bejjie

I will be traveling in Italy in April, and hoped to stay in both Lake Como and Milan towards the end of the trip (coming from Cinque Terre). Every hotel I look at in Milan, even for a 2 star, is almost $250 a night! Does anyone have any suggestions for a reasonable hotel in Milan (less than $175-200 a night)? Also, what about a central location so we can visit Milan, Lake Como, and get to Malpensa for a 2pm flight? We are traveling the week of April 20th. Thanks for your help!

TAW

Did you check tripadvisor? Under B&B/Inns there are some for less than $200. Hope this helps.

Jean

Hotels in Milan have always been more expensive.

I have no personal experience at the Hotel Berna but have been told it's a good business-type hotel. Low on charm but clean and not too expensive.

http://www.hotelberna.com/welcome.cfm?lang=eng

Were you planning to spend two nights in Milan? To catch a 2:00 p.m. flight out of Malpensa, presumably you'll need to check in at noon which means you'll need to leave downtown Milan by 11:00 a.m. Or were you ending at Lake Como before flying home?

casanic

I can vouch for the Hotel Berna--stayed there in June 2008 for 1 night before flying home after a week in Lake Como. It was a very nice hotel, except our room faced the street and it was kind of noisy. Ask for a room in the back. Otherwise, it was very clean, nice bathroom, nice service, free internet, and great breakfast! I forget what we paid, but it was under 200 euros..maybe around 150?

DalaiLlama

Milan is not so much a tourist city as it is a tradeshow/business/finance/industry city, hotels fill up according to the tradeshows, and are priced along the lines of business not tourism. That's why the touristic "off-season" can be more expensive than elsewhere.

But there are always bargains if you search early.

Are you driving? Then simply pick an outlying suburb - use Google and input "map Milan" and go from there.

If you're using trains, take a train to an outlying suburb and save. Monza for example is on the line from Milan to the lake Como, only a 13-minute ride from Milano Centrale station, so look for a hotel there if you find nothing right in the center of Milan.

A quick look at www.venere.com for Monza hotels shows three, with rooms from 116 to 169 Euros per night in April.

From Monza to Varenna-Esino (on the Lake Como) it's a 50-minute ride only.

Even on the day of your departure staying in Monza will be feasible - 13 minutes into Milano Centrale, then take the 1-hour bus to the airport.

bobthenavigator

Stay at Lago Orta instead---you will thank me--it is magical. See www.orta.net We like the Hotel Orta.

DalaiLlama

The Orta lake that Bob suggests could certainly be an alternative to the Como lake but not, as you asked, one of the "options for a base location to visit both Milan and Lake Como" .

If you want to look up how to get there by train, on www.ferroviedellostato.it you have to input the station name as Orta-Miasino. You will find that they are slow regional trains, and you make a change of trains in Novara. The total trip takes just under two hours, so you probably would not want to use that as a base while commuting to and exploring Milan. But you could stay the last night of your trip in Orta and still get to the airport in time for your 2PM flight.

You might then choose to go to Malpensa airport not via Milano Centrale but via the outlying station Gallarate from where there is an airport bus that bypasses central Milan. Any travel agency in Orta will advise you on how to get to Gallarate.

laartista

My parents just stayed at this place last month for I think 90E p/night, it was really nice and like a block from Milano Centrale

www.andreolahotel.it

GaryCA

I don't usually like to pre-pay for hotels, but I found an $80 rate for the Hotel Canova in the station area on Hotels.com. It was too good to pass up so I booked it months ahead of time. The normal rate was about $130.

lrtayloe

I just booked a spring special rate for May at the Milan Hilton for 119 E that includes breakfast-it's a room with a king bed as well!

cmstraf

If you stay in Varenna at the moderately priced Albergo Milano right on the lake, it can be a good base for Milan as well--it is only 45 minutes by train to the Stazione Centrale.

Big_Red

There is no reson that you can't stay on/at Lake Como. We stayed in Varenna and made an 11:00am flight easily.
On another trip, we drove from Menaggio to make a 10:00am departure. Budget 150 euro for a car/cab to Malpensa, if you want to go that route.

My point is that making a 2:00pm flight can be done without sleeping in Milan, if you plan just a little bit then you will be fine.

Weekender

I am doing this very short trip over Labor Day weekend. Arrive Geneva from IAD early Friday morning and will immediately take train to Milan. (Enjoy the trains in Europe.) Arrive Milan mid-afernoon and plan on staying at the Spadari.

I have reservations at the Hotel Florence in Bellagio for Saturday night ( a return visit) so will take the train to Varenna-Esino. I need to fly out of MXP on Monday morning at 9:25. Plan A was to return to Milan sometime Sunday afternoon and spend another night there. However, I am now thinking about spending most of Sunday at Lake Como and just spend the night at a hotel at MXP rather than going back to Milan.

Looking for suggestions....

I realize this is a screwy trip but it is what it is. Tickets are purchased.




.

conroya

We are traveling to Italy in May (arrive in Nice), and will end up in Como for two nights. We leave from MXP at 12:10pm, and we are trying to find out if it is possible to stay an extra night in Como and make it to the airport, or is it best to go to Milan or somewhere near MXP airport for the last night? Big_Red made an 11:00am flight? Should we just skip Milan?

Jean

Are you staying IN the town of Como or ON Lake Como?

Is your question whether to spend a third night at the lake v. two nights at the lake and one night in Milan?

When is your trip and what day of the week is your departing flight?

Big_Red

For the earlier flights, the situation to avoid is staying in Bellagio. The reason is that you have wait for the boats to start running to take you to Varenna. (There are buses out of Bellagio, but if the bus is delayed on the road south, then you are basically screwed.)

From Varenna, you take the train to Milano Centrale and then take the Malpensa Shuttle bus.

If you stay in Como, then you train to one of Milan's suburban stations (Cordona or Saronna I think) and connect to a train to Malpensa.

Conroya,
You will want to get up early, but I think the extra time at the lake would be worth it. (Also, most Milan hotels are relatively expensive.)

Jean

Conroya, I agree with Big_Red that staying in Bellagio makes it a little more difficult (but not impossible). I wouldn't take the bus from Bellagio. Too much potential for delay. There are moderately priced hotels in Milan if you decide to stay there the last night. I'd still like to know what time of year and what day of the week your departing flight is.

If you're starting from the town of Como, the train ride to Malpensa is easy. You connect at Saronno (not Cadorna which is in Milan) and end up inside the airport. The fastest journey takes about an hour. If you want to check the timetables, search the Milan Branch for Como Lago to Malpensa Aeroporto at:

http://www.lenord.it/en/

jeff001

Check out www.venere.com.

conroya

We were going to rent a car to drive to the coast and Cinque Terre two nights (not sure where yet) and then drive to Como (Varenna) for two nights. We could take the car to Varenna, or drop it in Milan and take the train(?). Our flight leaves on a Saturday, May 23 at 12:10pm.

Big_Red

Europcar has a office in Como. We did a pick-up in Venice, drop in Como (brokered thru autoeurope). I think that there are one or two rental car companies in Lecco as well. Just giving you another option (milan's trafffic is said to be difficult).