6 Nights Milan, Lake Como & Venice Holiday (2+2+2)

What does this northern Italy holiday include, and what does it cost?

Six nights split two, two and two across Milan, Lake Como and Venice in 4★ hotels with return flights from London and train travel between the destinations. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. January is the cheapest month and July the dearest. Museum entry, boat trips on the lake, city tourist taxes and transfers are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay.

Does Lake Como work outside the summer?

Partly, and this is the question that should decide your dates.

Milan and Venice are year-round cities. Their galleries, churches and restaurants do not close, and both are better in the cold months without the crowds and the heat.

Lake Como is more seasonal. The lake and the mountains are there all year and the towns are beautiful in any weather, but ferry timetables thin out in winter, some lakeside hotels and restaurants close, and the gardens the villas are famous for are shut or bare. Como in January is atmospheric rather than idyllic.

May is the month this itinerary is built for. The villa gardens at Como are open and at their best, the ferries run properly, and Milan and Venice are warm without being unbearable.

October is the value pick — cheaper than May, autumn colour on the lake, ferries still running and both cities at their most pleasant. Want the lake at its peak? Take May. Want the best of all three for less? Take October.

Three places in six nights — is that too much?

It is a real pace, and the trains are what make it work rather than exhausting.

Two nights each is short. But Milan to Como is well under an hour by train, and the Milan to Venice high-speed service is around two and a half hours, city centre to city centre. There are no airports, no check-in queues and no long transfers inside the itinerary.

The three are genuinely unalike, which is the argument for doing them together. Milan is a modern commercial city that happens to hold the Last Supper and one of the great Gothic cathedrals. Como is mountains and water. Venice is unlike anywhere else on earth.

What you will not get is depth. Two nights in Venice means one full day. Want to know a place rather than see it? A single-centre trip will serve you better.

What you will actually do

In Milan: the Duomo and its roof terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Leonardo’s Last Supper — which must be booked well in advance, is not included, and sells out months ahead. Milan is also the fashion and design capital, which shows in the shopping and the aperitivo culture.

At Lake Como: the ferry between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio is the classic day, and the villas — Balbianello, Carlotta, Melzi — are the set pieces. The mountains rise straight out of the water, which is what makes it look the way it does.

In Venice: St Mark’s Square and the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto and the Grand Canal. The real pleasure is getting lost in the back lanes away from the main route, which costs nothing.

The food shifts as you go. Milanese cooking is risotto, saffron and veal; the lakes bring freshwater fish; Venetian food is seafood and cicchetti, the small plates eaten standing at a bar.

The Venetian islands — Murano for glass, Burano for painted houses and lace — are a half-day by vaporetto and get you away from the crush around St Mark’s. Burano in particular photographs better than almost anywhere in the lagoon.

Aperitivo is a Milanese institution rather than a drink. Early evening, a spritz or a negroni, and food put out with it. It is the cheapest good meal in an expensive city and it is how the place actually socialises.

Bellagio is not the only town worth your time. Varenna on the eastern shore is quieter, prettier in parts and has the better rail connection back to Milan, which matters on a two-night leg.

What changes your price?

• The month. January at its cheapest against July at its dearest.
• Departure airport. Priced from London, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry.
• Hotel location, particularly in Venice, where staying on the islands rather than on the mainland changes the cost considerably.
• Extra nights, with Venice the leg that most rewards a third.
• Train class on the Milan–Venice sector.

Who this holiday suits

• Travellers who want variety — a city, a lake and a lagoon in one trip.
• First-time visitors to northern Italy.
• Anyone who enjoys train travel, since the connections here are short and scenic.
• Couples wanting scenery as well as culture.
• May and October travellers, when all three destinations work at once.

Who might prefer something else

• Lake Como at its best is a summer proposition. Travel in winter and the lake leg will disappoint. Ask about May or October instead.
• Want Rome and the classical sites? Our Rome and Florence twin-city break starts at £339 per person.
• If budget is the deciding factor, our Naples and Amalfi Coast holiday starts at £249 per person.
• For all of Italy, the 12-night Ultimate Italy Tour adds Rome and Florence from £799.
• If moving hotels twice in six nights sounds tiring, it is, and a single base with day trips may suit you better.
• Comparing options? You can see all our multi-centre holidays side by side.
• Worth comparing against our 4 Nights Rome & Florence Twin City Break, which covers similar ground.

Ways to upgrade

All quoted at enquiry against your dates.

• A hotel on the Venetian islands rather than the mainland
• A lakefront room at Como, or a higher category in any city
• A third night in Venice, which is the leg that most needs one
• Last Supper tickets, booked well ahead — they sell out months in advance
• First class on the Milan–Venice high-speed train
• A private boat on Lake Como, or a gondola in Venice

What is not included?

• Museum and gallery entry, including the Last Supper, the Doge’s Palace and the Como villas.
• Ferries and boat trips on Lake Como, and vaporetto fares in Venice.
• City tourist taxes, charged per person per night at each hotel — three times on this itinerary.
• Airport transfers.
• Meals beyond the board arrangement, which we confirm in writing before you pay.

How do you get there and get around?

Flights are from London, around two hours, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Italy is one hour ahead of the UK.

Train travel between the three destinations is included in the package. Milan to Como is well under an hour; Milan to Venice on the high-speed service is around two and a half hours, city centre to city centre.

Within Venice, the vaporetto water buses are the public transport and are not included. Gondolas are a set-price experience rather than transport. Milan has a straightforward metro, and at Como the ferry is the way to move between the lakeside towns.

Entry requirements for UK travellers

Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.

Italy is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave.

The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.

Practicalities worth knowing

You pay the tourist tax three times on this itinerary, once in each place, at rates each sets separately. Venice’s is among the higher ones in Italy.

Venice has an access charge on certain days for visitors not staying overnight in the city. Staying on the islands avoids it; a mainland hotel may not. Confirm your Venice hotel’s location with us if this matters.

Book the Last Supper the moment your dates are fixed. It sells out months ahead, it is not included, and there is no way around it if you leave it late.

Validate regional train tickets before boarding where required — the machines are on the platform, fines are issued on the spot, and being a visitor is not accepted as a reason.

Venice floods. Acqua alta is most common between autumn and early spring, raised walkways go up in the affected squares, and it passes with the tide rather than ruining a trip.

Milan’s airports are not all close to Milan. The city is served by more than one, and some are a substantial coach ride from the centre. Check which one your flights use before assuming the transfer is a short one.

Pack for two climates. The lake sits under mountains and is several degrees cooler than Milan, with more rain. A layer that is surplus in the city is the one you want at Como.

Booking and protection

Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.

Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. May is when Lake Como is at its best. October is the value pick, with the lake still running and both cities at their most pleasant.