Northern Italy is pretty close to being a perfect destination for a family holiday. With countless places to visit, Italy has something for everyone. Backed up with warm Italian “kids welcoming” locals, delicious food (Hello Pizza!) and not to mention yummy treats (That’s you Gelato!). The only trouble you will have is deciding how long you will stay for.
Milan
Visitors to Northern Italy will be likely to arrive at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. The first thing that pops into your mind about Milan is probably fashion and branded shopping – but it has a lot more to offer!
Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral)
This imposing gothic cathedral is the heart of Milan. Feels like everything in Milan leads back to this amazing structure built more than 600 years ago. Duomo di Milano is the 4th largest church in the world and walking its rooftops is a must do.
We recommend getting the: FAST TRACK PASS with rooftops by lift. This gives you an allocated entry time (so no long waits for the kids), a lift ride to the top (instead of walking up hundreds of steps). After you have finished at the top you can go back down to explore the cathedral, archaeological area and the museum.
Allow time for people watching in Piazza del Duomo. From locals, tourists, fashion shoots and movie filming – the action never stops!
Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II
It is Italy’s oldest active shopping gallery. Positioned right next to the Duomo, it comprises of a four-level shopping arcade. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to luxury brands such as Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, as well as a selection of pricey restaurants. Visitors mainly come here to window shop and take photo in the famous central mosaic glass dome which represents the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe and America.
After about 5 minutes it becomes quite annoying as many visitors try to record Tiktok dance videos and vlogs by strutting back and forth countless times. Touristy but nonetheless pretty to visit.
Alternatively, it is also possible to organize a rooftop tour of this shopping arcade.
Dine with amazing views of the Duomo
Enjoy dinner or aperitivo at Obica Mozarella Bar at level 7 of the Rinascente Milano department store. Or for a much cheaper option go to… McDonald’s Milano Duomo, a guaranteed “happy meal”.
Visit Leonardo da Vinci’s last supper
We always wanted to see this famous mural. Da Vinci’s Last Supper can still be found in its original place, on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Over the years this dining room have functioned as stables and narrowly missed bombings during the war.
To visit, buy your timed tickets online a few months in advance (It’s always sold out!). You will then be able to join the 30 minutes guided tour with a local guide. Not the most exciting 30 minutes for the little ones, but you can bribe them with a promise to visit a nearby toy shop afterwards.
Shopping time!
Milan is the fashion capital after all. For the kids we recommend going to the Lego store at Corso Monforte near Corso Venezia, Giochi Preziosi at Piazza Duomo or FAO Schwarz at Via Orefici. Right next to FAO Schwarz there is the best looking Starbucks in the world! It’s like a mini theme park for coffee lovers.
Other famous shopping streets In Milan include Via Monte Napoleone (luxury goods), Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II (high street fashion) and Via Torino (more affordable brands). All these streets are located around the Duomo.
Lake Como
Lake Como is the most popular day trip destination from Milan. 90 minutes North of Milan, the lake is surrounded by green hills, pretty villages and beautiful mansions. Lake Como is best viewed from the water. Try to hire a small boat if possible, otherwise ride the public ferry.
Bellagio & Varenna
By far the most visited village in Lake Como is Bellagio. Spend a day here exploring the lakeside promenade, narrow alleys and lovely restaurants that line the streets.
Varenna is our preferred village in lake Como. It is a great spot to visit if you’re looking to get away from the crowds in Bellagio. While in Varenna you must visit Villa Monastero.
Villa Balbianello
Lake Como is famous for its luxurious villas, and if there’s one villa you shouldn’t miss in Lake Como, it is Villa Balbianello. This villa is open between mid-March and mid-November (but closed on Mondays and Wednesdays).
This beautiful villa is famous for hosting weddings of the rich and famous as well as being used for movie shooting location. Best way to reach Villa Balbianello is by catching the 10 minutes water taxi from Lenno village. Otherwise, if you get here by car, you have to walk uphill for 20 minutes to reach the Villa entrance.
Other villas you can consider visiting include: Villa Melzi (Bellagio), Villa Carlotta (Menaggio) and Villa Olmo (Como). Traditionally popular as a summer destination, lake Como is fast becoming a popular winter destination too!
Eat at one of lake Como’s finest restaurants
We chose L’ARIA at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Cheap? No! Exquisite? Yes!
We don’t usually splurge on fine dining, but this place can be the exception. The hotel is stunning (15 minutes drive from downtown Como) and the lakeside view is divine! Reservations is essential – or else you won’t even make it pass the front gate.
If you’re driving from Milan, Como is likely to be your first port-of-call. Arrive early or buy ferry tickets in advance at the lakeside ticket office (at Lungo Lario Trento). Timetable will change according to season (also there are less ferries scheduled on weekends). Hoards of tourists, small ticket office; combined with inaccurate website and unhelpful staff means the ferry booking system can get messy. You can catch the fast service if time is limited (but note that all seats are inside). If your kids wish to take photos and prefer to sit outside, take the normal service.
Turin
Just under two hours away from Milan, Turin is another daytrip worthy destination.
Things you can visit in Turin include:
- Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace): the armoury is amazing!
- Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum): surprisingly impressive!
- Piazza San Carlo & via Roma shopping street: don’t miss the pretty arcades
- Watch Juventus in action at the Allianz Stadium: if you’re a fan
- Mole Antonelliana & Cinema Museum
- Drink Lavazza coffee at the museum: originally from Turin!
Modena
We took a two-day detour to Modena so that our son can realise his (months long) dream of visiting the Ferrari and Lamborghini museum. We previously have visited the Enzo Ferrari museum. So this time we are visiting their other museum in Maranello.
Ferrari Museum Maranello
It is about 30 minutes outside of Modena. In this museum there are a lot more Ferraris on display (compared to the Enzo Ferrari museum). It mainly goes through the evolution Ferrari, their latest technologies, as well as a dedicated section for Ferrari F1 fans. It’s entertaining for all visitors whereas Enzo Ferrari Museum focuses more on the founder’s history.
We went on the factory tour but were pretty disappointed. It basically took us on a bus ride through the main street of their factory complex. We then got to see Ferrari’s testing track from the side. We didn’t get to look inside any of the factory buildings. Safe your money, skip this and safe it for a real drive! (next point)
Drive an Italian Super Car!
Put yourself behind the wheels of amazing Italian super cars. There are a number of places next to the Ferrari museum offering visitors the chance to drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini! Packages range from 10 minutes to a full day track racing day. One of their instructors will sit in the passenger seat but otherwise the car is all yours to drive! Bookings can be made in advance via Whatsapp.
Our son’s first love is Lamborghini so we chose to go with Pushstart srl. With the shorter hire times you will drive around the streets around the Ferrari museum (you still can go more than 150km/h!), while longer hire times will enable you to get on the freeway (where you can pretty much go crazy!).
The driving instructor we had was very kind. He came ready with (three) cushions to sit on so that our son can see out the window during his Lambo ride. He also helped us take plenty of pictures to bring home.
Note: don’t skip paying a little extra for the insurance.
Lamborghini Museum
This museum is located between Modena and Bologna. Cars on display are regularly rotated every few months.
Our son knows so much about Lamborghini’s history that he wanted to visit this museum and make a video about each car. On the day though when he saw his dream cars, he got nervous and began sweating when we filmed! He did very well and managed to make the video he always wanted.
You can also get a museum guided tour (where you get to sit inside the cars) or a 40 minutes tour of the factory line.
For other places we have visited, checkout our website’s travel Destinations section. We buy our travel essentials online via Ebay
