You might have already been to Italy – it is, after-all, always in the top five most visited destinations for American tourists. It seems that most of those Italian visits are to Rome, Tuscany, or Amalfi. Those places are magical, but today I’m going to talk about Northern Italy.
If you look at what immediately borders Italy in the North, you can begin to see how it is different. We sometimes forget that borders are imaginary lines that we’ve drawn on maps, and very rarely are those borders a “hard-line”. So you can see the influence of France’s Provence region in Northern Italy. The natural beauty of Switzerland’s mountains and lakes doesn’t end at the Italian border. The incredible Dalmatian Coast in the northeast where Italy shares a border with Slovenia and (almost) Croatia, also offers a window into what to expect in Northern Italy.
Here’s a look at some places in Northern Italy, and some ideas on how to experience them.
VENICE gets the most attention, and is certainly well worth a visit if you’ve not been. It is also your most likely cruise ship port. You have heard that Venice has outlawed cruise ships with more than 500 guests, so here are the ports in Northern Italy that serve as a proxy:
- Porto Marghera – this is the closest port, and it is on the mainland side, close to the Venice airport. It’s about 20 minutes into town.
- Fusina – near Porto Marghera. It’s about 30 minutes by car or water taxi into Venice.
- Chioggia – this charming little town is sometimes called “Little Venice” and is on the opposite side of the Venetian Lagoon. By car or bus it’s about an hour from Venice. You can also take local (boat) transit, and transfer at Lido to get into Venice.
- Trieste – this is about 120 kilometers or 90 minutes from Venice. You will want to look at a cruise line transfer to get here to/from Venice.
- Ravenna – is actually the port for Bologna. If your ship is docked here, it’s about 150 kilometers or between 1.5 and 2 hours into Venice.
MILAN is well known as one of the fashion capitals of the world, and it is a very manageable city to just walk around (or to shop). It is also a jumping off point to Lake Como and Bellagio. It is very easy to do pre or post cruise days in Milan, and the airport is the 2nd largest in Italy with lots of flight options.
LAKE COMO is a lake-town nestled in the Alps near the border with Switzerland. If you’ve seen photos of the mountains falling right into pristine fresh water, that could very well be Lake Como. This destination is a popular pre or post cruise destination for both ocean cruises out of Venice, AND river cruises beginning in Basel, Switzerland.
Turin, Genoa, Verona, Trieste, and Bologna are also cities in the region that people want to explore. If you’re adding such exploration to a cruise, you’ll want to understand the logistics of getting from these places to or from your docking location.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES
If you really want to immerse yourself in Venice and its surrounding areas, this is the best way to do so:
Venice & Northern Italy for 7-nights
- Visit Venice (several spots), Mazzorbo, Burano, Chioggia.
- 2025: Departs every Sunday from April – October from $3509. This is far more cost-effective than staying in a hotel in Venice for a week.
There are a number of add-ons you can make to this Uniworld cruise:
- ADD: 2-nights in Milan to see Davinci’s Last Supper (after hours access), and a City Tour of Milan. Stop in Verona and Valpolicella Wine Cellar en route to Venice.
- ADD: Lugano (Switzerland) & Lake Como
- ADD: Train to Istanbul. If you want to add to your country-count, then transfer from the ship to board the train in Venice and stop in Trieste, Ljubljana (Capital of Slovenia), Belgrade (Capital of Serbia), Montenegro (beaches every bit as spectacular as Greece, but undiscovered), Bulgaria, and 2 nights in Istanbul.
- ADD: Rome 3-nights. Includes a city tour, and a tour of the Vatican.
- ADD: Train from Budapest. Board in Budapest, then visit Vienna, Innsbruck, Zurich, Lake Como, Verona, Trieste, Lake Bled, Ljubljana, then disembark the train in Venice to board the ship.
Here’s a link to our video blog when we did this cruise: https://youtu.be/QRIHi6SED6g?si=IJvnYEJlqJt_iV4n
VENICE HOTEL STAYS
If you’d rather stay in a hotel in Venice, here’s a link to our agency page:
https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/bobbrad77410/travel/destinations/europe/italy/venice
OCEANIA
Here are some cruises starting or finishing in Venice. Remember that OCEANIA is changing its pricing structure in October so you need to book by the end of month to get the beverage package, shore excursions, and 5% off included in the fare. This 5% discount is available on ALL Oceania cruises for Veranda Rooms and Suites. You’re not ever going to get a better deal on Oceania than right now:
Rome to Venice departing August 22 for 10-days
- Visit Sorrento, Sicily, Malta, Argostoli, Albania, Montenegro, Dubrovnik, Split
- Verandas from $5199 with a $300 shore-excursion credit and tips included
Venice to Istanbul departing July 17 for 11-days
- Visit 2 ports in Croatia, Corfu, Olympia, Santorini, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul (2 nights)
- Verandas from $5499 with a $300 shore-ex credit
Rome to Venice departing July 7 for 10-days
- Visit Naples, Sicily, Zakynthos (Greece), Albania, Montenegro, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Ancona (Italy), Slovenia
- Verandas from $5399 with a $300 shore-ex credit
The 5% discount, and changes to the fare inclusions are for ALL Oceania cruises, so get in touch with us today if you want to take advantage of this last chance offer.
We made a short video about Oceania’s planned fare changes:
WINDSTAR 10% OFF Venice Departures
We can get you 10% off ANY Windstar itinerary as long as it is booked by September 30. Windstar leaves a vessel in the Mediterranean year-round, if you’d like to visit in quiet-season. Here are two examples:
Rome to Venice departing January 15
- Visit Naples, Messina, Dubrovnik (overnight), Zadar, Venice (overnight)
- Verandas from $4139.
Venice to Rome departing January 23 or March 23 for 8-days
- Visit Venice (overnight), Zadar, Dubrovnik (overnight), Messina, Naples, Rome
- Verandas from $4139 on January 23. Verandas from $4639 on March 23
- You can also stay on to Barcelona (15-days) , and see Livorno (overnight), Genoa, Nice (overnight), Barcelona (overnight)
- Verandas from $6979 on January 23
If you want more information about Windstar Yacht cruises, the inclusions, and itineraries outside of the Mediterranean, here’s a link to our Vendor focus article on them: https://pamperedcruiser.com/yacht-cruising-with-windstar/
COLLETTE LAND CRUISE of Italy
There are dozens of land tours in Northern Italy to suit any time, budget or itinerary requirements. Here are two:
Italy’s Treasures: Art, Food & Wine of Italy for 12-days
- Visit the Alpine Lakes region (Lake Maggiore, Stresa, Lake Orta), Liguria Coast, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, do a cooking class in Florence, stay at a Tuscan villa for 4-nights, and finish in Venice.
- Depart May 19 for $4499. Departures in June/July/August from $4799
Rome and the Amalfi Coast for 10-days
- Stay in Rome for 3-nights to visit the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and just to enjoy the sidewalk vibe in Rome. Then on to Amalfi, for coastal townships, beaches, Sorrento, and Pompeii
- Departures June through September from $3799
In Case You Missed It:
E-SIMS and Managing Your Telecom When Abroad. How can you avoid those nasty ROAMING CHARGES?
https://pamperedcruiser.com/telecom-abroad-e-sims/
Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?
Earlier this year, Viking replaced its Book on Board program with the BON VOYAGE incentive. This allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 2 weeks BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so:
- $100 per person on board credit
- 6-month final payment date
- $100 per person OFF one-week cruises, and bigger discounts for longer itineraries.
We made a short video about the Bon Voyage Program if you’d like more details:
Contact us to book your NEXT VIKING CRUISE
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
