Our first stop in our travels was in Venice and oh my it was truly magic. A beautiful picture perfect destination that leaves you quite literally speechless at your first impression.  Venice may be one of my most favourite European city break destinations so far in my travels 
We went out of season at the end of March this year & it couldn’t of been more perfect! Busy but not mobbed and warm enough to kick about without a jacket on heated by the spring sun.  

We spent part of our first full day going to Murano, Burano & Torcello . It cost us around £25pp for the 3 island trip.
If you time is limited I’d definitely recommend opting to go to Burano! (The island of colour) 

After this, we got back to San Marco at around 3pm & headed to tick off the typical tourist attractions. Here’s a list of places you must see! Each all so breathtaking in their own magical way

☑️st marks square / campanile
☑️rialto bridge
☑️doges palace
☑️saint marks basilica
☑️bridge of sighs
☑️librairie acqua Alta

Once all of those attractions were ticked off we ended the evening with a gondola ride! Prices can vary but don’t be fooled you’ll be able to haggle a ride! We were told it would be €80 (up to 5 people in the Gondola) but we got them down to €60 as it was the last ride of the night. It was the best way to watch the sunset in the city 

🌟Top tip: ALWAYS stamp train tickets at the machine before getting on the train to avoid fines of €90

After 2 full fun packed days in Venice we headed for the city of fashion! MILAN 
This lively city did not disappoint from the moment we stepped off the metro escalators we fell in love with the Duomo! The architecture was something else, truly breathtaking…..
I’d personally say Milan can be done in a day EASILY. Despite there being lots to see, you soon whittle it down to the most important things to see!

We took the train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Milano porta garibaldi, the journey took around 2.5hrs, we went first class which cost £22pp!
One thing I must say is that the transport system especially the trains are faultless they are so punctual & affordable…it puts scot rail to shame! just be organised and book trains in advance they fill very fast!

The station we arrived at was a bit further out so we hired bikes using @bikemi_milano  bikes cost €4.50 for 2hrs (first 30 mins free!) It’s honestly the best way to see the city if you’re rushed for time! 
Some attractions that we managed to visit:
☑️ The Duomo
☑️ Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 
☑️ Arco Della pace 
☑️ Sempione Park
☑️ Sforza castle

Luckily the arch of peace, sempione park & sforza castle were all right next to eachother so that was a quick tick off the list!
The duomo was worth while seeing it was around €9 entry the stained glass windows were insane we could have stared at them all day Just amazing….

After all that sightseeing & cycling we stopped at a restaurant called @sorbillo the pizza didn’t disappoint nor did the bottle of sparkling rose -  this meal was super reasonable coming in at around €32 between us!

Milan is known for the “free bracelet scam” so please be aware!

Anyway, all in all, Milano was stunning definitely would go back but personally wouldn’t stay any longer than a night! 

🌟top tip : when visiting places of worship i.e the duomo….dress appropriately (dresses/shorts at or below the knees / shoulders covered etc) or else you will more than likely be refused entry! 

3 days into our Italian tour we moved onto lake como.

Train: Milano centrale - como San giovanni
Duration: 30 mins (booked via @trainline)
Cost: €4.70pp

Our @airbnb apartment was a 5 minute walk from the train station. We stayed at “como & Garda lakes place” which cost £255 3 nights (price based on two people).

As it was an apartment we cooked our own breakfast/lunches, luckily there was a @lidlitalia down the road. Doing a food shop helped keep the costs down! Lidls cannolis were just amazing. 

Due to us cramming so much in we never got to see as much of como as we would have liked, but at least it gives us an excuse to go back! 

The hydrofoil takes 45min - 1hr to travel from como to bellagio and/or Varenna. There is a slow boat which takes 2/3 hours.
Take it from us, don’t do what we done and just wing it because we ended up leaving it too late in the day & it wouldn’t of been worth our while to go as it was the slow boat there & back

Cafe Maya was located right at the lake, perfect for taking in the view….pizza & a cocktail was €10pp which is super reasonable! 

In the evenings we ate out at a family run restaurant & it was just the most perfect little place ever, it was so quirky & the couple made us feel so welcome their bruschetta was to DIE FOR even better when it’s complementary!

Food recommendations:
@ all i oli
@ trattoriapizzeria

Como was stunning, I’d definitely go back but for longer next time 

🌟Top tip : book tickets to Bellagio in advance & make sure you book the hydrofoil as it’s the quickest boat. 

On our second full day of our lake como stay we decided to tick another country off our list as it was super close to the Italian border….SWITZERLAND

I was lost for words when we arrived in Switzerland it was so clean, felt so fresh & just overall had such a good vibe to it! I knew right away I was going to love it there 😅

Journey: Como San giovanni - Lugano
duration: 35 minutes
cost: £13.30pp return (via @trainline app)

As soon as we arrived we headed for the lake & sat down at the pier with our packed lunch.  yes I made sam & I bring a packed lunch because we were unsure of how pricey Switzerland would be & didn’t want to get stung! it was super peaceful, and the perfect spot for a picnic  what I’d do to be back there taking in the mountain views….

After lunch, we went for a drink at a local bar, a pint of menabrea was £7.60 which I didn’t think was too shocking especially as we had good seats, I think Sam must of been fed up with me pointing out all the fancy cars 
McLaren’s, rs6’s, Ferrari’s, Bugatti’s, Porsche i was in my element!

The funicular up to mount bre was on the list next, a pricy excursion coming in at €26pp but can say it was worth every penny.
The views were spectacular which left us literally speechless. It was a view that you’d never get bored of, a view that was hard to leave. 

Lugano was just so beautiful, a country I definitely want to see more of, especially Grindelwald, but all in good time 🇨🇭 a quick train trip & we were back at como in time for an evening meal at the family run resteraunt 

🌟Top tip: if planning to nip to Switzerland for the day convert some £ to Swiss franc before u go away, if spending euros there you’re given change in Swiss franc which obviously can’t be used when back in Italy!