Last Easter we were searching for some cheap flights and we came across very cheap £30 each flights to Milan. We've both been to various places across Italy before but neither of us had done the Milan area. We were blessed with stunning weather when we were at Lake Como and one rainy day out of three in Milan. All I can say is pack for all eventualities! Milan being more northerly does get wetter weather than southern and central cities like Florence and Rome. If you are going for a few days use your middle full day as your day to do Lake Como. Get the early train and get there atleast 20 minutes early as they fill up FAST. You can get breakfast from the station, there were various cafes selling pastries and there is a multitude of places to get lunch from once you arrive in Varenna.
Like us you will hopefully find that travelling here out of main season is way less stressful than going in peak season with huge crowds, something which is massive for us neurodiverse families. I can safely say it was a tolerable level of busy, we didn't have huge queues for the ferry, we could get food and drinks fine, we didn't have to book tables. I had heard stories about it being like a cattle market In the height of summer so this has to be the way forward.
Tip number 2 is don't skip exploring Varenna, especially if you are with young children as there is a pebbled beach area where the children can paddle and skim stones which allows them to be free for a little while!
Tip number 3 is book your ferry tickets to Bellagio ahead of time as it just means you can then skip the ticket queue at the desk and just board the ferry. The website isn't the most user friendly! But you should find an attached ferry timetable so you can plan your day to fit with your train times. Bellagio was beautiful, it was definitely somewhat more upmarket, it was clearly the main attraction however, we found both Varenna and Bellagio equally as impressive. Our children loved the novelty of being on the ferry, there was a small park at the ferry station in Varenna but it was being worked on at the time. However, they enjoyed the day without this as everywhere was easy to walk round and the Italians are just so welcoming to children.
When back in Milan go to Indro Montanelli gardens, they had little rides the kids could go on and it was easy to get to. Next, get the metro to the Duomo Di Milano and sit and have ice cream by the square and take a walk through the shopping centre next to it - the architecture of the building is incredible! The metro system was easy to use and we felt safe the whole time. Everything was prompt and clean and it was a really affordable way to get around. If you have time go and see the Szforesco Castle, another impressive building with lots of green space for the kids to run around and burn off some steam. Please be aware of people selling things out in the front courtyard, do not fall for the friendship bracelet scam!
If you find yourself with some time with wet weather, go and visit the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum of Technology. There were lots of interactive displays for the kids and it was clearly popular as there were lots of school trips there when we were there. It wasn't the cheapest, however it did do the job for the afternoon whilst we were waiting for our time to go to the airport.
I feel when it comes to European destinations as a family Italy is usually pretty fool proof! People are generally fairly happy to help you when you're with children, it's easy to feed the kids, (the cost is reasonable - a lot cheaper than we expected in Milan!) and you can see that children are actively thought of in every aspect of engineering the surroundings!
Tag us in your posts if you end up taking this trip :)
@thebridgestravel
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