From Milan, a group can reach the lakes, the wineries of Franciacorta, Bergamo’s upper town or the hills of the Langhe and be back the same day. The destinations are close, but each has its weak point: in Como the coach cannot stop wherever it likes, in Bergamo the upper town is a restricted traffic zone, and in Franciacorta and the Langhe the roads between the vineyards are narrow. For a CRAL (a company social and recreational club), a cultural society or a parish group, day trips out of the city in Lombardy go well when these details are sorted out before departure.
Since September 2025 we have had an operations base in Lainate, north-west of Milan, with our own vehicles, all Euro 6, from which we run our bus and coach rental in Milan. Below we look at the destinations groups ask for most and how to plan the day.
Day trips in Lombardy: Lake Como
Como is the closest lake trip, and also the one with the most precise rules for tour coaches. According to the Comune di Como (the city council), coaches may enter the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato, the restricted traffic zone) only to take guests to hotels located inside it or right next to it, so a group on a day trip does not get off in Piazza Cavour. The areas designated for tour coaches are the short-stop bay in Viale Innocenzo XI, in front of the Local Police headquarters, with the engine switched off, and the long-stay areas in Piazza Atleti Azzurri d’Italia and Via Regina Teodolinda. The rules are set out on the Comune di Como page for tour coaches, which we check before every service.
In practice the group gets off in Viale Innocenzo XI and walks to the lakefront and the centre. If the programme includes the boat to Bellagio or Varenna, we set the return meeting time according to the last useful boat, not the theoretical end of the visit. If the trip ends in another town on the lake, the coach can collect the group there, and this needs to be written into the quote.
Lake Maggiore and Lake Iseo: coach plus boat
On Lake Maggiore the classic trip includes the islands, which can only be reached by boat. The coach takes the group to the landing stage, waits and picks it up on the way back. The critical point is the return: with 50 people, two or three latecomers are enough to miss the boat. It is better to put a return time to the boat in the programme with a generous margin.
Lake Iseo suits a quieter trip and combines well with Franciacorta, which lies south of the lake. A format that works for clubs is the morning on the lake and the afternoon at a winery, with a single coach transfer in between.
Franciacorta: the trip where nobody has to drive
For a winery visit with tasting, a coach with driver solves the main problem: no participant has to get behind the wheel afterwards. Wineries are often along minor roads between the vineyards, with entrances designed for cars. Before the trip we check access from the address of each winery: if a Gran Turismo coach will not fit, we use a smaller vehicle or set a drop-off point on the main road.
With a group of 30 people and three wineries on the programme, a 36-seat bus is usually more practical than a Gran Turismo. Company groups that want to combine tasting with activities have other options with team building days out of Milan by coach.
Bergamo Alta: the ZTL and the climb on foot or by funicular
Città Alta, the upper town, is a restricted traffic zone, as the ZTL page of ATB Bergamo states, and heavy vehicles need specific authorisations to enter. For a group on a day trip the usual solution is to get off in the lower town or in the permitted areas and go up on foot or by funicular. The areas where coaches can drop off passengers may change, so we confirm the drop-off point close to the date of the trip.
For a group with older people it makes sense to include the funicular in the programme and a long stop in the upper town, rather than going back and forth between the upper and lower town. The coach waits in the parking area and picks the group up at the same point where it dropped it off.
The Langhe: outside Lombardy, but in the same day
The Langhe are in Piedmont, but many Milan groups choose them for a day between Alba and the wine villages. The hill roads are narrow and winding, and some villages have squares where a Gran Turismo struggles to turn. For groups of up to 27 people a minibus with driver is the easiest choice; for larger groups we look at the route and the stopping points together.
It is a longer trip than the lakes, and departure and return times have to take the driver’s driving limits into account. For young people, school day trips from Milan have different destinations, suited to schools.
Leaving from Milan or the surrounding towns
Many associations have members spread between Milan and the towns around it. Two pick-up points, one in the city and one outside, often work better than a single meeting point in the centre, where tour coaches have specific areas and rules for coach parking, Area B and Area C (Milan’s low emission zone and congestion charge zone). The Lainate base is convenient for departures from the towns north-west of the city.
A typical day starts early and gets back in the late afternoon. Small changes on the day are handled with the driver; if the return runs an hour late, the extra hourly rate already stated in the quote applies. This is how coach hire with driver in Milan works for a full day, with the driver at the group’s disposal until the return.
How to request a quote for a trip from Milan
For the quote, tell us the date, departure time and place, destination and stops, number of participants, return time and any boat legs that need to be coordinated. The written quote includes driver, fuel, passenger insurance and maintenance; tolls are listed separately.
The cost of a trip depends on vehicle, hours, route and season, and our guide to coach hire costs in Milan explains how it changes between 17-20 seat minibuses, 36-seat buses and 50-seat Gran Turismo coaches. The quote is free.
If the group is already thinking about a religious trip over several days, we also organise pilgrimages by coach from Milan.
For spring trips, book 2-3 months ahead; for the rest of the year 2-3 weeks are enough. Groups based in Lazio have other destinations, served by our day trips by coach from Rome for groups.
Phone: +39 06 4882027. Email: info@toddebus.it (subject line: “Milan”, for example “Milan, group trip”) to reach the contact person at the Lainate base directly.
Frequently asked questions
Can the coach drop the group off on the Como lakefront?
Under the Comune di Como rules, tour coaches enter the ZTL only for guests of hotels located there. For a day trip the group gets off at the short-stop bay in Viale Innocenzo XI and continues on foot.
Can we do a Franciacorta trip with a 54-seat Gran Turismo coach?
It depends on the wineries. Some have large forecourts, others narrow entrances between the vineyards. We check every address before the trip and, if needed, suggest two smaller vehicles or a drop-off point on the main road.
Is the boat ticket included in the coach hire?
No. Our service is road transport with a driver. The organiser buys the boat and ferry tickets; we fit the coach times around the sailings.
Which base do the coaches for trips from Milan leave from?
The vehicles leave from our operations base in Lainate, Viale Italia 5A, open since September 2025. You choose the group’s pick-up point: in the city, in a town outside Milan or even at more than one point.
Is one large coach or two smaller vehicles better for 60 people?
For destinations with wide roads and large car parks, such as the main lakefronts, a Gran Turismo coach with a support minibus works well. For wineries, hill villages or Bergamo Alta, two 36-seat buses move more easily and load and unload faster.
