Schielke's European Vacation

divina · March 27, 2004

yes they are open on Sunday.. lunch is hte big meal of the week and is at 1pm, so you should have no trouble getting there in time!

Then after lunch you can go back down to Lucca, and walk around town.. for the passegiata! the stroll.. great people watching.

The piatto do buon ricordo right now at La Mora is a fish soup, they also have a lovely seasonal tasting menu or a traditional Lucca style menu.. fabulous wine list!

Schielke · March 27, 2004

Fan-tastic!

Schielke · March 31, 2004

One thing that has popped up recently is the problem of getting to the Milan Airport early in the morning to go home.

Our flight is at 6:45 a.m. at MXP. We are staying at the Hotel De La Ville in the center of Milan. If we have to be there 2 hrs early for security etc..., that would put us there at 4:45 a.m.

I have read that a taxi costs somewhere between 80 and 100 Euros to MXP. Is there a more affordable way to do this? I checked one train site and the first one runs at 5:50 a.m.

Thoughts?

Thanks so much!

Ben

hollywood · March 31, 2004

Every trip has at least one of these ridiculous changes which costs an arm and a leg or requires extra downtime because otherwise you just can't get there from here. Just go with it. Pay the $2. Document the occasion with photos. Make it a story for retelling. Good luck.

divina · March 31, 2004

I usually go out to the closest town to the airport GALLARATE and sleep there. there are HOTELS really close by so you can sleep there and get up not so early.

Take a local train to Gallarate and then a cab to the hotel.. the then airport is about 4 miles to the airport!

Changing your dates now should't cause problems..

Edited March 31, 2004 by divina (log)

Schielke · April 9, 2004

I think I am just going to bite the bullet and go with a taxi. Ugh.

At the very least, I am going to ask the people at my hotel if they have any ideas. It seems like this is a common flight (for some crazy reason) so I can't be the first person to have this problem.

Holy Crap, this is like a week away!

Ben

hollywood · April 9, 2004

Holy Crap, this is like a week away!
Ben

Got your passport yet?

Schielke · April 9, 2004

(pats pockets)

(mutters) I had it here somewhere...

Oh yeah, there it is.

Yep!

:smile:

Jim Dixon · April 9, 2004

There's a shuttle that runs from the train station downtown to the airport...that might be an option.

Jim

Schielke · April 9, 2004

I will certainly look into it, but do you know if it runs around 4:00 a.m.?

Ben

Craig Camp · April 10, 2004

One thing that has popped up recently is the problem of getting to the Milan Airport early in the morning to go home.
Our flight is at 6:45 a.m. at MXP. We are staying at the Hotel De La Ville in the center of Milan. If we have to be there 2 hrs early for security etc..., that would put us there at 4:45 a.m.
I have read that a taxi costs somewhere between 80 and 100 Euros to MXP. Is there a more affordable way to do this? I checked one train site and the first one runs at 5:50 a.m.
Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Ben

Listen to Divina and stay at the airport!

Alberts · April 10, 2004

Definitely stay near the airport. Search Expedia or Orbitz using MXP as your search criterion. There are multiple decent hotels close by with free shuttles to the airport.

The headache of getting from central Milan to Malpensa at four am isn't worth any price in my opinion.

Just my two cents.

Schielke · April 12, 2004

So we have decided to take the advise and try and stay near the airport. We are going to cancel the second night of our stay in downtown milan when we get there (in lieu of right now because it might raise the rate for the single night at the hotel by re-booking).

I figure we will take a train to Gallarate and look for something there in the evening or call ahead once we are cancelled. I figure if no rooms are available, the airport is 5 miles away and our plane leaves super early anyway, we could always goof off there if need be.

Once again, holy crap this is soon!!!!

I need to pick up some Euros today!

Ben

Craig Camp · April 12, 2004

Believe me there is no goofing off to do in Gallarate at night. Its a ghost town.

Don't get too many Euros - the rates at the Bancomats (ATMs) are excellent and they are easy to find.

tanabutler · April 12, 2004

What I discovered when I traveled to Italy was that it was cheaper just to use my VISA card than to get lire. Substantially cheaper: they'd charge the item and the conversion was automatic, and there was nothing lost in the exchange. No charge, in other words.

I don't know if that's the case now, but it's worth investigating.

hollywood · April 12, 2004

What I discovered when I traveled to Italy was that it was cheaper just to use my VISA card than to get lire. Substantially cheaper: they'd charge the item and the conversion was automatic, and there was nothing lost in the exchange. No charge, in other words.
I don't know if that's the case now, but it's worth investigating.

Absolutely correct. Althougth some cards have now added some sort of conversion/transaction charge that wasn't there before. Check your fine print. It's still just easier to card it.

Schielke · April 12, 2004

That was my plan, but I am still going to get a hundred or so just to have for when we get in.

hollywood · April 12, 2004

That was my plan, but I am still going to get a hundred or so just to have for when we get in.

Good idea for the cab ride, tipping the bellman, etc.

futronic · April 12, 2004

I prefer to bring Traveller's Cheques while on vacation. Does cashing them or using them in stores (enoteca in particular) cause much of a problem?

Craig Camp · April 12, 2004

I prefer to bring Traveller's Cheques while on vacation. Does cashing them or using them in stores (enoteca in particular) cause much of a problem?

Using your credit card is easier and you always get the best rates. You will be hard pressed to find a enoteca that does not accept MC/Visa - although American Express is not a sure thing.

Craig Camp · April 12, 2004

Just a reminder Gallarate is not a charming Italian town. It is a grey, commercial suburb of Malpensa. You will find absolutely nothing to do there. Spend your day in Milano and then go there in the evening. Get your hotel reservation now and be sure they can get you to the airport - don't leave this until the last minute.

Schielke · April 12, 2004

cool, we made a reservation at the Jet hotel.

Anybody know how to decipher the Trenitalia site? It is horribly unusable to me. I am trying to find out how much it costs to get to Gallarate. :smile:

Schielke · April 12, 2004

Is it going to be hard to find a place to hold our bags for the rest of the day after we check out of our Milan Hotel? I would not want to lug them around while we run around before going to Gallarate.

Thanks!

Ben

Pan · April 13, 2004

I prefer to bring Traveller's Cheques while on vacation. Does cashing them or using them in stores (enoteca in particular) cause much of a problem?

I haven't tried in many years. Back in 1991, I brought Thomas Cook Travellers' Checks in U.S. dollars. There was usually only one place I could change them: At banks, with a commission. If you take travellers' checks, consider them only as insurance in case your wallet is stolen. Use ATMs and credit cards (Visa is widely accepted as I believe I remember correctly that it's a partner of Eurocard).

futronic · April 13, 2004

I thought I could get Traveller's Cheques in Euro, though. If that was the case, you would think that it would be accepted like cash, just like they are in the U.S., no?

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