristy and better-known amongst local Italian visitors as a relaxing getaway.
From Milan, it’s just a one-hour train ride to the lakefront town of Stresa. Stresa is a lovely town to explore and have lunch in, and then you can hop on the ferry to the three Borromean Islands.
Each of these tiny islands in the lake is a delight to discover. The best way to visit all three of them is to book hop-on-hop-off boat tickets for the day so you can explore at your own pace.
Turin
If you’re looking for an underrated day trip destination from Milan, look no further than Turin. This elegant city in the Piedmont region is known for its refined architecture and delicious cuisine.
From Milano Centrale, it’s one hour and 15 minutes by train to get to Turin.
Turin is a great city for museums, with the Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Cinema being two highlights. The Royal Palace of Turin is also worth a visit. And you can’t leave the city without trying a stuffed agnolotti pasta, and drinking bicerin, an espresso with chocolate and milk.
Lugano
Finally, one of the best day trips from Milan is Lugano, Switzerland. Yes, it’s possible to visit an entirely different country in just one day from Milan! Lugano is a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Lugano.
It’s located just one hour and 15 minutes from Milano Centrale by train. Although Lugano is part of Italian-speaking Switzerland, you’ll still get a taste of Swiss efficiency combined with Italian flair here.
One of the best things to do in Lugano is taking the funicular up to Monte Brè for spectacular views. You can also take a boat tour on the lake, or simply enjoy walking along the lakefront promenade.
This full-day tour from Milan includes a visit to both Lugano and Lake Como.
Best Day Trips from Milan
This guide showed you the best day trips from Milan, Italy.
If you only have time for one day trip from Milan, Lake Como would be my top pick. However, if you’re looking for a slightly lesser-known lake destination, Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda are two other options.
For cities, Bologna and Verona would be my top two choices for day trips from Milan.
Whatever you choose, enjoy your trip!
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