Milan

Milan (Italian: Milano) is financially the most important city in Italy and the province of Lombardy. Together with Paris it is one of the fashion capitals of the world.

Understand

Historically Milan has been the most industrialized city in Italy, and now it is its foremost financial centre.

At first contact Milanese life can seem a bit hectic and Milanese people a bit brusque, especially compared to the rest of Italy.

Get in

By plane

Malpensa airport

The main international airport is Malpensa (Milan Malpensa, code MXP). It's a two runway airport, well connected to the center of the city by public transportation.

• SEA Aeroporti di Milano => - official site of SEA, the firm operating Malpensa and Linate airports.

• Malpensa Express => trains leave every 30 minutes from the Airport and arrive in Stazione Cadorna after a 40 minutes travel. Tickets are pretty cheap (about 11 euros).

• Buses leave every 20 minutes for Centrale Station, costing about 5 euros.

• Using a taxi to get from Malpensa to the city centre can be pretty expensive: it may cost 60-75 euros.

Linate airport

Some European or national flights arrive at Linate Airport (LIN). This small one runway airport is closer to the city centre than Malpensa but less well connected by public transport.

• There is a public transport bus stop for the 73 line outside the terminal building, linking to San Babila Square, in the city centre, which is served by MM1, the first underground line. The bus runs every ten minutes and costs one euro. This bus service is managed by ATM =>, the public transport society of Milan. You can buy the ticket from the newsagent or the ATM vending machines. With the same ticket you can transfer to one or more buses, trams or subways within a 75 minutes period. You can also directly use a compressive ticket to many city and town in the suburbs. For more detail see #Get around. You can obtain informations and the timetable from the ATM web site. At the moment this is the link to the frame of the timetable of the 73 line. The "Direction SAN BABILA M1" list the stops from outside Milan (from Segrate San Felicino) passing trough Linate Airport and going to the city center of Milan (end of line in San Babila Square). The "Direction S.FELICINO" list the stops from the city center (San Babila Square) to the town of Segrate San Felicino passing through Linate Airport. Bus ride approximately every 10-20 minutes.

• A bus service, operated by Malpensa Shuttle => connect Malpensa airport to Linate airport (timetables, fares and ticket booking on website). The trip takes 30 minutes to 1 hour, relying on traffic conditions

• Taxis from Linate to the City Centre cost 12-18 euros.

Orio al Serio Airport airport

Some budget airlines fly into Orio al Serio Airport (BGY), some 45km North-East of Milan near the city of Bergamo. Ryanair refers to this as Milan Bergamo Airport. Public transport into Milan is slightly less convenient than Malpensa or Linate:

• Orio al Serio Airport [http://www.orioaeroporto.it/ ] - official site of Milan Bergamo airport.

• Trains to Milan leave from Bergamo station, which you can get to by shuttle bus or taxi, but is quite far from the airport. Buses to Bergamo are run by ZANI and take 10 minutes, at a cost of around €1.50. Trains from Bergamo to Milan run every 30-60 minutes and take around 1 hour. Adult one way fare approx €4.

• Autostradale => run a direct bus from Orio Airport to Milano Centrale station, which is probably the best choice. Departure times vary but mostly buses run every 30 minutes and take about 1 hour. Adult one way fare approx €7.

• ZANI also run a bus service from Orio Airport to Milano Lambrate station on the eastern outskirts of Milan, from where you can take the metro, train, bus or tram to most part of Milan. Adult fare €6 one way or €9 return, online discount available.

• Terravision has a bus service from from Orio Airport to Milano

• Taxis will set you back maybe €100 from Orio to Milan.

By train

The main railway station isCentral Station ], which is served by Trenitalia =>, the State Railways. Regular trains to and from all Italian cities (Turin], [[Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence and many others), and for some European Cities (Zurich, Munich, Paris,Stuttgart, Zagreb, Vienna)

Note that the station is not in a great part of town, though there are a number of decent budget hotels in the area (see "Sleep" below). Options for food and drink in the area a pretty much limited to the cafes inside the station. At night, parts of Central Station become a sleeping area for vagrants.

Central Station is served by MM1 and MM3 underground metro lines and could be an interesting place to see, since it's very big and typical, built in fascist style.

The main taxi companies are 02.40.40 and 02.69.69 There is a taxi stand directly in front of the station.

Another important railway station is Cadorna, served by Ferrovie Nord => (North Railways), where the Malpensa Express stops and which is also a stop for MM1 and MM2.

Garibaldi station, is the stop for most commuter railway lines, and is served by the state railways. It is also a stop for the MM2 and for the Passante (see Milan#Get_Around).

Other main train station are Lambrate, Greco-Pirelli, Rogoredo and Porta Genova for the FS Trenitalia railway and Bovisa and Domodossola for the Ferrovie Nord. (the Domodossola station is very close to the city section of the Milan Exebithion Centre - fieramilanocity).

Pay attention to the fact that Ferrovie Nord (FNM) and Trenitalia (FS) are two different railway networks, with different stations, different trains and different tickets. For example: if you need to go to Malpensa and you are in FS Greco Pirelli, you need to go at first to Garibaldi station, then MM2 to Cadorna and then Malpensa Shuttle to the airport. In same case from Garibaldi station, you can take the passante to Bovisa FNM (these trains leaves from the underground station below the Garibaldi station and next to the city underground station. Be sure that the train you take stop at Bovisa) From Bovisa you can get on the Malpensa shuttle train.

By car

The main highways linking Milan to the rest of Italy are:

• A1 , the Autostrada del Sole (Highway of the Sun), linking Milan to Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples;
• A4, linking Milan to Turin, Brescia, Bergamo, Verona and Venice;
• A8, the Autostrada dei Laghi (Highway of the Lakes), linking Milan to Como Lake, Maggiore Lake and Switzerland.
• A7, linking Milan to Genova.

The main highway operating firm is Società Autostrade.

Because of the heavy traffic, is strongly not recommended to get in Milan by car during working days. Much better in weekends. Perhaps you should leave your car in one of the well-marked parking placed near the highway ring: they're managed by ATM and are easily connected with Milan undergroud lines. They're near highway exits in Cascina Gobba, Lampugnano and San Donato.

By bus

The main national bus lines are operated by Autostradale and stop near Garibaldi Station.

Other companies offer domestic and international buses services.

Get around

ATM operates a public transport network which is pretty efficient (especially the underground lines and the streetcars). Single tickets are available from newsstands and bars, daily and two-day tickets are available at subway newsstands and the tourist information office. Single tickets are valid for 75 minutes, during which you can use them on as many trams and buses as you like and for one metro ride. Your time starts once you validate it by inserting into a box which prints the date and time on it. These are found inside trams and buses and at the turnstiles at the metro. If you've first used a single ticket on a bus or tram you must also validate it when you enter the metro.

• The Metro has four lines, each commonly identified by a color as shown below, and is the best way to get around if you're near a station. The lines are: MM1, red (rossa); MM2, green (verde); MM3, yellow (gialla), and Passante, blue. Note that Passante trains pass less often than other lines' trains.
• Trams run above-ground on rail lines running through the streets. Being above ground means you get a view of what you're passing, so if you don't need to go far they're convenient and fun.
• Buses should probably be your third public transport option. Less comfortable than the metro and trams but more routes to choose from.
• Taxis are pretty expensive and can be hard to find while walking around, since taxi drivers prefer waiting in long lines near major landmarks. Don't bother trying to flag them down as they'll only pick up from taxi stands or by phone booking.
• Cars are definitely not a good idea to take into the city centre. Like most major cities traffic is a considerable problem, not to mention the hassle of parking. During working hours traffic is nearly blocked, inside the city and on the highway ring surrounding. Much better at night, but you'll probably have problems finding a place to leave the car near enough to nightlife attractions.
• Several buses connect suburban cities and towns surrounding Milan. Some are managed by ATM, other from some other societies. You can travel on most on them with an inter-urban ticket (biglietto interurbano) which are sold in two forms: including travel in Milan or without. In the without form you can just arrive to the end of the line, while in the cumulative version you can transfer to any ATM line. There are several rules and distance limits associated, inform yourself about them.

• For information on how to get to the old Exhibition centre (in the centre of Milan) or to the new Exhibition centre (near the town of Pero and Rho) follow the appropriate link in the #External links section

See

Museums

• di Brera, on Brera Street. Reach by bus or tram
• Pezzoli Museum, on Manzoni Street. Reach by subway, line MM3, Montenapoleone Station, or with many buses and trams.
• Egyptian Museum, in Sforzesco Castle. Reach by subway, line MM2, Lanza Station, or with many buses and trams.
• Modern Arts Museum (PAC), in Palestro Street, near Porta Venezia Gardens. Reach by subway, line MM1, Palestro Station, or with many buses and trams.
• and Technology Museum on S.Vittore Street. Reach by bus or subway, line MM2 Sant'Ambrogio Station.
• di Milano on Alemagna Street. Reach by bus 61 or subway, line MM2 Cadorna-Triennale Station.

The Reale, behind Duomo, always hosts a different exposition. Usually expositions are very interesting.

Churches

Some of the most beautiful churches one can see in Milan are:

• The Duomo, in Duomo Square, is Milan's main Cathedral, a massive late Gothic church in white marble, with hundreds of spires and thousands of statues on its exterior. Currently the famous facade is covered in scaffolding. Don't miss the chance to climb up onto the roof. Great views between the Gothic spires. Reach by subway, lines MM1 or MM3, Duomo Station, or with many buses and trams.
• Saint Mary of the Graces ('Santa Maria delle Grazie') , where the Last Supper ('Cenacolo Vinciano') by Leonardo da Vinci is housed. You must make a reservation several days in advance as tickets are usually sold out, recently by as much as three weeks or more. Tickets can be only be reserved by phone (02.8942.1146). Reach by tram 20-24-29-30 or by subway, line MM1 and MM2 Cadorna Station.
• Saint Ambrose, in Sant'Ambrogio Square, a beautiful early romanic church which was almost destroyed by allied bombing in World War 2.

Historic Monuments

• The Sforza Castle, where the Sforza-Visconti ruling families of Milan resided. Later it was the Austrian governor residence, when Lumbardy was part of the Hapsburg empire.
• Alla Scala Theatre =>, one of the most renowned opera house in the world has recently reopened after extensive renovations.

Other sights

• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the mother of all shopping malls, upscale shops in splendid 19th century palace of a mall.
• Biblioteca Ambrosiana historical library with treasures such as drawings by Leonardo on display.
• Via della Spiga and its neighborhood is the center of high-class shopping, where almost every luxury brand can be found.
• Porta Ticinese and the surrounding area is a very old fashion quarter nearly untouched by WWII bombings. At night Milan people like to have a walk near Colonne di San Lorenzo (S.Lawrence's coloumns).

Do

Milan is a great city to walk around and see the sights and people.

Football - watch the AC Milan or FC Internazionale, at the famous San Siro. Tickets for most matches available in advance or on the day.

Learn

Milan has 8 universities and the largest number of students in italy.

• Università degli Studi di Milano => friendly known as Statale, established in 1924 in a XIV building named Ca' Granda with a marvellous internal courtyard. The University is on Festa del Perdono Street, very close to Duomo. Reach by bus or subway, line MM1 MM3 Duomo Station. It has also other facilities around the city, the most important placed in Celoria Street.
• Politecnico di Milano => is a Technical University established in 1863 and it's now one of Europe's most outstandig centre for Engineering, Architecture and Industrial Design. The main building is on Leonardo da Vinci Square, reach by bus, tram or subway, line MM2 Piola Station or Lambrate Station. The other main (and newest) facilies are around Bovisa FNM Station.
• Università Bocconi =>, established in 1902, is one of leading place in Italy for Economics. The central building is in Sarfatti Street and other facilities are in the surrounding area. Reach by bus 79.
• Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore => friendly knows as Cattolica, established in 1921 in the XV century Saint Ambrose Monastery, it has two very beautiful cloysters designed by Bramante. Università Cattolica is on Gemelli Street, right behind Saint Ambrose Basilica. Reach by bus or subway, line MM2 Sant'Ambrogio Station.
• Università di Milano - Bicocca => is a new university born as a spin-off from Università Statale. It's placed between Milan an the once-industrial small town of Sesto S.Giovanni, in an recently heavy restructured old tire factory grounds. Reach by bus, tram of railway, FS Greco-Pirelli Station.
• LIUC => established in 1991 north-west of Milan, in the small town of Castellanza, half way between Milan ad Malpensa Airport, is a youg yet very active university. Reach by train, FNM Castellanza Station.
• IULM => is a Comunication-oriented university, established in 1968. Reach by bus or subway, line MM2 Romolo station.
• Università Vita Salute - San Raffaele => established in 1996 around San Raffaele Hospital, one of Italy's top research centre in biotechnology and medicine. Reach it by subway, MM2 Cascina Gobba station, then light railway to San Raffaele.

Almost every Milan University has several facilities around the city and some of them have also secondary centres in other areas of Lombardy and Italy, so if you need something specific you'd better ask before getting there. Every University has their own students' residences, which are much smaller of how they should be, so they can accept only small part of demands. If you're not able to get a room in a residences, every university has an ISU, a Studying Right Institute, that can help you find a room or an apartment for rent. Note that renting a room or an apartment can be very expensive, starting at 400-500 euros/month for a room. => is an association that is now experimenting a project to help non-milanese students find a home and retired old people find somebody helping them in everyday life. The project is called Prendi in casa uno studente (Bring a student home), you can ask for information by email at meglio.segreteria(at)meglio.milano.it or by phone at 02.76020589.

Buy

Milan is a fashion shoppers' paradise.

The main shopping area is the fashion quadrangle, roughly between Duomo Square, Scala Square and San Babila Square. Here, in Montenapoleone Street, Vittorio Emanuele Street and Manzoni Street, all major stylist have their main shops: Giorgio Armani, Prada, Gucci, Versace and so on.

For people wanting to spend a bit less, while still buying beautiful things, other areas are better. One of these is Vercelli Avenue, another one is Buenos Aires Avenue.

For hipsters there's the elongated Porta Ticinese area, expecially on saturday, when the Fiera di Senigallia take place near Darsena (now that area is closed and Fiera di Senigallia has been moved to a place nearby Porta Genova MM2 and FS station).

For artisanal male shoes, you can do much worse than going in Via Belfiore, near Vercelli Avenue.

Eating and drinking

Please, eat Italian food. It's great. Try one of the risotto dishes, for example, and remember that Italians generally don't like any foreigner who asks always for spaghetti or pizza, so please, read the menu and remember that almost every restaurant has a typical dish.

However if you're on a long tour of Italy and want a break, in Milan you can also find good Chinese, French, Mexican, etc. food. Chinese restaurants are mainly located around Paolo Sarpi Street, the heart of Milan's Chinatown.

Avoid the restaurants around the Duomo (cathedral) and the central area, they tend to be tourists-only, very low quality at high prices.

Restaurants

At the two Osteria del Gnocco Fritto the 4.5 euro cover charge includes baskets of fried, square, hollow, hand-size pastries (similar to sopapillas) accompanied by meats, cheeses, or jams (8 to 11 euro). At Via Pestalozzi, 16 (tel. 02 89122631) and off the Grand Canal at Via Pasquale Paoli, 2 (tel. 02 58100216).

The Osteria dei Formaggi on the Grand Canal (Alzaia Naviglio Grande, 54) serves all manner of excellent cheese dishes in an intimate dining room heavily decorated with cows. (tel. 02 89409415)

Breakfast

Cappuccino and brioche.

Pizza

Milan is not Naples, the birthplace of pizza, but you can find good pizzerias everywhere. The best areas for pizza are near Marghera street, at the end of Vercelli Avenue, and on the Navigli, on Brera, on Paolo Sarpi.

In Milan pizza is eaten with a knife and fork, not with one's hands, but of course eating with one's hands in possible and welcome

Snacks

During Summer enjoy Gelato, excellent Italian ice cream. The best area for getting a gelato is near Marghera street, at the end of Vercelli Avenue, but you can find it good also on Navigli.

Drinking

In the last several years Milan has established a local version of the Aperitivo or Happy Hour.

Roughly from 7pm to 9pm, many bars offer drinks and cocktails at a fixed price (5-8 euros each), also offering buffets with snacks, pasta, rice, and many other appetizers.

It is not difficult to get a dinner's worth out of an Happy Hour.

Some of the best places for the Happy Hour are:

• Exploit Café, near the San Lorenzo Columns, in Porta Ticinese Avenue;
• Bar Bianco inside the Sempione Park;
• Roialto, in Piero della Francesa Street, near Sempione Avenue;
• Honky Tonks, in Fratelli Induno Street, near Sempione Avenue;
• Bar Magenta, in Carducci Street
• Birrificio Lambrate with it's own beers, in Adelchi Street, near Lambrate Station.
• Many others, especially near Vetra Square and on the Navigli (the navigable canals).
• Simonetta, bohemien pub, with comics and musicians, with beer at 3E on Mondays

Sitting down for coffee or for a drink in Duomo Square or in the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery can be nice, but it can also be very heavy on the wallet.

Milan by Night

Milan has a great variety of place where you can have fun. A great starting point is Como Avenue, near Garibaldi Station, full of bars and glamorous clubs. Another place where you can go is Navigli quarter, near Porta Ticinese Avenue and XXIV Maggio Square, where you can find a lot of small pubs. In many pubs and bars you can find a free booklet named Zero2 which is a guide to Milan Nightlife: if you don't know what to do or where to go, do grab one!

There are bars and clubs open all week long but usually only few people go out at night on Mondays or Tuesdays, the vast majority prefer to have fun on Thusdays, Fridays and Saturdays. However, Wednesday night appears to be one of the coolest to go out in stylish vip-frequented clubs.

Sleep

Cheap

IYHF hostel: Follow the signs from QT8 stop on the red line to Molino Dorino. Very relaxed curfew compared to most in Italy. Look out for the nightwalkers you pass on the way to the hostel.

Postello: http://postello.realityhacking.org/ (in English too)

• * THE CHEAPEST **

Ostello Olinda: http://www.olinda.org/2005/ostello.htm (a former psychiatric hospital :-)))) )

Mid-range

All these have ensuite facilities, shower,bath, WC, TV in room, 24 hour lobby.

• Hotel Canova as of 2004 Tel: 0266988181 Fax: 0266713433 Via Napo Torriani 15, singles Euros 51 doubles Euros 68 cheapest booked via Octopus Travel, more expensive direct. Parking Euros 20 per night, or use cheaper local garage. Excellent location near Stazione Centrale and low price restaurants.

• Mercure Milan Corso Genova as of 2004 Tel: 02 643 50 03 singles Euros 60, doubles Euros 70, parking Euros 20 per night.

• Best Western Galles as of 2004 Tel: 02204841 singles from Euros 75, Queen size bed from Euros 92, parking Euros 21 per night.

Try for a good range of hotels in Milano

• Hotel Casa Mia , Viale Vittorio Veneto, 30 (corner P.zza Repubblica) - Ph. +39.02.6575249 - Fax +39.02.6552228 =>. Just 15 minutes walk to the Duomo and 10 minutes to Via Montenapoleone, small and attentive. Average prices: single rooms €65, doubles €90, triples €120.

• Hotel Ideale , Via dei Mille 60 - Ph. +39.02.701.065.66 - Fax +39.02.701.066.66 =>. The Center of Milan, Università Statale, Centrale Train Station and Linate Airport are just a few minutes from Hotel Ideale. Average prices: single rooms €40, doubles €60, triples €75.

• Hotel La Residenza , Via Scialoia 3 - Ph. +39.02.6461646 - Fax +39.02.6464268 =>. A stay in Milan dedicated to comfort and tranquillity. Approximate prices: single rooms €55, doubles €88, triples €100, quadruples €120.

Stay safe

Although Milan is generally a safe place it pays to watch ones valuables, especially while making use of public transportation or in other crowded areas. Perhaps you should avoid certain part of the city at night, such as Central Station area, and peripheric and suburban quarters, they become a bit unsafe at night because of the lack of nightlife.

Get out

Lake Como - Beautiful lake in the foothills of the Alps. See the villages of Como, Mennagio, Bellagio & Varenna. Regular trains & buses.

Monza medium-size town with a beautiful pedestrian-only centre and marvellous park, Parco di Monza, the largest enclosed park in Europe. Inside the park there is the Autodromo Nazionale where the Formula 1 GP and other minor races takes place.

Bergamo - Elegant walled hilltop university town. Regular trains & buses.

External links

• Comune di Milano - official site of the City (in Italian).
• Official site of the tourist office of Milan
• ATM Azienda Trasporti Milanese (Public Transport Society of Milan)

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