MILAN
RHINE ENCHANTMENT TIPS FOR MILAN
We are currently at the beginning of a Rhine Enchantment River Cruise.
We arrived one day early, getting to the hotel at 1pm and were able to check into our room. Apparently, others had been there from early morning but had not been able to get an early check in.
The hotel is a twenty minute to one half hour walk to the Duomo and La Scala Opera house and the Galleria shopping area. There is a frequent (approx every twenty minutes) hotel shuttle limousine that will carry 5 to 7 people, they vary in size. It has two stop off/pick up points, one of which is directly outside La Scala.
We walked into town and looked around, ate an early dinner, then headed back to the hotel. Early bed.
The next morning, we headed to the Duomo, we had pre purchased tickets on line for the Fast track, guided tour. This means you head up to the roof by elevator, not 300 plus steps. Instructions were not clear where to meet, but it was inside the ticket office on one of the sides of The Duomo, clearly marked. Tip, there are long lines to buy all types of tickets, but our Tauck local guide told us if you need to buy tickets on the day, head for the museum just up from the ticket office because you can also buy them there and not many people know this. Plan an early tour, apart from anything else, it was a hot day and up on the roof it’s even hotter and you still have to climb some stairs to the top level. A wonderful tour.
We also went to the La Scala museum— you cannot go into the opera house, but there is a viewing area form an empty box where you can look into the house. We were lucky enough to see a rehearsal going on for the current production, a Japanese ballet. We enjoyed to museum.
We walked through the Galleria. People watching heaven. Be very aware of your wallets and handbags.
Welcome dinner, first evening. For the first time ever, I persuaded Mr B to take a jacket. There were only about three men wearing jackets! Boy was I in trouble. Some wore dress shirts, others wore polo shirts. A lovely formal dinner.
The first day proper of the tour, we had a guided walk of the main areas with an option to carry on with the local guide to the Brera area, very picturesque with some authentic areas to eat lunch. I had beef ravioli absolutely smothered in shaved black truffles, yummy. We walked up to the Brera museum and were given free tickets to go in, worth $12, a nice Tauck touch. Wonderful museum. More exploring, more heat. Another Tauck touch, they will give you all a Euro to use the bathroom by the Duomo.
