Genoa, Milan, and Venice in 8 days

Upon your arrival in Genoa, one of our vehicles will be waiting for you at the airport, port, or train station, to receive you and transfer you comfortably and quickly to the hotel. The rest of the day is for you to relax, and if you wish, begin to enjoy the city at your own pace.

Genoa is the sixth largest city in the country and also one of the most important economic centers in northern Italy. In medieval times, it was the richest city in the world and one of the most considerable commercial and naval powers in the Mediterranean. The legacy of that wealth can still be seen in the city's imposing gates, palaces, and churches.

Greca Tip: Genoa is considered the most likely birthplace of Christopher Columbus, jean pants, and the St. George's cross.

After a full breakfast at the hotel, you will go out to discover the city with a tour on the hop on hop off bus that will make you discover all the main monuments, as well as allow you to visit the fishing village of Boccadasse, crossing the seafront of Corso Italia.

According to the legend, Baccadasse was founded around the year 1000 by a group of Spanish fishermen who, due to a violent storm, sought refuge in this small rocky inlet.

Its colored houses, around its small beach, are one of the most peculiar characteristics of this town.

Greca Tip: Try a pasta dish with the typical Genoese Pesto.

After breakfast, you will have a free day to enjoy the city at your own pace.

The best way to enjoy the magic that the historic center of Genoa offers is to walk without a fixed goal, close the map, and get lost among its Carrugi (the name given to its narrow streets).

Greca Tip: Remember to buy a souvenir to take home.

After having breakfast, one of our transfers will be waiting to take you to the train station to go to Milan.

Upon your arrival in the world's fashion capital, a car will be waiting for you to transfer you comfortably and quickly to the hotel. The rest of the day is for you to relax and if you wish, enjoy the city at your own pace.

Milan offers all the advantages of a big city combined with the comfort provided by its small size since most of the points of interest can be easily explored on foot.

Greca Tip: In the absence of cars, in the Modern Age people used to go by boat around the city. One of the curiosities of historical Milan is that it had several artificial canals devised by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century. The goal was to make a network so extensive that it would reach Lake Como. Today you can still see a couple of canals in the Navigli neighborhood.

After breakfast, you will have a day to enjoy the city of Milan with the optional tour of the Hop on hop off bus.

Visiting the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery, the most famous shops and restaurants, learning about the legendary bull of Milan and curiosities are some of the things we can do.

The Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery is the most famous shopping center and gallery in Milan, and it connects Piazza Duomo with Piazza della Scala (where you can find the Teatro alla Scala). From its inauguration, it was the meeting point of the Milanese bourgeoisie, to the point of being called the Milan Room (in Italian il salotto di Milano).

Greca Tip: In step 2 you can find other optional tours to enjoy today.

After breakfast, one of our drivers will transfer you to the Milan train station and you will take the train to Venice Mestre.

Once in Venice a transfer will take you to the assigned hotel and you will have the rest of the day free.

Venice, the capital of the Veneto region in northern Italy, encompasses more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals, including the Grand Canal thoroughfare, lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.

In the central square of San Marco, there is the Basilica of San Marco, which has a Byzantine mosaic floor, and the Campanile bell tower overlooking the red roofs of the city

Greca Tip: Don't forget to enjoy a gondola ride in the afternoon.

After a tasty breakfast and at the indicated time we will transfer to the meeting point to make the excursion to the 3 Venetian wonders: the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello in a single day, famous not only for crafts but for the picturesque landscape.

You will sail between the islands of San Giorgio Maggiore, San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni, and the Sant'Elena Gardens until you reach Murano, divided into nine islets crossed by a wide channel. Murano is known around the world for its artisan glass-blowing industry.

There you will have a 40-minute visit to a factory, where this wonder is produced and where you can discover the magic of this traditional product. A long and lively tradition dating back to 1291, when glass craftsmen moved their kilns here from the old town.

Murano is the city of glass: during the 15th and 16th centuries, it was the main center of the glass in Europe. In this tour, you will watch an expert craftsman glassblower create a work of art at a glass factory.

Your next stop will be Torcello, where you can admire the wonderful Church of Santa Fosca. Torcello is the center of the first Venetian civilization founded between the 5th and 6th centuries, when the island became a flourishing center, full of palaces and churches.

Today the island preserves archaeological evidence of its glorious past, such as the wonderful Byzantine Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Church of Santa Fosca with a delightful portico and a striking Byzantine interior.

The last destination, but not the least important, will be the island of Burano, one of the most beautiful islands in the entire lagoon: it is a miniature Venice where all the houses are painted in bright colors.

Burano is famous not only for its lace work, an art that has been carried out since the 16th century when it was considered the most refined and famous in Europe but also for the picturesque fishermen's houses painted in a thousand vibrant colors.

Greca Tip: Avoid making sudden movements inside the gondola as unexpected weight shifts can disturb an otherwise stable equilibrium.

After a delicious breakfast, a transfer will take you to the train station to continue to your next destination.

After spending some fantastic days with Greca, we hope to see you again to enjoy some wonderful moments that will remain forever in your memory.

Bon voyage! Or, as you say yourself: "Buon Viaggio!".