Outstanding experience thanks to kimkim!
Italy
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May 16 - May 24, 2026
Outstanding experience across the board. Venice was pleasantly surprising thanks to staying in the Canareggio region of Venice - super close to walk to all the major highlights, with plenty of great food around, but not filled with tourists, or in the region where the university is in, "Dosorduro". Water taxis are FAR superior to gondola rides. My only regret was only doing the St Marks Basilica Tour (SUPER BEAUTIFUL), rather than the combo tour that includes Doge's Palace after.
Como was truly magical. I highly suggest allocating funds for fun towards the private boat day! Staying in Como city was much better than friends told me, I thought Menaggio & Bellagio were a tad overrated and too small to spend more than a day, whereas Como had plenty of shops to explore, waterfront to relax by, the funicular railway to go above Lake Como to a panoramic viewing area, and lots of lovely restaurants to indulge in aperitivo!
Milan was not awesome for 3 days. I'd say 1-2 nights TOPS. The Duomo di Milano is ridiculously gorgeous and the Galleria Vittorio is the most beautiful shopping center ever, but you can do those in a couple of hours (including the Skywalk above the Galleria Vittorio for a better, uncrowded, side-view of the Duomo). If you're a soccer fan, you can spend time going to San Siro to see where Milan plays, but other than the two landmarks that are next to each other that I mentioned, or going to the Navigli district to eat at one of the dozens of great happy hour spots along the canal, leave Milan and go to the more beautiful parts of Italy. Fun fact - aperitivo (happy hour where you buy a drink and get free snacks with the drink) was invented in Milan!!!!
Hotel Reviews
Fantastic location. The staff was very friendly the moment I walked through the door, and gave my fiancée and me a house-drink voucher for each of us to enjoy as a welcome before we went out to explore, along with a fruit basket in our room! The breakfast buffet was great, and they have outdoor seating in the cutest little courtyard to enjoy on a nice-weather morning!
Best hotel throughout my entire trip. Every room apparently has a city or lake view. The kindest staff - my fiancée & I showed when there was a HUGE crowd of angry spanish-speaking folks and rude americans, but the staff were polite and calm with every single person before us, and after as we waited for the elevator. Beautiful room, STUNNNNNNIINNNNNGGGGGG LAKE COMO VIEW. Breakfast was the best buffet I've ever had at a hotel in Italy - they literally have self-serve mimosas. The buffet staff had the oldest lady in the room pop the bottle to celebrate the start of the day, everyone's mood was so fun!
Not great, kind of reflected the city. Family owned, but they were abrassive upon entry, clearly not happy to see Americans because they treated the other American couple the same, but were very happy to speak with the German couple before us. No elevator, and the first floor of rooms is up one flight of stairs, only a luggage elevator. We had to move rooms because the A/C didn't work, and Milan was going through a heat wave. I am a very big guy, and extensively well trained in self-defense - this location at night made me very uncomfortable while having my fiancée with me, and it was a boring street far away from any city highlights or tour meeting points during the day. We had to taxi everywhere. The reason this gets a 2-star and not a 0/1-star is because they have a cute dog that you can play with, a lovely little garden at the dining area for breakfast (one of the worst breakfast-included experiences), and it's only a few blocks from the metro and main Milan train station, which was convenient when we left the city.
Activity Reviews
Outstanding tour. Our guide was wonderful, Martina. Small group experience, perfect to keep us altogether and to answer everyone's questions thoroughly, didn't feel rushed at all. Super kind and knowledgeable. She ensured we took plenty of pictures and took pictures of us on the Terrace!
Gianfranco was our guide, and he was fantastic. My fiancée & I were the only 2 who booked the tour for that day, yet he made it a really great experience anyway. Gianfranco likes to become friends with the people he tours with, rather than just talking at you. Burano is so fun & beautiful! Murano is a little overrated and just filled with glass shops, but the tour of the glass making is TOTALLY cool and worth it.
5,000,000,000,000,000,000/5 experience. Can't say enough about this, but Francesco is the man. Super insightful, from Como, has a home you can rent on Lake Como, you get bottles of prosecco. He knows how to engage with you and have fun, but also give you space to feel like VIP's in the back of the boat. Stopped in Bellagio and it was fun, but being on the boat was way better. Stopped in the middle of a cove to jump off the boat and swim with ducks & swans!