extra day in Milan
A friend and I are going on the Rhine Enchantment from Amsterdam to Milan in May. Tauck had no GOT rooms in Amsterdam though we booked in the time period to qualify for one, so they offered us an extra day in Milan. If you have been on this tour, what would do with the extra time? Thanks for your help.
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What sort of things do you like?
llike2travel - If you enjoy getting off the beaten path, the Monumental Cemetery in Milan is like strolling through an outdoor sculpture museum. I recommended it to another forum member and she reported back that she was glad she went.
There are many food markets throughout Milan, my favorite being the one within the central train station. Enjoy.
We did that tour in July. Tauck canceled the after hours viewing of the Last Supper and actually didn’t take us to see it at all. They took us to see La Scala but it was under construction and what you were able to see was limited and it wasn’t a private viewing. So, if you are able to see the Last Supper, you may want to tour La Scala. Also, Tauck takes you to the Duomo but not inside the Duomo. I highly recommend getting tickets to see the inside.
Take a rooftop tour of the Duomo. You must book tickets for the Duomo in advance.
We added days in Milan when we did that Tauck tour. On our extra day we ate lunch at the roof top restaurant in a big department store right next to the Duomo. (Sorry I dont recall the name but it had at least 7 floors of goods) We could see right into the rooftop of the Duomo from there. I really enjoyed wandering the neighborhoods near the hotel.. There were lots of non tourist restaurants, farmers markets, etc. I dont think Tauck does the after hours Last Supper Tour any longer so you may want to try to arrange that on your own. I had just read the book titled Beneath The Scarlet Sky (Sullivan) and wandered around areas that were mentioned in the book. It is based on real events in Milan during WW2.
I second both the rooftop tour of the Duomo and the Monumental Cemetery. Also, window shop. You'll be floored by the styles and the prices. Milan is the fashion capital of Italy.
Rooftop tour of the duomo definitely. Also, when we were there last year, we walked a couple of blocks behind our hotel to a park and outside mall surrounded by very modern architecture. It was interesting just to walk around that area admiring the buildings—and grabbing a mid-afternoon gelato.
In addition to the excellent suggestions above, if you are interested in such things, Leonardo DaVinci’s Codex Atlanticus is housed in The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. We saw it as part of our N.Italy tour with Tauck. Fascinating to see his drawings and writing up close. If you want to see The Last Supper you’ll need very hard to get tickets in advance. We wound up booking an expensive tour as we could not get tickets despite best efforts. Thanks to a fellow poster we had an excellent dinner at Paper Moon Giardino. Also enjoyed a food tour through the Navigli district an area of canals (who would have thought?). We booked this through Eating Europe.
You will be in the ‘fashion capital’ of the world. I’m not a ‘shopper’, but watching the shoppers was quite an experience.
With my extra time in Milan I booked a tour of La Scala and also the Pinacoteca, then someone suggested the St. Maurizio al Monastere
Maggiore also called by the locals the Sistine Chapel of Lombardy, It is amazing. The tour of La Scala I booked through Viator the others I went on my own, actually walked from the Pinacoteca to St. Maurizio.