Milan & the Lakes
The design capital paired with a Belle Époque villa on Como — city polish and lakeside calm. A private, tailored journey of 7 Days · 6 Nights in Milan, Italy, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$12,500 per traveler.
- Ideal length: 7 Days · 6 Nights
- Best time: May through June and September into October, when the light is golden, the crowds thin and the tables at the finest establishments open to those who know to ask.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$12,500 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
The design capital paired with a Belle Époque villa on Como — city polish and lakeside calm. A private, tailored journey of 7 Days · 6 Nights in Milan, Italy, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$12,500 per traveler.
Few countries reward a well-planned trip as generously as Italy, where art, coastline and the pleasures of the table meet at every turn.
When to go
May through June and September into October, when the light is golden, the crowds thin and the tables at the finest establishments open to those who know to ask. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A private after-hours walk through the Pinacoteca di Brera, guided by a curator who places each canvas in the story of Milanese patronage.
- A fitting appointment at a storied Quadrilatero della Moda atelier, arranged with priority access before the boutiques open to the public.
- A morning on Lake Como aboard a privately chartered wooden Lario motorboat, stopping at Bellagio and Varenna before lunch at a vine-covered trattoria.
- A truffle-focused tasting menu at a Michelin-starred table in the Brera district, preceded by a visit to the kitchen with the head chef.
A sense of the rhythm
The first three nights settle into Milan's cadence — morning espresso in the Brera neighbourhood, afternoons in design showrooms or the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, evenings in Navigli. The final three nights slow to lake time: ferry crossings, garden walks through Belle Époque villa grounds, and dinners that stretch past dark on waterfront terraces. The pace shifts deliberately so neither half feels rushed.
Whether to spend more nights on the lake or keep the balance in Milan
Travelers who come primarily for fashion week or the Salone del Mobile often extend the Milan nights to four, folding in extra appointments and vernissages. Those who find the lake the revelation — and most do — sometimes ask to reverse the ratio on a return trip, using Milan as a one-night gateway. We counsel keeping the three-three split on a first journey: Como reveals itself slowly, and arriving with city energy already spent makes the stillness land properly.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Book no earlier than October and no later than May to avoid the summer heat and August closure of many Milanese restaurants and ateliers — September is the ideal sweet spot for warm lake water and open terraces.
- Salone del Mobile in April and fashion weeks in February and September require a minimum twelve-month lead time for the finest lakeside accommodations and any atelier appointments worth having.
- The ferry timetable on Lake Como changes significantly between the low and high seasons; we build your lake days around the official Navigazione Laghi schedule so crossings between Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo are never left to chance.
- Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper requires reservations made months in advance through the official booking system — slots at preferred morning hours disappear within minutes of release, and we secure them as part of pre-departure planning.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$12,500 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring Milan
Part of our Milan travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Milan & the Lakes around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
Travelers who come primarily for fashion week or the Salone del Mobile often extend the Milan nights to four, folding in extra appointments and vernissages. Those who find the lake the revelation — and most do — sometimes ask to reverse the ratio on a return trip, using Milan as a one-night gateway. We counsel keeping the three-three split on a first journey: Como reveals itself slowly, and arriving with city energy already spent makes the stillness land properly.
Months in advance. Reservations for the Last Supper are made through the official booking system, and slots at the preferred morning hours disappear within minutes of release. On this journey, your Forest Travel advisor secures them as part of pre-departure planning, so the visit is fixed long before you arrive in Milan rather than left to luck once you are there.
The ferry timetable on Lake Como changes significantly between the low and high seasons, so the lake days are built around the official Navigazione Laghi schedule. That way, crossings between Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo are never left to chance. Ferry crossings sit alongside garden walks through Belle Époque villa grounds and a privately chartered wooden Lario motorboat morning with stops at Bellagio and Varenna.
Allow a minimum of twelve months. Salone del Mobile in April and the fashion weeks in February and September require that lead time for the finest lakeside accommodations and any atelier appointments worth having. Travelers who come primarily for these events often extend the Milan nights to four, folding in extra appointments and vernissages.
Milan & the Lakes is designed as 7 Days · 6 Nights, split evenly between city and lake. The first three nights settle into Milan's cadence: morning espresso in Brera, afternoons in design showrooms or the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, evenings in Navigli, with room for a private after-hours walk through the Pinacoteca di Brera or a Quadrilatero della Moda atelier fitting. The final three nights slow to lake time on Como: ferry crossings, garden walks through Belle Époque villa grounds and long dinners on waterfront terraces. On a first journey, we counsel keeping this three-three split so neither half feels rushed.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$12,500 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
May through June and September into October, when the light is golden, the crowds thin and the finest tables open to those who know to ask. September is the ideal sweet spot for this journey, with warm lake water on Como and terraces still open. Avoid August, when summer heat sets in and many Milanese restaurants and ateliers close. If your dates coincide with the September fashion week, plan at least twelve months ahead for lakeside accommodations and atelier appointments.
Yes. On Milan & the Lakes, a private after-hours walk through the Pinacoteca di Brera can be arranged, guided by a curator who places each canvas in the story of Milanese patronage. It fits naturally into the first three nights in Milan, when mornings begin with espresso in the Brera neighbourhood and afternoons can be spent in design showrooms or the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.
On Milan & the Lakes, a fitting appointment at a storied Quadrilatero della Moda atelier is arranged privately, with priority access before the boutiques open to the public. Travelers coming for the February or September fashion weeks should plan at least twelve months ahead, since atelier appointments worth having require that lead time, and many extend their Milan nights to four for extra appointments and vernissages.
On Milan & the Lakes, the Lake Como morning is spent aboard a privately chartered wooden Lario motorboat, stopping at Bellagio and Varenna before lunch at a vine-covered trattoria. It belongs to the final three nights, when the journey slows to lake time, with ferry crossings, garden walks through Belle Époque villa grounds and dinners that stretch past dark on waterfront terraces.
Yes. Milan & the Lakes can include a truffle-focused tasting menu at a Michelin-starred table in the Brera district, preceded by a visit to the kitchen with the head chef. It is arranged privately during the Milan nights, alongside morning espresso in Brera and evenings in Navigli, before the journey moves on to Lake Como.
September is the month our advisors favor for Lake Como: the water is still warm, the terraces are open, and the summer heat and the August closures are behind you. Late May and June are the other strong window, with golden light and thinner crowds. The lake's ferry timetable changes between low and high season, so on this journey your lake days follow the official Navigazione Laghi schedule, with a private Lario motorboat for the morning on the water.
For a private journey at this level, US$10,000 per person covers a shorter city stay rather than a full week. In Milan, The Milanese Table starts from US$8,500 per traveler for 4 days and Design, Fashion & the Masters from US$9,800 for 5 days, while Milan & the Lakes, 7 days split between the city and Lake Como, starts from US$12,500 per traveler, based on double occupancy. A planning fee of US$250 per itinerary applies.
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