The biggest reason why I wanted to visit Milan was because of my name. So I can say, I’ve been to Milan and my friends can say “Milan has been to Milan” or “Milan was in Milan last year (or a different time frame). I know, it’s funny that I would do that but you have to cut me some slack here, there is a whole city that has the same name as me. I had to go. As I did more research on what I should do in Milan, it turned out that I wanted to visit for other things too. Today, I will go over some of those things and will also recommend to you some places around Milan that are worth visiting. I was only there for a day but the next time I visit Milan, I definitely want to visit the outskirts of Milan, which I heard are beyond beautiful from fellow travelers at the hostel.
- I had my return ticket booked for Chicago but if I had a few more days, I would’ve gone up to Lake Como. It’s 30 minutes from Milan via train and have heard great things about it from fellow backpackers. I want to go to Italy at some point, especially for Lake Como.
- So, if you’re planning a trip to Milan, make sure to add 2 more days to that trip so you can spend those extra days in Lake Como. I’m really sad I couldn’t go because I wasn’t aware of Lake Como until I got to Italy but don’t make the same mistake as I did.
Today I will go through:
1) Airport – Milan Malpensa Airport – MXP OR Train Station – Milano Centrale
2) Public Transportation
3) Hostel – Queens Hostel – 1 days
4) Five things you HAVE to see
5) Currency Exchange
6) Food
7) How to get to the airport Malpensa (MXP) from the city center
1. Airport – Milan Malpensa Airport – MXP OR Train Station – Milano Centrale
I took a train from Pisa Centrale that got me to Milano Centrale around 6 pm, which was good because the san wasn’t as hot and things were a little calm at the train station. If you’re in Italy, I highly recommend traveling via train or by rental car. Even out of those two options, I believe that rail is a better option because even with a car, you have much to worry about such as petrol, staying awake, insurance, rental charge and much more. Where, on a train, you can simple buy a ticket for less than $20, enjoy the view, work on your blog a little bit, and nap! It was a 4-hour train ride but it went by so fast and the views were just amazing.
2. Public Transportation
I got out of the train station and my hostel was a 20-minute tram ride away. Trams in Milan don’t run as public transportation in the UK, they don’t have a contactless system. So, you would have to buy tickets and then get on it. Another thing to keep in mind, there aren’t actual ticket-buying kiosks or people. You can buy public transportation tickets from any general merchandise shop. You seriously just go up to a shop and ask them for however many tickets you need, and they will sell you the tickets. Only for CASH though. When you get out of the train station, you’ll see a giant apple made of concrete and that’s when you’ll know that you’re in the right spot. Turn to your right and you’ll see the tram station. I took tram #9 which dropped me off right outside of the hostel.
3. Hostel – Queens Hostel – 1 day
I stayed at Queens Hostel and it was a small tram ride to it but super amazing! Being on a team was a great experience. I was in a room with 2 guys from Mexico and 3 girls from other parts of the world. New York, Australia, and Belgium. It was a 6-bed dorm room and I was the 6th one. The girl from New York was 18 years old and had left her house and everything to travel. She had been traveling for about 4 months now and was headed to Barcelona to work some server job at a restaurant, make some money, and continue her travel further. Wicked. The girls from Australia and Belgium were also nice, they both had been traveling for about 3 months and still had about a month to go and two guys from Mexico were nice too! They had brought some spicy candy from Mexico and offered me some!
- If you wish to book Queens Hostel for your stay, click here
4. Five things you HAVE to see
Once I arrived at my hostel, The three girls and I went out for a nice dinner, and not going to lie, that was good. It was a short walk from the hostel and the food was amazing! I came back to the Hostel with them and then figured out my itinerary for the next day. Milan is a very small city; I mean there really isn’t much to see besides the cathedral and the fashion district which is right next to it. The girl from Belgium and I decided to explore the city together and so I checked out of my hostel and left for the cathedral. The cathedral is amazing from the outside but just as amazing from the inside. I sat there in the church for a bit since I was in no rush and took in every moment of it. Also, because Milan was pretty much my last city before I was headed back to Chicago. After the cathedral, we went to the fashion district, not that we could really afford anything from there but yet we went to every high-end store and acted as if we were going to buy something. From there, I bought souvenirs for my best friend Swetal and then we were headed to some castle. It was this broken ancient castle, not much to see but it led to this arch which was amazing. The arch is where we decided to separate because I had to go back to the hostel to leave for the airport and she was still exploring the city since she was there for 2 more days. I got back to the hostel, ordered my last pizza in Italy, and left for the airport.
– If you’re in Milan for a day like me, these are some of the things you must see
1. Milan Cathedral
3 Euros ($3.38)
This is the most important thing in Milan. If you don’t see this Cathedral, you’ve missed out big time.
It’s only 3 Euros to get in the cathedral but obviously, if you want to go to the top of the cathedral for an aerial view, it’s a bit more.
If you would like to purchase your tickets, you can do here: Link
2. The Fashion District
FREE
Things here will be way out of a backpacker’s budget but it does not hurt to check it out!
There are famous brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada & many more
There are also great cafes around this place!
3. Branca Tower
6 Euros ($6.76)
I did not go up to the top because there was a queue for it but have heard that the views are absolutely stunning.
It would be better if you book your tickets ahead of the time and go, if possible, spend a couple of bucks extra and get the “Fast-track” tickets that let you skip the lines
You can purchase your tickets here: Link
4. Arc of Peace
FREE
The Arc is great to see and all but more importantly, there are a lot of local restaurants, souvenir shops, and small cafes around this monument.
You can easily shop a little bit and refuel with some snacks or drinks while people watching
5. Brera ‘s picture gallery
FREE
I’m not big on museums and picture galleries but I do believe that if something is free, there is nothing wrong in checking it out.
If anything, I found the building very unique and interesting
5. Currency Exchange
Currency Exchange. Local Currency: Euros (EUR). 1 USD = 0.88 EUR
You have 3 options, I recommend option 3:
1) Open a prepaid card. This is the method I used and it had its ups and downs. I used Travelex Money Card that you can find here. It’s pretty much like a debit card. What you will have to do is, open the card for $10 and you will be able to link it to your bank account. Every time you feel like you want to convert some money onto your Travelex Money Card, you can use their app to say what currency you want to convert it in and with in seconds, that money will be on your card and you can use it right away. It’s also contactless, so you can use it on the public transportation and you can set a 4-digit pin so you’re safe as well. I did a lot of research when I went to open this card and I couldn’t find a better exchange rate than Travelex. So if you are planning on picking this option, you’ll get a good rate out of its competitors.
2) You can also carry around cash but I DO NOT recommend this option. When you’re exchanging cash, you won’t get a good exchange rate and there is change of it getting stolen or lost.
3) Open a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. I recommend this option because when I left for my backpacking trip for the first time, I did not know such credit cards existed and so I never did my research. My personal favorite is United Explorer Visa Card that you can apply for here. I use this card pretty much anywhere I go abroad and since it’s a Visa card, it works almost everywhere. Another reason why I really like a credit card is that no one will give you a better exchange rate than a bank. It’s also very easy to use, simply use it as if you were to use it in the US and when prompted to choose between USD or EUR, pick EUR. It’s also contactless, no foreign transaction fees and you 2 lounge passes for United. So, if you’re in a place to open a credit card, I really recommend this option.
6. Food
If you’ve been reading lot of my Italy blog post, you know that this is my favorite topic to talk about when in Italy. When you’re in Italy, you just can’t go wrong about food.
- First things first when you’re by the famous cathedral plaza, you’ll see a lot of street vendors serving Cannolis on a food cart (Italian dessert)
- it does not matter which one you get it from, if you see one, you have to stop and try the Cannolis.
- Berberé (A vegetarian’s dream)
- This place serves the most amazing pizza in Milan. It is known for letting guests choose from three different doughs: classic, sourdough, or hydrolysis-based dough, which is yeast-free but bread-like nonetheless. The topping combinations are also very elegant: Fried eggplant goes with smoked ricotta, basil, and tomato; coppa with stracciatella, fior di latte cheese, and orange-infused oil. The pies skew on the smaller side, so it’s best to order one and a half pies per person.
- Make a reservation!
- Website: Link
- Phone number: +39 02 3670 7820
- Il Massimo del Gelato
- This place has 10 different varieties of chocolate gelatos and it also has sugar-free fruit gelatos as well!
- Only 2.50 Euros! Gelato! Gelato! Gelato!
- Ciripizza
- Go to this pizza place if you want healthier options!
- They can customize your pizza bread to be whole wheat.
7. How to get to the Airport from the city center
- If you need a way to get back to the airport from the city center, the cheapest way is to get on an Airport shuttle that’s outside of the Milano Centrale station. This is the cheapest option!
- After Milan, I had my flight from Milan, Malpensa (MXP) to London Gatwick and the shuttle to the airport was 6 Euros, which’s even cheaper than the trains that take you to the airport. It’s a non-stop shuttle.
- I think they leave every 30 minutes (also depends on how full the shuttle gets. I would advise getting on the shuttle at least 3 hours before your flight.)
- You don’t have to reserve them online as well, simply walk up to them and get a ticket.
