THE SHORT VERSION
- Aeroméxico will fly Mexico City–Milan from 28 March 2027, four times a week. Until now, Rome was the only direct door to Italy.
- The north is built in three stops, Milan, Lake Como and Venice, joined by train and ferry, with no rental car.
- Hotels I propose: Mandarin Oriental and Château Monfort in Milan; Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Villa d'Este on the lake; The Gritti Palace, Nolinski Venezia and Hotel Cipriani in Venice.
- A fact that changes the plan: Hotel Cipriani is closed and reopens on 1 June 2027. And in the week of 13 to 18 April, the Salone del Mobile fills Milan.
Until now, getting to northern Italy from Mexico meant flying to Rome or Madrid and connecting.
From 28 March 2027, the flight leaves Mexico City and lands in Milan-Malpensa, according to Aeroméxico's announcement: four weekly frequencies, on a Boeing 787. Northern Italy goes from "a trip with a layover" to "an eight-night trip without losing a day." And the interest is already showing: Despegar reports that searches for Milan grew 235% for the end of 2026.
Why the north and not Rome-Florence-Venice
It is the question I will be asked. Rome is still Rome, and Aeroméxico already flies there. But the north gives you three very different places with short transfers: Milan is design, fashion, museums and food; Lake Como is water, villas and gardens; and Venice is something else. The train from Milan to Venice takes between two hours twenty-five and two thirty-five.
Visa. Mexicans enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days, but the official ETIAS site announces that the authorization system will start in the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date to be confirmed. Factor in that step before flying.
Eight nights, step by step
- Two nights in Milan. You land at Malpensa on the direct flight.
- Three nights on Lake Como. By train from Milan.
- Two nights in Venice. By train from Milan, or from Como via Milan.
- One night in Milan, before flying home.
If you have six nights, drop Venice. And if you want Venice with Hotel Cipriani, the trip has to be after 1 June 2027.
Milan
Where to sleep
The 2026 MICHELIN Guide gives two Keys to six hotels in Milan: The Carlton (Rocco Forte), which debuts this year, Bvlgari Hotel Milano, Four Seasons Hotel Milano, Grand Hotel et de Milan, Mandarin Oriental Milan and Portrait Milano. With one Key are Casa Brera (new), Casa Cipriani Milano, Hotel Principe di Savoia, Palazzo Parigi and Vico Milano. No hotel in Milan has three Keys. From that list I propose one, and from outside it, another.
Mandarin Oriental, Milan has two MICHELIN Keys and a MICHELIN-starred restaurant, Seta. It is the one I would choose if you want a city hotel with a top-level table without leaving the building.
Château Monfort is not on the 2026 MICHELIN Keys list, and it is a member of Relais & Châteaux. It occupies an early-20th-century building, "an Art Nouveau jewel" decorated by the architect Paolo Mezzanotte, according to its site, at Corso Concordia 1, facing Piazza Tricolore and a short distance from the Duomo, La Scala, San Babila and Palazzo Reale. It has 77 rooms, with scenographic installations inspired by fairy tales and operas; the restaurant Rubacuori; Bar Mezzanotte, under a crystal dome; and the Amore e Psiche spa. It is the hotel for someone who prefers a more theatrical character to chain luxury.
Where to eat
Enrico Bartolini al Mudec has three MICHELIN stars and is Milan's only three-star. It is inside the Museum of Cultures (Via Tortona 56) and is open Tuesday to Saturday. It is the first museum in Italy with a three-star restaurant, according to Finestre sull'Arte. It is the dinner you book first.
What to do
Leonardo's Last Supper. Admission costs 15 euros, the visit lasts about 15 minutes and the museum is closed on Mondays. Tickets go on sale about three months ahead on the Cenacolo Vinciano site and sell out almost every day. A 2026 guide mentions that some individual tickets are released every Wednesday at noon, for visits the following week. You must arrive 30 minutes early.
La Scala. The 2026-27 season at La Scala opens on 7 December 2026 with Verdi's Otello, which, according to a ticket site, is already sold out. If you travel on other dates, the theater's website is the source for returned tickets.
The Salone del Mobile, from 13 to 18 April 2027 at Fiera Milano Rho, according to the Salone del Mobile site, fills the city. It is fascinating if you are interested in design and a hotel problem if you are not.
Lake Como
Where to sleep
The lake concentrates high-level hotels. With three Keys is Passalacqua, in Moltrasio, with 24 rooms. With two, Villa d'Este, Il Sereno, Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Grand Hotel Victoria. The two I propose:
Grand Hotel Tremezzo has two Keys. Its site describes it with "Belle Époque splendour" and a view of the lake or the park from every window. It also has a private villa, Villa Sola Cabiati, with six suites, reached in minutes by car or boat.
Villa d'Este, in Cernobbio, has two Keys and earns them this year. The villa was built between 1565 and 1570 for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and has been a hotel since 1873. According to Wikipedia, it has 152 rooms and suites, a 10-hectare park and a floating pool on the lake. It usually closes in winter for maintenance, so dates are worth confirming.
If you want the best of the lake's three-Key hotels, Passalacqua is the one with three. And if you want to dine at a starred table, Il Sereno, in Torno, has two Keys and a MICHELIN-starred restaurant, Il Sereno al Lago.
What to do
Villa del Balbianello. According to the foundation that runs it, the Villa del Balbianello is open from March to January every day except Monday and Wednesday, and booking is required. Park admission costs 15 euros, and the villa with a guided tour of about 50 minutes plus the park, 25. You reach it on foot from Lenno, about 25 minutes uphill, or by water taxi from Lido di Lenno, which is a separate paid service. In December it opens only on listed days.
The ferries. The Navigazione Laghi ferries link Como with Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio. Guides disagree on fares and times, so we confirm schedules with the operator before each day.
Venice
Where to sleep
It is the city with the most high-level hotels. With three Keys: Airelles Palladio, which debuted this year on the Giudecca; Aman Venice, with 24 rooms; and Hotel Cipriani. With two: The Gritti Palace and Nolinski Venezia. The three I propose:
The Gritti Palace has two Keys. It is a Gothic palace from 1475 that, according to Forbes Travel Guide, Andrea Gritti, who would later become doge, made his residence in 1525. It belongs to The Luxury Collection and sits on the Grand Canal.
Nolinski Venezia has two Keys. It occupies the former Venetian Stock Exchange, a few steps from Piazza San Marco and La Fenice, with interiors by the designers Le Coadic Scotto in marmorino stucco and mango wood. It has 43 rooms and suites, 13 of them suites, a spa and a pool with gold mosaic and a view over Venice's rooftops.
Hotel Cipriani has three Keys, is on the island of the Giudecca and opened around 1958. It has 55 rooms, 20 suites and 4 signature suites, the largest pool in Venice according to its site, and the restaurant Oro, with a MICHELIN star, renovated by Peter Marino. A free launch connects it to St Mark's Square in about five minutes. The detail you need to know: according to its own site, the hotel is closed and reopens on 1 June 2027. If you travel in April, this is not your option.
What to do, and the access fee
The day-visitor fee. In 2026 it was charged on 60 days between April and July, from 8:30 to 16:00: 5 euros if booked four days ahead and 10 if later, on the city's portal. If you sleep in Venice you are exempt, but you need a free QR code. There are reports that Venice is considering raising it to as much as 30 euros from 2027, and it still has to be agreed with the Italian government.
La Fenice. The theater announced a 2026-27 season of ten operas, opening with Giordano's Fedora, according to its announcement. There are dates for Madama Butterfly from 30 January to 9 February 2027 and Jenůfa from 12 to 20 March; they come from ticket sites, and we would confirm them with the theater.
When to go
- From 28 March on: direct flight, and Balbianello is open from March.
- 13 to 18 April: Salone del Mobile; book the hotel first.
- From 1 June 2027: Hotel Cipriani reopens.
- Winter: works for Milan and La Scala, less so for the lake, where some hotels close.
What people ask me most
Is there a direct flight from Mexico to Milan?
Yes, from 28 March 2027, with Aeroméxico, four times a week.
How long is the train from Milan to Venice?
Between two hours twenty-five and two thirty-five.
Do I need a visa?
No, but factor in the ETIAS step, which is announced for the last quarter of 2026.
What is the best hotel on Lake Como?
Passalacqua is the only one with three MICHELIN Keys. Villa d'Este and Grand Hotel Tremezzo have two.
How we plan it
The first thing I ask is how many nights you have and whether it is your first time in Italy. With that we decide whether the trip is Milan and the lake, or adds Venice, and on which dates.
That is how we build a tailored trip, starting with the first call, which costs nothing. If you want to fly direct to Milan in 2027, tell us where to.
SOURCES
- Mexico City–Milan route: Expansión (7 September 2026). Searches: Despegar, via Travel Times.
- MICHELIN Keys 2026: MICHELIN Guide Italy, Luxury.it and Euronews. Stars: MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026.
- Hotels: Mandarin Oriental, Château Monfort, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Villa d'Este (plus Wikipedia), The Gritti Palace (plus Forbes Travel Guide), Nolinski Venezia and Hotel Cipriani.
- Milan: Enrico Bartolini al Mudec, Cenacolo Vinciano, La Scala season and Salone del Mobile.
- Lake Como: FAI, Villa del Balbianello and Navigazione Laghi.
- Venice: access fee, La Fenice and Milan–Venice trains.
- Entry to Europe: official ETIAS site.
Escrito por Diego Ramírez · Publicado el 19 October 2026