Ten days: Milan, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Verona, Venice

Ten nights on five bases, Milan 2, Lake Como 3, Lake Garda 2, Verona 1 and Venice 2, with two dates that decide the rest: the Last Supper's quarterly ticket release and the lake boat seasons, which in 2026 run until October 4.

Book the Last Supper before the flights

Last Supper tickets are released four times a year: in September for November to January, in December for February to April, in March for May to July and in June for August to October.

If your dates fall inside a window that has already sold out, there's a second route. Every Wednesday at noon, around 215¹ extra tickets per day go on sale online for the following week, and that's the realistic way in for anyone booking late.

Everything else on this route can move by a day; the Cenacolo slot can't. See the Last Supper and why it releases tickets quarterly. Fares on this route are quoted in euros.

Days 1 and 2: Milan, and which train to Como

Two Milan railway lines reach Lake Como, and the choice changes what you can buy with the ticket.

Until September 30, 2026, Trenitalia sells the Navigazione Laghi day pass together with a train ticket to Como San Giovanni, Desenzano, Peschiera or Stresa, to be used within three days of the train. Le Frecce, Intercity and Trenitalia regional trains qualify.

Trenord trains don't count, and that includes the line from Milano Cadorna to Como. If the boat pass matters to you, take the Trenitalia train to Como San Giovanni.

Days 3 to 5: Lake Como on the 2026 timetable

Three nights on Lake Como only work as a lake stay if they fall between March 23 and October 4, the span of the two 2026 boat timetables.

The car ferry between Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio is the direct link between those villages, with separate weekday and holiday timetables, so base yourself in one of them and let the ferry do the moving.

One public operator, Gestione Navigazione Laghi, runs Como, Maggiore and Garda, but each lake has its own timetable and fare table. A ticket from one lake is no use on the next, and the 2026 Como fares took effect on April 1, 2026. More on Lake Como.

Day 6: from Como to Garda

No journey time for Milan to Desenzano or Peschiera is in the timetable data this route uses; the reference is the whole Milan to Venice run, 2 hours 27 minutes on the fastest direct train in September 2026.

Desenzano and Peschiera are both stations on that line, so the Garda leg is a share of it, not the whole. Go back through Milan from Como and change there, and check the Trenitalia planner for the exact train.

Days 6 and 7: Lake Garda, one shore at a time

Lake Garda covers 369.98⁵ square kilometers, so two nights means one shore, not the whole lake.

Garda's boats run from April 1 to May 15 and from May 16 to October 4 in 2026, on the main Desenzano, Peschiera and Riva route, plus the Maderno to Torri car ferry.

A single ticket costs €3.50 for the shortest stretch and €17.50⁷ for the longest, a return is double, and the fast service adds €2.50 to €6.00. Sirmione to Riva counts as stretch 6, so it's €16.00 one way. More on Lake Garda.

Day 8: Verona, one night

Verona's Arena was built by the Romans around the middle of the 1st century AD and held around 30,000⁹ spectators.

Of its outer ring only a short stretch survives, known as the Ala. See the Arena for what's on inside it.

Juliet's House is entered from the Teatro Nuovo in piazzetta Navona, not from the courtyard on via Cappello. In 2026 it opens Monday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (19:00 on the signs), and tickets for the courtyard and the house are sold online only. More on Verona.

Days 9 and 10: Venice, with no access fee in force

As of September 11, 2026 there is no access fee for Venice: the 2026 trial ran on 60 non consecutive days between April 3 and July 26 and has not applied since July 27, 2026.

You're sleeping in the city anyway, and the fee only ever covered day visitors. Whether it returns in 2027 is up to the city council, and nothing has been decided; see the Venice access fee.

For two nights the 48 hour ACTV pass at €35 matches the stay, against €25 for 24 hours and €45 for 72. Validity starts at the first validation, not at midnight, and travelers aged 6 to 29 can get the 72 hour pass for €27 with the €6 Rolling Venice card.

What this route leaves unverified

Three legs have no verified journey time in the facts used here: Milan to Desenzano or Peschiera, Garda to Verona, and Verona to Venice.

Check those three on the Trenitalia planner the day before. Como single fares and day passes are the other gap, because they sit in a PDF that couldn't be read, so buy those at the pier.

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