Milano

About the city

Milano is the second largest city in Italy. It’s placed in the northern side of the country, to be more specific, in Lombardi region, right next to Po River. Milano has been determined as an economical center of Italy and it’s one of the most visited fashion capital ever.

• Area – 181.76 km
• Visits – 1 395 274 people
• Visits – 8 million people per year
• Official language – Italian
• Airports – Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo

When’s the best time to visit Milano?

In Milano summers are warm and wet, while winters are quite cool. The best time to visit the city is between the end of June and the end of August. If you are, though, not such a big lover of high summer temperatures, you can come during the spring season to avoid the high tourist season.

• Minimum temperatures – around -5°C
• Maximum temperatures – around 33°C
• The hottest months – June, July and August
• The coldest months – January and February
• Possibility for rains – September and October

Transportation

City’s public means of transportation:

• Subway – the subway here has 4 lines (M1, M2, M3 and M5). It’s the widest one across the entire country. There’s train every day between 6:00 and 00:30 o’clock. During the working days in the central side of the city the trains arrive within every 2-4 minutes.
• Trams – the system of the tram net in Milano is composed of 18 lines. The trams move from 04:30 – 05:00 to 2:00 – 2:30 o’clock and you can definitely count on them, when the subway or the busses don’t work. The trams are some of the easiest and fastest means of transportation to get around the city.
• Buses – there are more than 80 local bus lines. Moreover, 15 from them are night buses. They are available from midnight till 6:00 o’clock per every half an hour. They are the most affordable means of transportation to reach the downtown from the airport.
• Trains – The central railway station (Milano Centrale) is served by the national railway provider Trenitalia. The other key railway stations in Milano are: Cadorna that is served by Ferrovie Nord and Garibaldi, where most of the inner railway lines for Milano stop.

Tip: The most affordable thing you can do is to get 24- or 48-hour card for the city’s transport that lets you travel around the entire Milan transportation net.

Rent a car

In most cases using rent-a-car service is going to be more affordable for you rather than using a taxi, but I definitely don’t recommend you to drive in the downtown. There are lots of zones that are with limited access, as well as areas where you should pay fees for parking spaces or just to enter it by car. Parking spaces in the downtown in general are very expensive, so better opt for sightseeing on traditional means of transportation.

Tourist buses

If you are up to sightseeing, which, though includes no worries about transport, then, it’s a good idea for you to select the alternative with a tourist bus. Get 1- or 2-day ticket and move fast, as well as with and ease, to the attractions you are interested in. You can even combine the ticket with an entrance for a museum or other interesting place to see. The tours with the tourist buses are also available with extras like guides and audio guides.

Bikes on rent

Milano offers more than 144 km bike alleys, where you can freely move with a bike. There are many companies that offer bike-on-rent services, while the stations are always situations around the most popular attractions in Milano. Once your time ends, you can return the bike at the closest station.

Taxi

Taxis in Milano are white. You can order one by phone or look for a taxi car around the railway and subway stations, because the drivers usually don’t stop if you wave right on the street. Besides, have in mind that the taxis in this city are quite expensive and it’s good to use them only if you have no other option.

Tip: Please, note that the prices for the taxi services during the holidays, weekends, as well as at nights are quite higher.

Food

If you look for some really affordable places to have a bite, then avoid the central side of the city as the prices there are extremely high. It’s often when the drink prices are not listed in the menu. Ask for them before making an order, because it might occur in the end that your glass of wine is more expensive than your main meal course.

Visit Panini Durini for an early or late breakfast. Here you will enjoy amazing coffee, croissants, sandwiches and all of them are at affordable rates. For a typical Italian breakfast, it’s better for you to select Princi – this is one of the best bakery shops in the city. If you are not up to spend too much money for a lunch, simply try the local sandwiches popular by the name Panini. They are available almost anywhere on the streets of Milano city, while their average price is around 3 EUR. In the afternoons you can enjoy the popular Italian ice-cream in Vanilla Gelati Italiani. The shop is nearby the famous Milano Duomo. The other great ice-cream shops are CiccolatItaliani and Grom Gerlato. If you wish to have tasty Italian pizza or pasta, come to De Pasajo Dal Marchigiano. And if you plan to sample cheese, Italian appetizers and wine, then La Prosciutteria is the right place for you. I strongly recommend you Portobello for an authentic Italian dinner. The family restaurant Ristorante da Oscar is also an amazing alternative for the purpose and the portions here are literally enormous.

On the other side, if you want to experience one real first-class culinary adventure, visit any of the 82 restaurants with Michelin stars in Milano. 11 of them are awarded with the total number of stars – 3 in total – and they guarantee perfect quality in both: the cuisine and the service, plus in the atmosphere, as well. Among them I recommend you Daniel, Berton and Joia.

Things to do

Here are a couple of things that can make your stay in Milano even more colorful and exciting:

• Have a walk in the Sempione Park or in any other local park with beautiful gardens and fountains
• Get on a Vintage tram and enjoy the city view from another point
• Visit Milano’s churches and temples – the entrance is always free, while the architecture is impressive
• Make a picture in front of the popular Milano cathedral, well-known by the name of Duomo.
• Go around the city on a bike and enjoy the street art here
• Shop or at least have a walk around the shops, especially those owned by worldwide fashion brands – you are in a fashion capital after all!
• Dive into a culinary adventure among the traditional Italian cuisine
• Dance on the street – it’s very often here to see arrangements of dancing parties right on the squares. Join the fun and learn some new dancing move.

Nightlife and entertainments

Most of the bars and clubs in Milano are situated in the downtown, nearby Corso Como and Porta Garibaldi railway station. Alcatraz is a club situated in an old factory warehouse right in the central side of the city. The place is with an excellent sound system, great acoustic and has capacity for 3000 people. Here many concerts are arranged, while during the weekends the club is an ordinary disco where you can dance all night long. The Club is a very popular night club that’s placed in Brera district nearby the historical center of Milano and very close to Moscova subway station. People come here from Tuesday to Saturday in order to enjoy a real club night with different music styles, professional dances, popular DJs, cocktails and lots of fun. Magazzini Generali is located in the southern suburbs of Milano. It’s one of the most favorite places for the young musical audience. Some of the most popular DJs from all over the world have their gigs here very often. iL Gattopardo is one very unusual place, because it’s placed in and old…church! Here, the evenings start peacefully with an aperettivo, but when the night comes the club turns into a real hot disco. This place is mostly visited by people at an age of 35+.

It’s good to have a reservation for a club in advance. If you look for more alternative places, though, visit Tunnel Club, Rocket or Dude Club.