Absolutely brilliant personal tour with Giacomo today. Easy to arrange and cover payment, great…read morecommunication before the tour and then we met up on time at the right spot. There was no communication boundary at all, Giacomo was friendly and personable. Giacomo and I spent three packed hours together touring the best spots in Milan including the Sforza Castle, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Duomo and more. Along the way, interesting sights were pointed out that I would otherwise have completely missed. We did not stop for lunch or snacks, but the best restaurants and little grocery spots were pointed out including the gelato at Ciacco and the cheese at Peck. I had an absolutely fantastic time and rate this as five stars. [Review 10687 overall, 455 of 2019.]

My husband and I had only 2 days in Milan en-route to Cyprus and boy did we make the most of our…read moretrip! Thanks to Giacomo and his wonderful tour of the city, we felt so much more satisfied with the little time we had in Italy and enjoyed it so much more. When he first told me the WALKING tour was 3 hours, I thought, wow, is that nearly enough time to see the city on foot and thankfully it was. Just enough to see the castle, the famous Brera district, the City Center, and lastly the Duomo cathedral. Giacomo kept us highly entertained with his skillful knowledge of the city, it's rich history, it's current status and even tips on where and what to eat to get the FULL cultural experience of Milan. We were jet lagged and probably not the best guests, but he was a great communicator.... kind, friendly, great English, good listener. He even asked us which metrics we prefer for him to use! If you want to have a very PERSONAL tour experience and leave a city knowing so much more than a book or article can offer, I'd highly recommend Giacomo's Milan Tours company. We kept walking by the larger tour groups with their headphones and flags and thought, wow, why pay the same amount for such a lesser experience?!?!? I will be using Giacomo and/or his colleages again. Perhaps when we come back home through Milan to go to Lake Como.

**Bernina Express & St Moritz from Milan**…read more LONG day out but so worth it! Meeting time is 7am. Anna was our tourguide. Big group was divided into 2 buses: English and Italian-speaking... Bus left Milan at 7:20am, WiFi in the bus not reliable. The drive is 2.5 hours from Milan to St Moritz (bring passport). We were given 2.5 hours to walk around and take pictures of the frozen lake and watch the cross-country skiers. After a quick grocery store lunch, we boarded the red Bernina train for the most gorgeous train ride to Tirano. We felt like Anna and Elsa in winter wonderland. Every turn of the train provided gorgeous postcard-like scenery. Both bus and train rides were comfortable, there were multiple bathroom breaks and a ton of great memories. So glad we did this organized tour. Arrived back in Milan at 8pm.

This tour company has numerous travel plans you can choose from, which last from half day to a…read morewhole day. Their pickup and drop off locations are easy to navigate. The tour guide was very friendly, although didn't really share much about the history, rather more on celebrity and paparazzi stories, and mostly self guided tours without too many instructions.

We took a bus tour in Milan two days ago. I changed seats twice to find one where the audio track…read moreworked. I finally got a clear one. Probably 70% of the tour was devoted to scratchy music. When we did get audio guidance, it was out of sync with the tour, so we had difficulty figuring out where we were and what we were seeing. Unfortunately, there was no person handling the tour who could explain what we were seeing as we approached, and answer questions. As I expressed to my partner, I'd have gotten more joy had I simply lit a 50 euro note on fire and watched it burn.

What a complete waste of money. Today I took a ride with them on one bus that had their logo across…read morethe window making it impossible to see the city. Their audio track was not set correctly to the point it would say things like "on the left at #41" and I would look and we were at #49 and going up. So you're telling me about something we already passed. I missed it. Thanks. Switched to another bus to see a different part of the city and get a better seat to discover 1) same problem with the audio we were 2-4 min past things when the audio told us about them. 2) the bus went off the route and the guide wasn't sure why so we missed some sights. Then 3) the air conditioning didn't work. It was 34C (93F) and we were in traffic so it was a sweat box. When I complained I was told "well this bus has a problem with its system" stop talking. Do not put us on a bus in this heat that you know doesn't have working AC. Still I was told "it's not our fault it's the bus" I'm sorry whose bus is it? Oh yes yours. Am I blaming you the tour guide? No. Am I saying your company should know better and do better? Yes. Do not use this company. Absolutely a waste of money. I got out and paid for a taxi to somewhere else in the city to see sights.

Our guide Georgia was fantastic, so upbeat & knowledgeable about the deep history of Milan. Our…read moregroup of 5 age 24 - 70 had a great time. Georgia taught us first timers how to ride a Segway like a boss. Even with the crowded streets we succeeded in not crashing into anything or anyone. We took the 3 hour tour because the 2 hour was sold out. Turns out the time flew by. Thanks to Georgia I had enough info on the neighborhoods to find a great place for lunch afterwards. Imagine how tiring 3 hours of walking would have been, & we covered so much more ground on the Segways. I don't care that we looked like dorks.

I'm not sure where I found Fat Tire Tours. but it's here now on Yelp. I had a superior time on…read moretheir beer and food tasting tour. I initially booked it for Brera but they didn't have enough for that one so we switched to the Naviglio district. Several stops including the community market where we stopped at a butcher and a cheesemonger, an arancini shop, panzerotto, a bistro for apertivo and a beer bar. Along the way, a great amount of cultural information and interesting sights pointed out by the tour guide. English wasn't his first language but he was completely understandable and clearly, very passionate about Milano. They do other tours in other cities, I'll definitely be considering them for my future European travel. [Review 10681 overall, 449 of 2019.]

Stazione Bergamo is a small station located in the lower town. The taxis and buses are directly…read moreoutside. The Bergamo tourist information office is also out front. (There is a VisitBergamo app and you can send a text that allows you WiFi access while visiting Bergamo.) Don't forget when you depart the train station to validate your ticket in the yellow box located in the terminal. I think the train tickets on Trenitalia are a very reasonable way to travel within Italy. I know some trains get delayed, but they make announcements at the stations. My experience, fortunately, has been on-time and very efficient service.

If you're taking the train from Milano Centrale to Venezia, which is over 2 hours, here's one…read morepiece of advice: arrive early! Milano Centrale is a beautiful station, but it's also incredibly busy. There are people everywhere, trains constantly arriving and departing, and the departure boards can be overwhelming if it's your first time navigating an Italian train station. I was trying to catch a train that was leaving soon, and reading the departure board while figuring out which platform I needed was a little stressful. I asked a few people for help, but they either couldn't or didn't want to assist me. Thankfully, I eventually found a very kind station employee who pointed me in the right direction, and I literally made my train by the skin of my teeth! If you're visiting from the United States, don't assume it's as simple as walking in a few minutes before departure. Give yourself at least 30 minutes and honestly 45 minutes if it's your first time. That extra time will let you: Find your train on the departure board. Confirm your platform (track). Navigate the station without rushing. Avoid the stress of missing your train. Arrive even earlier to shop! Once I got on board, everything was smooth, but those first few minutes in the station definitely had my heart racing! **My tip:** Take a deep breath, arrive early, and don't wait until the last minute. It'll make your train experience much more enjoyable.

I can't really review a lot about this station; we trained in from Milan on our way to Verona then…read morecame back this way through on our way back to Malpensa on our way home. We did notice that there are a good number of restaurants, shops and cafes for travelers, and we did end up stopping for a focaccia sandwich each before our next train pulled in. On our first stop in, the city experienced a hail storm, which was loud against the metal roof of the station. It came out of nowhere, and went as quickly as it came. It was loud and a little startling, but pretty dang cool. It's easy to navigate and find your necessary platforms, and it's clean and feels safe. The staff was friendly and seemed attentive to the people walking around.

We used Moving Class Limousine twice during our two week stay in Italy. We arranged a pickup from…read morethe Milan Airport (MXP), with a drop-off at the Sheraton Lake Como Hotel. The total cost was 130 Euros. We also used them to pick us up at the Sheraton, and then drop us off at Milano Central Train Station, to catch a train to Venice. This trip was also 130 Euros. They took our credit card without issue, for both trips. Dispatch was done through email, and was prompt and professional. In both instances they arrived on-time, and provided a private large, clean SUV. The drivers spoke sufficient English, and were professional and polite. Bottles of water were provided for both of us. Our trips took less than an hour, and there were no issues or drama. We'd be happy to use them again on our next trip, or recommend them for anyone needing this type of service.

"Sophisticated" is the very least I can say about the team at Sophisticated Italy…read more(http://www.sophisticateditaly.com), whereas professional, organized, and incredibly helpful speak more to their skills in putting together a custom itinerary for our grand tour of Rome, Florence, Venice, and points in-between. David and his staff were involved from the onset of our planning, were interested and available along every step of the way, be it with airports, railways, water taxis, with limousines and knowledgeable drivers. We had wanted a "full-up" first-class trip of the northern Italian cities, and decided to spend a week in each. David arranged the perfect tours, guides, and day trips for our historical, cultural and entertainment interests, as well as great recommendations for dining. Each of the personal guides David provided were knowledgeable, educated and conversant, each went far beyond the basics to focus on our personal interests and experiences. They were professional, and yet diverse in their perspectives and interests, so that our experiences with art, architecture, history, and the subtleties of each region were fully presented. Our focus will soon turn to the southern cities of this marvelous country, and I would not think of travelling without the insight and experience offered by Sophisticated Italy. I heartily recommend that you contact David, to have him help make your travel dreams come true. Mark Registered Architect & Professional Planner