Our First Class Train Travel in Italy: Milano and Venezia

During our two-week European train trip, we travelled to two Italian cities:

• Milano (Milan) and
• Venezia (Venice)

We had a short stopover in Milano on our way to Venezia from Lyon, France. We loved our first class passage on ITALO and Trenitalia Rail companies. Both trains were comfortable, clean, and we enjoyed our window views! Here’s a view of the Alps.

Read more about our European train travel in this post: Amazing European Train Trip

Milano (Milan), Italy

Arriving at Milano Centrale is an impressive sight! This train station has the largest facade I have ever seen. The columns, the marble floors and the height of the ceilings showcase a high degree of craftsmanship.  Despite our lack of Italian, we easily found our correct train platform.

We arrived at 3 pm and checked into our hotel. Our hotel was a 6-minute walk from Milano Centrale. We booked a room at the Hotel Berna with our Expedia status. It was dated, but the staff were friendly, and I loved the mid-century vibe. We only stayed one night in Milano because of our train schedule. We could have easily spent another day there.

Since our hotel was centrally located, we walked to the famous Duomo Cathedral.  We also walked through the well-known shopping area and admired the Galleria Mall. It was built in the 19th century.  I feel like it set the standard for all shopping malls. Read more about the oldest mall in Italy.

It was a Monday evening, yet many people were out for a stroll. The Milanese wore beautiful winter coats made of wool, while tourists, like us, wore practical waterproof jackets!

On our way back to our hotel, we stopped into a Planetarium to watch the one-hour presentation. It was an original show where the host needed to operate the lights manually.

We enjoyed some good food and got to see the historical centre of the city despite our brief visit. The next day, we boarded our train to Venezia.

Venezia (Venice)

The train took 3 hours to Venezia, and we were very comfortable in our first-class seats on an ITALO train. We spent three days in Venezia and stayed in the heart of the city, which allowed us to walk everywhere!

I did not realize that crossing over the many bridges that connect the 100 islands of Venice meant stair climbing!

Venetian November Celebrations

We visited in November and were fortunate to have sunny skies. We also happened upon a couple of Venetian traditions during our visit.

Graduation Ceremonies

University graduation ceremonies were held in St. Mark’s Square during two of our days there. The graduates, friends and family were seen all around the city accompanied by friends and family. Later in the day, several were still enjoying their day with celebratory meals and drinks! Graduates were easily identified by their smiles and the floral wreaths they wore.

St. Martin’s Day

We also stumbled upon the Venetian tradition of St. Martin’s Day on November 11th. Small children, aged 5 or 6, wear capes and collect treats from shop owners after reciting a poem. Bakery shops display St. Martin’s cakes in their windows. St. Martin’s Day is based on a 15th-century story where Martin shared his cloak with a cold peasant. (learn more here about St. Martin’s Day) Venetians don’t celebrate Hallowe’en, yet this felt similar because families visited door to door. The children were very excited!

Our Accommodation in Venezia

We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia, which was an 8-minute walk from the train station and situated on a canal. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Our room was quiet, which we appreciated. On the last morning, I took a photo of the fruits growing outside our hotel room and realized they were persimmons!

Activities in and Around Venezia

Walking Tour

We started our first day with a city walking tour of the northern neighbourhoods, Cannaregio and Castello. I learned that Venezia had been an independent nation for most of its history. Its location between the east and west made it a perfect city for trade. The beautiful buildings reflected their historic wealth. We booked the tour ahead of time with our favourite app GuruWalk. Our guide was excellent, and we explored the entire northside of Venezia. It also provided an excellent orientation for the rest of our time in the city.

We walked everywhere and took a local ferry down the main canal a couple of times. Luckily, our Google Maps app was reliable. It requires some strategy to navigate across the city so that you cross bridges at the right time! We spent a lot of our time enjoying the city, and I really appreciated the lack of cars!!

Vivaldi Concert

We enjoyed an evening performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the Vivaldi Church (Pieta Church). We selected this one ahead of time with Viator, as we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out. I’m sure we could have booked it on the same day, as there were many concerts to choose from. It was general admission seating, so we selected great seats by arriving early. Having a nighttime performance meant that we enjoyed a dinner just as the sun set over the city.

Day Trip to Burano and Murano Islands

With a three-day stay, we had time to see some other Venetian islands. We booked a full-day tour with GetYourGuide. We observed a glass-blowing session in Murano, where the age-old process requires many years to become a master. Apprenticeship is the only way to learn. I purchased a small pendant of Murano glass at a local shop.

We then travelled to the very colourful town of Burano. Apparently, when you buy a house in Burano, you must agree to maintain the house colour! The city centre was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and we admired the locally made lace. We thoroughly enjoyed our pizza lunch and my first Limoncello spritz!

We enjoyed seeing the islands, but our boat was quite crowded. If we visit again, we will take our own transportation to the islands. I had hoped for a more guided tour, but that was not what we experienced. This was the first time we had tried a booking with the GetYourGuide app. Although we usually book with Viator, I am willing to try Get Your Guide again. It was as easy to use as the Viator app.

We Enjoyed the Food in Venezia

We enjoyed the many food choices in Venezia. We enjoyed our simple breakfast meals at the nearby Majer Bakery. Our favourite dinner was at Trattoria La Divina Comida. The server was amazing and super friendly. He offered samples of food, drinks and desserts throughout the meal. We actually ate there twice! All of our Venetian meals were freshly made. Of course, the coffee and gelato were tasty too! I learned two food etiquette rules to follow when in Italy:

• Cappuccino is only consumed in the morning
• Parmesan cheese is never added to fish!

Was Three Days in Venezia Enough?

Short answer: yes!

We had the chance to enjoy many sites, and we enjoyed the option to return to a favourite restaurant. I loved the sense of community there. I did not expect so many locals living amidst the famous attractions. The university students also gave the city a younger vibe than I expected. I honestly thought it would be just cruise ship tours! November was a great time to go, as it was less busy! We enjoyed our breakfast alongside the high school students in the local cafe. We also had a lovely chat with a farmers’ market vendor. I loved seeing families walking home with their children at the end of the day. Venezia was a lively city that felt welcoming, despite my concerns about it being too touristy. This was my favourite photo of daily life in Venezia!

We had a wonderful visit to Milano and Venezia. Our trains ran on time, our hotels were comfortable and centrally located. We were able to walk around to all of the neighbourhoods that we wanted to see with ease. The moderate temperature and lack of rain made our November trip enjoyable! It is still important to make reservations for popular tourist attractions to avoid disappointment. We thoroughly enjoyed walking around and admiring the architecture and daily life. It’s fun to see how canal life impacts daily life.

Visit our Hotel Recommendations from this trip if you are thinking of booking with Expedia.