The first word that comes to mind when Milan is mentioned is probably “fashion”. If you think that as soon as you step into the city, you will see very stylish people and you will feel like you are at a fashion show, you are not wrong. Everyone, from locals to tourists, is very stylish and well-groomed in this city. Already, the city’s economy is largely based on fashion and the automotive industry.
Milan, the second largest city in Italy after Rome, is located in the Lombardy region. Of course, the official language is Italian, but thanks to its cosmopolitan nature, English is very easy to understand and be understood.
To go to Milan, you need to have a valid Schengen visa or green passport because Italy is within the Schengen area.
Milan is actually an expensive city, but it is possible to drink a delicious coffee for 1 euro and eat a delicious slice of pizza for 3 euros.
The city is ideal for a 2-day weekend getaway. There are many cultural and social activities as well as a substantial number of historical/touristic structures here. In addition, due to its location, it is an ideal and easily accessible place to go to the villages around Lake Como.
We don’t know what those who find Milan boring can expect, but if you love Italy in general and like museums, cathedrals, pizza, coffee and a little bit of art, we think you will have a pleasant time here.
Let’s come to the fine details of the most economical trip that can be made in this expensive city.
TRANSPORTATION TO MILAN: HOW TO GET TO MILAN?
You can reach Milan with a 3-hour direct flight from Turkey. We landed at Orio al Serio Airport in Bergamo from Thessaloniki with our Ryan air flight, which we bought months ago for 200 TL. For the details of this trip, “Lake Como is the most beautiful route to visit” on the blog. You can check our article.
Other economic airline companies, including Pegasus, organize voyages here. As soon as you leave the airport, you will see that there are many buses lined up to get to Milan. You can reach Milan with these buses by paying a fee of 5 euros.
On this trip, we rented a car and toured the Lombardy region. You can also find the details of this article on the blog.
In addition, many airline companies such as THY land at Malpensa Airport, which is located closer to the city center. From here, you can reach the city center in a shorter time by bus or metro.
The last of the 3 airports in Milan is Linate Airport, but there are no flights from Turkey.
MILAN CITY TRANSPORTATION
After coming to the city center from Milan airport, you don’t actually need to use any other public transport. It is a very easy walking and pleasant city to walk. However, those who still prefer can use the metro, tram or hop on hop off buses that shoot directly to touristic points.
If you are going to use public transportation in the city, we recommend that you get a Milan Card . With this card, you can enter some touristic places for a discount or even free. Our first suggestion for a more economical trip is to choose the one that best suits your travel time among the 24 , 48 and 72 hour options.
Flixbus, Autostradale or Terravision are the bus companies you will see here. With these buses, you can reach other cities both from the airport to the city center and from Milan. The price will of course vary according to your route. “I have time, and while I’m here, I’ll see other cities.” If you say so, try to buy the online tickets of these companies before your trip so that you have the chance to benefit from serious discounts. Let this be our second economic suggestion for you 🙂
ACCOMMODATION IN MILAN: WHERE TO STAY IN MILAN ?
Let’s come to the top item of a travel budget: Accommodation! Yes, accommodation in Milan is more expensive than other cities. We generally prefer airbnb or booking.com. Unfortunately, we could not find an option in Milan that would not break our budget. We don’t know if our trip coincided with Halloween night, but stay-style houses or hostels were quite expensive and many were full. (Unfortunately, we made the mistake of leaving the accommodation to the last minute!) We stayed in Bergamo on our first night, thinking that we would spend a day in Milan for this reason, as we were already going to rent a car and tour Lombardy. It was a practical method in line with our plan when we landed at the airport in Bergamo by plane anyway.
If you have planned to visit Milan directly, we say that you should take a look at Milan Centro and Brera regions. Accommodation in Centro will be convenient as you will not have to use an extra public transport, but we recommend that you book early as prices increase as you get closer to the city center.
WHAT DEFINITELY SHOULD BE DONE IN MILAN ?
If you are going to Milan in summer , you should sit and have a picnic in Sempione park .
You can take a canal tour in the Navigli area and then have an aperitivo evening in one of the restaurants lined up around the canal.
You should go to a typical Italian bar and grab a quick shot of espresso. Yes, you heard right. Italians don’t spend hours at a table drinking coffee like we do. They go to the bar, order coffee, drink their poisonous espresso in one gulp (which we drink very strong coffee!) and pay the bill and continue on their way. A very sweet and local experience for us.
Bosco Verticale , Vertical Forest: You can take a look at these buildings, which means vertical forest. In our opinion, these buildings with greenery sprouting from their balconies, windows, roofs, right and left , can rival the Dancing Tower in Prague . 🙂
Cimitero di Monumentale di Milano : Milan version of the famous cemetery Père Lachaise in Paris . There are mausoleums that look like works of art in the cemetery. This is one of the places that tourists find most interesting.
WHAT TO EAT IN MILAN ? WHAT TO DRINK?
The most common recommendation you will see on the internet will be pizza in Spontini . However, in our opinion, you do not have a chance to eat bad food in Italy, so you can give a chance to any pizzeria that pleases your eyes and heart.
By the way, Aperitivo culture in Italy is one of our favorites. You can go to any restaurant and pay only for the drink you drink, and you have the chance to fill your stomach with the snacks offered. Let this be our third economic trip tip, where you will experience this local Italian experience and spend a very economical night 🙂
Starbucks Reserve Roastery : Yes, there is Starbucks in Italy since 2018! However, as you can guess, tourists prefer this place rather than locals. Even if not for coffee, you definitely need to make an input and output to see the magnificent architecture of the place.
SHOPPING IN MILAN: WHAT TO BUY IN MILAN ?
Would a reader of our economic travel guide do shopping in Milan? We did not know 🙂 But it would not be possible to skip this topic. If you say you won’t come back from Milan without buying anything, let’s take you to Monte Napoleone Street , the popular shopping street with the most luxurious shops .
La Rinascente is the Milan equivalent of the famous Galleries La Fayette in Paris . This is a shopping mall where you can find all kinds of things and is Italy’s most famous chain of stores.
MILAN CITY TOUR
In fact, 1 day is enough to visit all the important touristic places in Milan. But if you spend 2 days, you can feel the Milan spirit better.
When you take the square where the Duoma di Milano , that is the Duomo Cathedral, is located, as a rectangle and take a full tour around this square, Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II on one side, Plazza Mercanti on one side and Palazzo Della Ragione where you can sit on the stairs and enjoy the square , on one side Museo Del Novecento and Palazzo . On one side of Reale , you can see and visit La Rinascente .
Other must-see places in the city are; Santa Maria delle Grazie , Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio , featuring Leonardo Da Vinci’s fresco The Last Supper, Brera Art Gallery, or Pinacoteca di Brera , which houses the works of geniuses such as Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio, is the most famous opera house in the world built in the 18th century. La Scala , which is a historical museum, and Castello Sforzesco , a medieval-Renaissance fortress with works by Da Vinci and Michelangelo .
If you try to walk all these important points without stopping, you will have finished Milan in 1 hour. That’s why we have prepared a beautiful walking route for you.
Outside the center of the city, Milan Centro; Brera , a bohemian region, with its canals surrounded by cafes and restaurants, the Navigli region, which is the smallest of Amsterdam, and the Isola region , one of the hip regions of recent times, are among the places to enjoy and visit.
Meanwhile , the tunnel connecting Isola and Garibaldi stations is filled with street art. You can also see the works of Zibe , one of the most famous artists in Milan’s street art, around this area, for example , on the wall of Frida Bar .
ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHTLIFE IN MILAN
Nightclubs in Milan are located on the Boulevard Como . If you want to have fun until the morning, you need to aim for this boulevard.
In Navigli and Brera , it is possible to find a pub or entertainment venue suitable for every style.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT NEAR MILAN : ALTERNATIVE TOURS
After spending 1-2 days in Milan, the place you should go is, of course, Lake Como. Maybe you are actually one of those people who bought a Milan ticket to go to Lake Como It takes 1 hour by car to reach Como village from Milan. Among the villages surrounding Lake Como, the most visible ones in our opinion are; Bellagio, Lecco, Varenna, Como and Menaggio . You can also take a boat tour between these villages.
In addition, if you have rented a car or have a flexible time to travel by bus, Bergamo, Cremona, Crema, Pavia, Brescia are the places we definitely recommend you to see.
MILAN TRAVEL NOTES
Milan is a bit more expensive than other European cities and even other Italian cities. However, we still think it is a must-see city, even to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
