Some people link Milan with fashion and luxurious boutiques. Others recognize the wonderful and enormous Cathedral Duomo. Art lovers remember about the masterpiece of Leonadro da Vinci – The Last Supper. Opera’s admirers know La Scala and football fans – San Siro. Many kinds of actvities don’t allow tourists to be bored there. Read our Milan What To See – Travel Guide to get to know closer this pearl of Italy.
How to get in Milan
FLIGHT
Orio al Serio airport (this one near Bergamo) serves flights from almost the whole Europe. Ryanair has the majority of regular routes there and offers good prices. Of course, there are other airports in the area of Milan than Bergamo, but this one is the most common in the circle of low budget travellers.
OUR ROUTE
Gdansk – Milan Bergamo – Gdansk (Wizzair, €20 RT)
FROM AIRPORT TO THE CITY
Bergamo airport Orio al Serio – Milan Central station – Bergamo airport Orio al Serio (Orio
Shuttle, online from €8 RT, goes every 30 or 60 minutes, takes 50 minutes)
If your plane is delayed you can use your online-booked Orio shuttle ticket after your arrival. Orio shuttle’s stop in Milan is placed on the right side of the Central Station, when looking at the entrance.
How to get around Milan
Metro. Simply use metro. There’s no quicker and easier way to go through this city.
Most important metro stations:
Centrale (airport shuttles and intercity connections)
Porta Garibaldi (intercity connections)
Duomo (Milan Cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II)
Cadorna (Castello Sforzesco and The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci)
Prices of most useful types of metro tickets:
Single ticket (valid 90 minutes): €1.50 (approx. $1.80)
24h ticket: €4.50 (approx. $5)
48h ticket: €8.25 (approx. $10)
Newly built Metro line 5 is controlled by a fully automated computer system. Encourage to take a seat in a first row, enabling the driver’s point of view.
What to see in Milan
CATHERDRAL DUOMO
The most famous attraction in Milan and 5th largest church in the world. When getting out from Duomo metro station, head to the exit that is the nearest to the cathedral – immediately you will find yourself in front of the huge cathedral and get the stunning view. Prices of tickets: inside – worshippers for free, visitors/€2; terraces – with elevator/€13, on foot/€7
GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II
One of the world’s oldest shopping malls. The heart of Milan fashion and shopping. There’s a famous bull mosaic on the floor. It’s said you have to make 3 full turns on one feet over bull’s balls to bring you luck :)
SFORZA CASTLE (CASTELLO SFORZESCO)
One of the largest citadels in Europe. Entrance to the castle is free of charge, but to visit castle museums you need to pay €5 (approx. $6).
THE LAST SUPPER (CENACOLO VINCIANO)
15th century mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci. One of the world’s most famous paintings located in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Admission costs €12 (approx. $14), but EU citizens to 25 y.o. pay only €7 (approx. $8).
Notice: Keep an eye on the date when tickets for The Last Supper go on sale. Don’t wait and buy yours online on that day. They are sold out very quickly and it’s hard or even impossible to get them later. Here you are a website of the official seller: CLICK HERE By the way, The Last Supper in Italian is Cenacolo Vinciano – this information can be useful to buy the tickets online.
LA SCALA
Famous opera house in Milan that has hosted the finest artists from around the world. The amount of €7 (approx. $8) allows you to see it inside. Students may get discount and pay €5 (approx. $6)
SAN SIRO
Legendary football stadium that can seat about 80 thousand spectators. It’s a home for two football clubs – A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. Visiting that includes the stadium and the museum costs €17 (discounted tickets for €12 applied only for kids and the elderly). They can be bought online and on the spot. The tour is available every day, but it may be changed on match or event day.
Sleeping, Eating, Safety
SLEEPING
In Milan sleeping can be expensive. Hotel rooms go at least for €35-40 (approx. $38-43) and beds in cheapest hostels for €12-13 (approx. $13-14). As always we recommend to try Couchsurfing – staying with our host in Milan was the first experience with this community for us. We loved it at once.
EATING
The best way to try Italian food in Milan is to go on aperitivo. What is it? That’s a common practice in Italian bars, where at evenings you pay only for a drink (around €8-10) and then you are allowed to eat how much you want and whatever you want with no extra costs. They serve mainly local cuisines like pizza, pasta, risotto and many others. Aperitivo is a good way to feel the atmosphere of Italy from less touristic perspective.
There are affordable food court at the airside of Bergamo airport, e.g. Mcdonald’s or €1 (approx. $1.10) bottles of water from vending machines
SAFETY
There are lots of thefts and scammers at the Milan Central Station, so be really careful !!!
How much does it cost? (per person)
flight tickets RT – €20 (approx. $22)
airport shuttles RT – €8 (approx. $9)
24h metro ticket – €4.50 (approx. $5)
accommodation – free (Couchsurfing)
food spending: €20 (approx. $22)
TOTAL for the whole trip (1 day): €52.50 (approx. $58)