How to spend the perfect week in Italy
Updated: 2 hours ago
A few days of galleries, good shopping and late dinners, followed by time beside the water with nowhere in particular to be: Milan and Lake Como make a very good pair.
For a week in northern Italy, we'd spend three days in the city and four at the lake.
Three days gives you time to cover Milan's main sights, explore its neighbourhoods and enjoy evenings that start with aperitivo and have a habit of carrying on. Once you've seen what you came for, take the train to Lake Como, where the next four days are for boat trips between villages, lunches beside the water and afternoons with very little planned.
The best part? They're close enough together that you don't lose half a day getting from one to the other. Direct trains from Milano Centrale reach Como San Giovanni in around 40 minutes. With so little travelling between them, you can enjoy both destinations properly in one week.
It's a combination we'd happily come back to.
Days 1–3: Milan
Milan sometimes gets treated as somewhere you fly into on the way to the lakes, but its galleries, architecture and neighbourhood restaurants deserve a few days of their own.
Three days gives you enough time for the places you've come to see, while leaving room for the part Milan does particularly well: wandering into a neighbourhood you hadn't planned to visit, ordering another drink and pushing dinner back by an hour.
Day One: Start with Milan at its grandest
For your first morning, go straight to the Duomo.
Yes, everyone else will be doing exactly the same thing, but some places are popular for a reason.
Give yourself time to go inside, but make sure you book access to the rooftop terraces too. Walking between the cathedral's marble spires gives you a completely different view of both the building and Milan itself.
From here, walk directly into Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan's enormous glass-roofed shopping arcade. Even if a morning in Prada isn't part of the budget, the building alone warrants the walk through.
Come out beside Teatro alla Scala, then continue towards Brera, where we'd spend the afternoon exploring the smaller streets and stopping for lunch. Brera feels softer than the streets around the Duomo: smaller roads, warm-coloured buildings, independent shops, galleries and tables creeping out onto pavements. It's also home to the Pinacoteca di Brera, one of Milan's major art collections.
Leave the afternoon fairly open so you can browse the shops, stop for coffee and take your time over lunch. If you want to visit the gallery, build the rest of your afternoon around it; otherwise, Brera is a lovely neighbourhood to explore on foot.
For an evening drink, N'Ombra de Vin is a Brera wine bar housed close to the Basilica di San Marco and makes a good first introduction to the Milanese habit of letting drinks gradually turn into dinner.
Lounge note: book the Duomo rooftop in advance and go relatively early. Then allow the rest of the day to become progressively less organised.
Day Two: Leonardo, old Milan and the Navigli
There is one Milan booking we would organise before almost anything else: Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. It is housed at Santa Maria delle Grazie, and visitor numbers and viewing times are tightly controlled. It frequently sells out months ahead, so this is not one to leave until you arrive.
From there, head towards Castello Sforzesco and walk through Parco Sempione. This is also a good day to eat something properly Milanese. Risotto alla Milanese, ossobuco and cotoletta are the classics. For somewhere traditional, Trattoria Milanese has been serving Lombard cooking in the historic centre for years. If you want a more contemporary take, Ristorante Ratanà is another strong option. Save the evening for Navigli.
Milan's canal district is at its best towards the end of the day, when the bars fill up and people settle in along the water for aperitivo. Spend some time walking along the canals before choosing a bar for a drink, then stay in the neighbourhood for dinner. For cocktails rather than the busiest canal-front bars, Rita Cocktails is a good name to have saved.
Day Three: Milan beyond the postcard
By your third day, you've covered Milan's main sights, leaving time to explore the part of the city that interests you most.
If you came for fashion, spend some time around Quadrilatero della Moda and Via Montenapoleone.If design is more your thing, Milan has an entire culture built around it, from interiors and furniture to the ADI Design Museum and Triennale Milano. Or head north towards Porta Nuova and Isola, where Milan suddenly looks completely different. The historic stone streets give way to contemporary architecture, Piazza Gae Aulenti and the greenery-covered towers of Bosco Verticale.
It's a useful reminder that Milan isn't simply Italy's elegant old city of marble and opera. It is also one of its most modern.
Have a final long lunch, collect your bags and head for the station.
Because part two is only about 40 minutes away.
Days 4–7: Lake Como
After three days exploring Milan, arriving at Lake Como gives the second half of the week a noticeably slower rhythm, with time to linger over lunch and enjoy the scenery between outings.
From the waterfront, you can watch boats crossing the lake beneath the mountains while you decide which village to visit tomorrow. With four days here, there is time for the villas and gardens you've come to see, as well as an afternoon spent swimming or sitting on a terrace as lunch stretches towards the evening.
Where should you stay?
For this itinerary, we like Como itself as a base. Bellagio and Varenna might be the names you see most often on Instagram, but staying in Como gives you far more choice in the evenings, straightforward train connections back to Milan and easy access to boats travelling further up the lake. It also means you can visit the smaller towns without having to drag your suitcase through them.
If your priority is waking up directly in the middle of the lake, however, Varenna is our alternative. It is smaller and quieter, with direct trains from Milan and excellent ferry connections to Bellagio and Menaggio.
Lake Como's iconic hotels are worth building the stay around if the budget allows. Villa d'Este in Cernobbio is truly spectacular, with grand interiors, gardens and a setting right on the water, while Grand Hotel Tremezzo is another beautiful option further up the western shore. Both make the hotel itself a part of the holiday, so allow time to enjoy it and plan your boat trips from your chosen base.
Day Four: Arrive, unpack and slow down
Spend your first afternoon getting to know Como, wandering through the historic centre and stopping at the cathedral before following the waterfront towards Villa Olmo. Leave time to enjoy a gelato and admire the truly spectacular scenery, without needing to fit in another outing before dinner.
For your first evening, take the funicular up to Brunate and book a table with a view over Como. Trattoria dei Bracconieri is a lovely option just a short walk from the upper station, where the panorama reaches across the town towards the Italian and Swiss Alps. Arrive while it is still light, settle in for dinner as the sun goes down, and check the last funicular back before you go. If you'd prefer to stay beside the lake, have an aperitivo near the waterfront and take your time over dinner, saving Brunate for another evening. Kitchen is an option for a special dinner just outside the centre.
Day Five: Bellagio and Varenna
Bellagio and Varenna are the places many people picture when they think of Lake Como, and visiting them by boat makes the journey part of the day too. Take an early boat north to Bellagio so you have time to explore before the busiest part of the day, following the steep little streets through the centre and out towards Punta Spartivento for views across the lake.
If the gardens of Villa Melzi are open during your stay, allow time for a walk beside the water before lunch and the ferry across to Varenna. Smaller and more intimate, Varenna has a lakeside walkway into the village and plenty of places to stop for a drink by the water. Spend the afternoon wandering uphill through the little streets, or visit Villa Monastero for another garden stop before catching the boat home.
Lounge note: don't try to squeeze Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio into the same day simply because you can. Lake Como is much better when you stop counting villages.
Day Six: Villas, boats and the western shore
For your third day at the lake, head towards Tremezzina and Lenno for one of Como's most famous villas.
Villa del Balbianello occupies a spectacular position on a wooded peninsula near Lenno and is one of the places we would actively build the day around rather than simply adding it in if there's time. Alternatively, visit Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, known for its gardens and art collection. You could technically do both, but this is Lake Como, not a school trip so choose one, have lunch somewhere by the water and spend the rest of the afternoon outside. Even better, book a private boat for a couple of hours and enjoy the tour.
There are few destinations where seeing it from the water changes your perspective quite as much as Como. Villas that look impressive from the road suddenly make sense when you see them built into the shoreline, backed by mountains and tiny villages. If the budget allows for one indulgence during the week, we'd spend it here.
Day Seven: One last slow morning
Keep your final morning for the things you've enjoyed most, returning to a favourite café for breakfast before one last walk along the lake. By now you'll have a feel for Como, and a little time to revisit somewhere you liked is a lovely way to finish the week.
For one final outing, take the boat or bus to Cernobbio, just north of Como, for lunch and a wander along the waterfront. If you haven't yet made it up to Brunate, a morning ride on the funicular is another option, provided you have plenty of time before your onward journey.
If you're flying home that day, plan backwards from your airport arrival time and leave a comfortable margin for the journey. Como has useful rail connections, but the transfer time depends on your airport, so keep the morning flexible.
The Practical Parts:
Getting there:
For travellers coming from the UK, Milan has three main airports: Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo.
Linate is closest to central Milan, while Malpensa has the widest range of international connections. From either, make your way into Milan and start the trip there rather than heading directly to Como.
After three nights, take the direct train from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni. The journey is around 40 minutes.
Getting around Milan:
Walk whenever it makes sense.
Most of the central sights can be grouped together easily, and Milan also has an extensive metro and tram system when your feet have had enough.
Don't hire a car for the city, you won't need it.
Getting around Lake Como:
Boats are part transport, part sightseeing.
Navigazione Laghi operates the public services around the lake, including routes linking Como with the central lake and ferries between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia.
We would check your most important ferry journey the evening before, then leave everything else fairly loose.
For a private trip, we'd look at ‘Como Cruises’ for personalised boat tours and curated experiences on the lake. Discuss the route, duration and stops when booking, whether you want a tour of the villas or a few hours arranged around the places you're most keen to see.
When should you go?
For this particular trip, we would choose May, June or September.
You get long enough days to enjoy the lake without relying on the very height of summer, and Milan is far more pleasant to explore on foot when it isn't at its hottest.
Spring is particularly good if the villa gardens are high on your list.
Do you need a car?
No. In fact, for this exact itinerary, we'd rather not have one. Milan is easy by foot and public transport, the train to Como is simple, and much of Lake Como is better explored by boat.
Seven days without driving also means seven days in which both of you can order the wine.
If we were booking it...
3 nights: Milan
Stay around Brera, Porta Garibaldi or somewhere with easy access to the centre.
4 nights: Como
Stay within walking distance of the old town, lakefront and ferry terminal.
Book before you go:
The Last Supper
Duomo rooftop
Your Lake Como hotel
One villa visit
A private boat, if you want one
Any restaurant you particularly don't want to miss
Leave unplanned:
At least one Milan lunch
A Brera afternoon
One Como evening
Most of your final day
By the end of the week, you've had time for Milan's galleries, restaurants and neighbourhoods, followed by four days of boat trips, villa gardens and long lunches at the lake.
Three days in Milan and four on Lake Como, with enough variety to make the week feel full and enough time to enjoy it all.
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