Detailed Northern Italy Itinerary For 7-14 Days

7 days in Northern Italy is enough to see the main cities like Milan, Verona and Venice. If you also wish to visit the Dolomites, Lake Garda and Lake Como, you’ll need at least 10 days in Northern Italy but 2 weeks is better, in my opinion.

However long you have, I have a North Italy itinerary to help you out.

NORTHERN ITALY ESSENTIALS

Accommodation: Booking.com

Getting there: flight / car / bus / train

Getting around: car / bus / train

Activities: GetYourGuide

Food experiences: EatWith

When to visit Northern Italy?

Summer in Italy is a popular time to visit but expect it to be crowded and expensive. In my opinion, the best time is shoulder season: March-May or September-October.

If you can brave the colder weather, winter is of course less crowded with better deals to be found on accommodation. It’s also a good time for skiing in the Dolomites.

North Italy itinerary for 14 days

• Days 1-2 – Milan
• Day 3-4 – Lake Como
• Days 5-6 – Dolomites
• Day 7 – Trento en route to Verona
• Day 8 – Verona
• Days 9-10 – Lake Garda
• Days 11-14 – Venice.

Public transport adaptations

The above itineraries include exploring the Dolomites by car then driving to Verona with a stop in Trento. If you’re travelling by public transport, take the train from Bolzano to Verona directly or add an extra night in Trento (carrying all my luggage always stops me from seeing somewhere en route to somewhere else).

On your first day in Milan, I’d recommend exploring Milan’s core. Duomo Square is where you can see Milan’s most famous buildings, join walking tours and reach other key attractions on foot.

• Take a free walking tour with City Walkers. I learned so much from our informative guide. The tour lasts 2 hours 45 minutes, departing daily from Duomo Square. Give a tip if you enjoy it.
• Venture inside the famous Duomo Cathedral that took 600 years to complete. Boasting more statues than any other building in the world (around 3,500), a local law prohibiting any Milan building to be taller was only recently lifted. There are several ticket options: I took the skip-the-line stair climb including access to the interior, museum and archaeological area.
• Wander through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – this 19th-century arcade is an architectural masterpiece housing designer Italian brands. The prices are sky-high but it’s a must-see.
• Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa – this 13th-century church is not for the faint of heart! Human skulls and bones line the walls of the ossuary chapel.
• Sforzesco Castle – walk through Milan’s 15th-century medieval castle for free or pay to visit the Art Gallery, Archaeological Museum (prehistoric and Egyptian) and other libraries and exhibitions. Closed Mondays.
• Sempione Park – by the castle lies a 47-hectare park with a lake and wide array of bird life. At the back, you’ll find Arco della Pace. Construction began to mark Napoleon’s victories and it was finally completed to celebrate Italian reunification following Austro-Hungarian rule.

Day 2 in Milan

With a second day in Milan, you can get past the highlights. Explore other neighbourhoods or try a fun class or activity.

Where to stay in Lake Como:

• Budget – Hotel Borgo Antico is just a 10-minute walk from the centre of Como town with a rustic vibe, air conditioning and homemade breakfast. Check availability from €150 per night.
• Splash out – Le Luci sul Lago di Como is an entire apartment with exquisite lake views from a private balcony, fully equipped kitchen with coffee machine & more. Check availability from €200 per night.
• Browse all places to stay in Lake Como on Booking.com.

Days 4-5 – explore the Dolomites

Assuming you’re travelling by car in the Dolomites, consider visiting Trento en route to Verona. This mid-sized city of 100,000 takes a little over an hour to reach. After being immersed in nature for several days, Trento provides the perfect dose of culture and history.

What to do in Trento during one day:

• Tour Buonconsiglio Castle built in Romanesque-Lombard style (€10 entry)
• See Trento Cathedral built upon the original 4th-century basilica 
• Enjoy the cuisine that takes influence from central Europe (the region was part of Austria for 100 years)
• Take the cable car for panoramic views of the city and mountains
• Visit museums such as MUSE (Science Museum), the Museum of Modern Art and the Diocesan museum
• Attend the Trentino Film Festival in April if your Northern Italy trip itinerary coincides with the dates.

Verona is a beautiful stop for any Northern Italy travel itinerary. Gone is the hustle and bustle of fast-paced Milan. Verona is small and charming although it gets very busy during peak season.

The largest lake in Italy doubles up as one of the most beautiful places to visit. Like Como, there are numerous towns flanking the Lake, each seemingly more picturesque than the last, but none more lovely than Sirmione.

Although you could easily spend a whole week in Lake Como, if you have just 7 or 10 days for your North Italy itinerary, you’ll probably want to visit Lake Garda as a day trip from Verona. To do this, either take the train or a guided day trip inc Sirmione with GetYourGuide (€70).

Accommodation on Venice island can be expensive so, if you’re travelling on a budget, stay on the mainland and catch the bus or train over the bridge (€1.50). Since vehicles aren’t allowed on the island, public transport leaves you at Tronchetto requiring a 40-minute walk (or a boat ride) to St Mark’s Square. Luckily, getting lost down atmospheric side streets is half the charm of Venice.

Getting to Venice: From Verona, take the train from €10 or the Flixbus from €5.

Read next: 2 day Venice itinerary for first-timers

Delicious affordable eats in Venice:

• Tiramisu at I Tre Mercanti – at this iconic deli shop you can see fresh tiramisu being made. Try flavours from original to pistachio, Nutella and salted caramel. Well worth the €4.50
• L’ Bacaro de’ Bischeri – what dreams are made of! With 4.9 stars on Google, this tiny deli in Rialto serves phenomenal sandwiches for affordable prices. I forget which one I ordered but it had spicy pistachio cream, ham and sundried tomato. They also serve €1 wine!
• Farini – there are a bunch of these pizza cafes serving delicious, fresh pizzas by the slice, best washed down with an Aperol Spritz
• Gelato at Gelatoteca Suso – this place is the bomb! You’ll have to queue but it’s worth it
• We Love Italy (fresh pasta to go) – perhaps pasta connoisseurs would turn up their nose at this takeaway cafe but in my opinion, it’s a great place to grab try different types of pasta and sauces including famous duck ragu from €6
• Bacarando Corte dell’Orso – nearby the above two places is this casual restaurant with excellent cicchetti. I had three pieces and wine for €11
• Frito Inn – fresh squid for €10? Yes, please! This takeaway stand serves fresh food in cones
• Dolce Vita Venezia – if you’re on a budget, you can’t do better than 3 cicchetti and Aperol for €5!

• Murano island – known for producing colourful Venetian glass, this is a wonderful island to browse gift shops (which aren’t outrageously expensive), watch glass-making demonstrations and visit Murano Glass Museum. Entry is €11 but it’s well worth it; the arty glass creations are out-of-this-world!
• Burano island – the rainbow-painted houses of Italy’s most colourful island must be seen to be believed. There are a few things to do like visit the Lace Museum but the highlight is wandering and snapping naturally-saturated Insta pics
• Lido – using our daily transport pass, we spontaneously tagged on a visit to this 11km-long island where we strolled the town and visited the beach. We hadn’t expected there to be time after visiting Murano & Burano but thanks to long summer days in Europe, we visited around 6pm.

How to visit the islands: the islands are connected to Venice island by boat. Either get a daily transport pass (€21) from a ticket vending machine or ticket point at a bus/boat station or book a small group Murano & Burano tour inc guide (€30 with GetYourGuide).

Depending how much time your North Italy itinerary allows for, 2 days in Venice may be enough. However, I enjoyed having a third day to visit the hidden gems and soak up more of beautiful Venice (and eat more cicchetti naturally!)

• Libreria Acqua Alta – if you can’t afford a gondola ride, visit this quirky bookshop with a door leading directly to a harnessed gondola parked on the water. The name translates to ‘high water bookshop’ and, appropriately, the books are stored in bathtubs and waterproof bins in preparation for the regular foods that plague Venice
• Giardini Reali – despite being right beside St Mark’s Square, these hidden gardens are a lovely place to escape the crowds and rest on a bench surrounded by beautiful foliage
• The Jewish Quarter – the Venetian word ‘geto’ evolved to the word we know today as ghetto, originally referring to Cannaregio where the Jewish people of Venice were exiled in the 1500s. It’s now a vibrant area filled with galleries, synagogues and restaurants.