5 Amazing Day Trips from Milan
Milan makes an excellent base, and not only for its own sake. Within an hour or two of Milano Centrale, you can be standing on a lakeside promenade, wandering a medieval hilltop town, sipping wine in Piemonte, or watching the sun set over a Roman arena in Verona. Milan's real advantage is what surrounds it.
Here are the five day trips we send our own clients on most often, along with what to expect from each and how to actually pull the day off without wasting half of it on trains and ticket lines.
1. Lake Como
Lake Como is the obvious choice, and it earns its reputation. The lake has a Swiss feel to its towns, with steep green hills falling straight into deep blue water and villas that have drawn visitors for centuries. Como town itself is lively and walkable, with good food and a busy city center, while Bellagio and Varenna offer a quieter, more romantic version of the lake.
What to Do
Take a private boat tour around the lake with a local captain rather than the crowded public ferry.
Ride the funicular from Como up to Brunate for a panoramic view over the water.
Visit Villa Monastero in Varenna for its gardens and lakefront terraces.
Walk the Path of the Gods or the Sentiero del Viandante for a quieter hiking route with lake views.
IWB Tip: Book a car service for the day. Taxis are notoriously hard to flag down around the lake, and a private driver lets you move between towns without worrying about ferry schedules.
If you are staying overnight rather than day tripping, Bellagio and Varenna both reward a slower pace, and Amy's Cucina in the Como area is a restaurant our clients consistently love.
Lake Como, Italy
2. Lake Maggiore and Stresa
Lake Maggiore does not get the same attention as Lake Como, and honestly, that is exactly why we send more of our clients there now. Stresa has the same postcard scenery, the same elegant villas, and noticeably fewer crowds. The food tends to be more local, and the pace feels closer to what people imagine when they picture the Italian lakes before Como became a household name.
What to Do
Take the boat out to the Borromean Islands, including Isola Bella and its baroque palace and gardens.
Ride the cable car up Mottarone for sweeping views across the lake toward the Alps.
Stroll the lakefront promenade in Stresa and stop for lunch at a family run trattoria.
IWB Tip: If a client has already done Lake Como on a previous trip and wants the lakes experience again, Stresa is almost always our recommendation. Same beauty, calmer footing.
3. Bergamo
Bergamo splits neatly into two halves, and both are worth your time. The lower town, Bergamo Bassa, is a functioning Italian city with wide boulevards and everyday life. The upper town, Bergamo Alta, sits behind Venetian walls on a hilltop and feels like it has barely changed in centuries, with narrow stone streets, a central piazza, and views that stretch out over the Lombard plain.
What to Do
Ride the funicular up to Bergamo Alta rather than taking a taxi. It is part of the experience.
Walk the Venetian walls, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for views over the surrounding countryside.
Sit in Piazza Vecchia with a coffee and simply watch the town move around you.
Visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Colleoni Chapel for two of the city's finest interiors.
IWB Tip: Bergamo is one of the easiest and least crowded day trips from Milan. It rewards travelers who want the feeling of an authentic hilltop town without the tour bus traffic.
4. Turin (Torino) and the Gateway to Piemonte
Turin does not usually make a first time visitor's list, and that is a mistake. This was Italy's first capital, and it still carries the elegance of that history in its arcaded streets, baroque palaces, and grand cafes where hot chocolate was practically invented. Turin is also the doorway into Piemonte, a region known for wine, truffles, and some of the most refined cooking in the country.
What to Do
Walk beneath the porticoes of Via Roma and stop into one of the city's historic cafes for a proper Bicerin, Turin's own chocolate and coffee drink.
Visit the Egyptian Museum, home to one of the most important collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Cairo.
See the Mole Antonelliana, Turin's landmark tower, and ride the panoramic elevator to the top.
If time allows, extend the day slightly into the Langhe hills for a wine tasting among the vineyards that produce Barolo and Barbaresco.
IWB Tip: Turin is one of the most underrated regions in Italy, and it is the first thing our co-founder Anthony points people toward when they ask what to see beyond the obvious. Fewer crowds, extraordinary food, real history.
5. Verona
Verona is an easy, direct train ride from Milan and one of the most romantic small cities in northern Italy. It is best known as the setting Shakespeare chose for Romeo and Juliet, but its real draw is the Roman Arena, a nearly two thousand year old amphitheater that still hosts opera performances beneath the open sky.
What to Do
Walk through the Roman Arena, still remarkably intact and in active use today.
Wander Piazza delle Erbe, a lively market square that has been the center of city life since Roman times.
Cross the Ponte Pietra for a view back over the Adige River toward the old town.
If your trip includes an evening, check the opera schedule. A summer performance in the Arena is unforgettable.
IWB Tip: Pair Verona with a stop in Lake Garda if you have a car and a little extra time. The two sit close enough together to combine into one longer day.
Our Honest Take on Day Tripping from Milan
Day trips are wonderful, but they are also easy to overdo. We see travelers try to stack two or three of these in a single day, and it rarely works the way they imagine. Trains and lakes do not move at the pace of a checklist.
Our advice is simple: pick one, maybe two, and give it real time. Arrive early, before the tour groups. Leave room for something unplanned, a coffee that turns into an hour, a shop you did not expect to walk into. The trips people remember from Milan are rarely the ones they rushed through.
Ready to Plan Your Italy Trip?
Every day trip on this list, and dozens more across Lombardy, Piemonte, and the Veneto, can be woven into a custom itinerary built around how you actually want to travel. At Italy With Bella, we have walked every one of these towns ourselves, vetted every guide and driver we recommend, and built our itineraries around slow travel rather than a rushed list of stops.
Start with a free consultation and let us build the trip around you. No generic packages. No group tours. Just Italy, done the right way.
