Thanks for reading about my trip to Milan! As with a few blogs in 2022, I am only getting around to writing in the summer of 2023 so there’s going to be some information I have either forgotten or I am guessing from my rather poor memory!
Overview
Milan is the second largest city in Italy after Rome, regarded one of the four fashion capitals of the world. Being in the northern part of the county, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Slovenia and Croatia are all within a manageable drive.
Thinking about what Milan is famous for apart from fashion and the number of tourist attractions, I can’t really think of much else apart from football, and my research tends to support this. However, it’s a very nice place and worth a visit, even if it won’t be in our top places.
A bit more on that statement. We did have a really good time, but with little interest in fashion and people watching in cafes, I think a day trip could have just about been sufficient! Before and after our trip we have been to Lisbon, Paris and Stockholm and each of these provided more things to do in line with what we like. Thankfully, what made the trip the best it could have been were our two day trips. That’s not to say you won’t love it, you’re just less weird.
Flights & Accomodation
For this trip we decided to give EasyJet’s holiday packages a go. Booking the trip was quite flexible with a range of hotels and prices to consider. Flights and hotel for 4 nights from Bristol came in at around £250-300 each. I expect now, 14 months later, it will be difficult to find something that price.
We stayed in a Best Western City hotel near the Lima subway station, quite central being a 15 minute walk to the main train station. The hotel was perfectly adequate for the price and offered a really good breakfast included in the price.
It’s worth noting that Milan has two busy airports, the one we went to had a direct train to the station (below) so I assume the other has convenient routes in to the city too.
Getting Around
Like other European cities, travel options are plentiful, whether using bus, metro or train. I can’t remember pricing more specific than it was good value. One pass allows you to use buses and metro.
From Milan you can also have some great day trips within a few hours train journey. You’ll see we went to Lake Como and Verona/Lake Garda during our stay, Turin and Brescia were also quite close too.
Costs
Again with this section, my memory is failing me a bit. It is safe to say that you can base the costs on London, with eateries being more expensive closer to the cathedral or posh areas. Museums that we considered and visiting the cathedral didn’t seem over the top. The trains to day trips were almost certainly cheaper than in the UK.
I do remember though, having our first Five Guys for years. That memory sticks not because of the food, but the fifty fucking euro price tag for two burgers, two fries and two drinks! I would love to say I learnt my lesson but we did the same in Leicester Square earlier this year.
Things we didn’t do…
Gosh, this list has the potential to be never ending. Instead, have a read through what we actually did and match that up with the countless recommended itineraries online.
Churches and museums aren’t our thing; there’s loads of them to explore. You’ll see that we did want to see the famous ‘Last Supper’ painting but you really need to book in advance to avoid paying silly prices with a pointless tour guide.
Day trip-wise in addition to our two good shouts, you’ve got Turin, several places around Lake Garda, maybe even Venice, where at a push you could stay overnight should your trip to Milan be a week or more.
For the travel box tickers, The tiny country of Liechtenstein is a drive away. I did check at the time but it wasn’t really doable as a day trip using public transport.
Itinerary – What we did…
Day One – First look around & San Siro stadium
As we arrived in to Milan quite early, we hoped to have a good walk around the city today, else we would have really busy days later on and have to do more on days we planned tiresome day trips.
The metro system was very easy to understand and with our travel cards purchased, we headed for the #1 attraction, the square containing Milan Cathedral, or Duomo. We’ll visit that on day four…
From here we aimlessly walked around for somewhere to eat, trying to find somewhere nice, Italian but not ridiculously priced, which we did, for a proper pizza (I can’t remember if it was too much or not enough cheese, so I’ll stick to frozen Aldi versions for now!)
After a quick search, we identified that the Sforzesco castle was only a few minutes away, followed by a big park, a monument and then a metro on to what was next.
You could walk through the gates of the castle, or in more detail called a medieval-renaissance fortress, to explore the area.
I’m sure there’s some type of museum or exhibition in addition to artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo…. My second favourite turtle. I can’t recall why we didn’t explore the building in more detail, but with the park peaking through the archway on a glorious afternoon this looked more appealing.
Being Easter the Sempione park was full of people getting some rays and playing sports. The park was busy yet peaceful as we walked through to the Arca Della Pace (arch of Peace) triumphal monument.
From here we wanted to travel a bit out of centre to one of the furthest stops on the metro, north-west to the San Siro stadium, home of football teams AC Milan and Internazionale. I had been to this ground twice, to see Manchester United play each team once…. Losing 3-0 and drawing 0-0. A rather ‘shit’ story about this ground a bit later on, but on a positive note, the stadium is one of my all time favourites. The first time I was up in the gods as the sun was setting, and I do love a spiral walkway on an arena! It will be criminal if they knock it down as planned, although internally it looks very tired.
We checked for any tours without success so could only really browse the club shop, though this did offer a peak of the pitch. I was also able to give Zlatan Ibrahimovic (albeit a cardboard cutout) a few minutes off being the hardest bloke in the stadium.
For the rest of day one, I can’t think of anything else worth noting. We went back to Duomo in the evening for tea, which was our horrifically expensive Five Guys and an ice cream.
Day Two – Lake Como
I’ve double checked that we did actually bugger off from Milan as soon as day two, gambling we’d have more to write home about (literally…) than digging for stuff to do in Milan. It was a good decision. We chose to organise the day around Lake Como ourselves using trains and boats, but I’m sure there are tours suitable.
The train to Varenna was picturesque but very busy, I think we had to stand up for the whole 140 minute ride. After a short walk from the station you get a first look at Lake Como and what a site it was! The lake is one of the deepest in Europe and set against the Alps.
We stayed here for around 90 minutes, walking to the small town of shops near the waterfront along very narrow paths and LOTS of tourists. I did search for somewhere to have a swim in the lake, but as nobody else were like minded, I thought better of it. Maybe a bit later in the summer or off the beaten path….
From here we caught a boat to Bellagio, which was even prettier than stop one, like…. Really fucking pretty. We didn’t consider stopping here for lunch thankfully, and the one takeaway pizza place had a queue that climbed the steep narrow streets. Instead, we had a nice walk around and sit down by the pier as we waited for our next boat to Como.
Como was much more populated, obviously as a city, making it easier to stroll around the waterfront and town area. As we were now rather parched, we first had some lunch, my first ever “poke bowl”, and then a walk around including the gothic cathedral. Sad I didn’t take more photos.
From here, we could get the train back to Milan. Quite straightforward, but bloody hell what a journey! Cramped, standing and roasting! The slight respite I had watching the last Newport County game of the season on my phone was constantly interrupted by no signal. This wasn’t the worst train of the trip.
All in all it was a wholesome day. I would go as far as being a must do if you have 3+ days in Milan.
Day Three – Verona and Lake Garda
Another day on our trip to Milan, another trip outside Milan. The plan today was to visit Verona with a swim in Lake Garda on the way back.
Having spent too long on crowded trains yesterday, we bought first class tickets (nowhere near UK fares) and had a comfortable few hours travel.
It would be hard to argue that Verona is mostly known for being the setting of Romeo and Juliet, even though that story was completely made up. We found enough to do between a lovely stroll for it to be a great idea.
From the train, Verona centre is a little trek of about 30 minutes walk. That’s why I got an escooter back whilst Kay walked on her own. Such a gent. We weren’t engaged then so… *shrugs*.
You know you’re in the right place when you see their coliseum. Obviously a lot smaller than Rome but still a cracking bunch of rocks. I think it’s still used for concerts and the like.
Walking through the small town we headed to Juliet’s balcony. Again, absolute bullshit, but a tourist magnet. The balcony looked recently renovated in a small courtyard with some gift shops and a statue of Juliet. A statue, where if you rub her boob you get good luck or some other bollocks. Hmmmm.
Bemused by that episode, before lunch we ascended Torre dei Lamberti. Oh I do love pretending I’m not so overweight and unhealthy by lugging myself up steps.
It was worth the effort and the stairs were a lot more accommodating than some… the cathedrals in Valencia and Prague castle spring to mind.
After an early lunch we went on to a bridge that was suggested, an opportunity for a cracking photo. From here we had a riverside stroll back and on to the train station.
Our day wasn’t over yet though. One of the stops between Milan and Verona was Peschiera Del Garda Sirmione station, minutes away from the famous lake. With my feet now starting to hurt (a common occasion throughout the year, significantly exacerbated when on busy trips), I was hoping to find a spot where I could have a dip in the water, ignoring the Porta Brescia fortress that would otherwise be of more interest. Again, similar to Lake Como, it appeared to early in the year for such activity with the pebbled beach deserted. The only ones populating the water were the birds, enough to put me off with their shit-anywhere policy.
We had some food again, mainly just to rest the kankles and wait for our train back to Milan. It’s here where I took the photo below, bringing back the nightmare of my first visit to Milan that I mentioned earlier in the blog at the San Siro.
As a young pup in 2008 I did not expect this for a loo, at half time during a Champions League semi final. Let’s just say I left the stadium one pair of pants lighter, and now always ensure I have a pack of tissues to hand. It’s not all girls and fast cars, kids.
On the way back to the station I did manage to give my feet a quick soak for some respite.
This was needed, as the 2+ hour train back to Milan was the worst in memory. It was baking and standing room only. I managed to sit on the floor for 5 minutes before it came even busier. I’m writing that sentence having a relaxed beer in a posh hotel in Turkey, appreciative that there’s probably some poor bugger on that train now.
One final point about Lake Garda, do your research and go somewhere nicer. I have no doubt some areas are on a par with our Lake Como locations. We just wanted to visit quickly to say we had been there.
Day Four – Duomo and some other bits
For our last day we planned to visit the cathedral and force ourselves to do a bit more in Milan. I’d like to say we had loads left to do having gone on two day trips, but nah, not really. We did try.
I would put a visit up to the Cathedral as a must do. We got our tickets with a really early timeslot and decided on stairs over the lift. Bear in mind I think the lift doesn’t go all the way up (check this). Thankfully the stairs were not that troublesome as you entered to high up on the side of the building, before a further climb where you’ll actually be walking on the roof!
You’ve got really good views of the square in front of you and pretty much all of Milan. The towering San Siro was a spec on the horizon (by the crane in the pic).
Aside from the views, the architecture and detail was a sight to behold, following the linear path after the roof, down towards the stairway that leads in to the cathedral interior.
FML I have to write about the inside of a church again…. Not my strong point. From what I remember, it was impressive inside but not on a par with the outside.
… and it had a lovely stained glass window. There.
The rest of the day wa spent visiting a few places, first by walking around after the cathedral and then a few buses or metro.
This included walking through the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II fashion arcade. Might offend people calling it an arcade lolz. I did take a few photos of some of the garments on sale, but in hindsight I don’t think they’re going to benefit from further advertisement on my blog. I wonder if Gucci or Prada want to chuck us some money? Do they do anything in XXL?
Without making a purchase (shock), we seen more splendid bits of architecture towards a Leonardo Da Vinci statue, that was good timing as we made our was to the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, the home of The Last Supper, one of the most famous pieces of art in the world.
If you remember the start of the blog, this place was actually something we didn’t do. Unfortunately buying a ticket on the day is near impossible, unless you are willing to pay €40-80 on a pointless guide. The place only has two rooms!
What happens, I think, is that all the local ‘tour guides’ buy the tickets for a tenner… ALL the tickets… Then only sell them on TripAdvisor etc. with a probably rubbish and unnecessary person. If you really want to go, make sure you buy them as soon as you can in advance, or pay the premium. We were disappointed to miss out bit everything has its value.
Anyway, we took a photo and went to our last stop, the Monumental Cemetery. How cheerful. For obvious reasons I didn’t take any photos inside, but we enjoyed a final stroll before the journey home.
No issues I remember getting home. To summarise, we had a nice time, it wasn’t in our top 10, and it was made better by visiting Lake Como and Verona. If you’ve been to and loved Milano please share any useful ideas and I’ll update.
Thanks for reading.
How Not 2 Life 