Milan Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Airlines operating direct flights to Milan from the UK include British Airways, Alitalia and Lufthansa, as well as low-cost carriers Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2.com.

Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP)
Tel: 02 232 323.
Website: www.sea-aeroportimilano.it

Milan Malpensa Airport is located 48km (30 miles) northwest of Milan and is the city's biggest airport, handling transcontinental and other international flights. In general, most European and all transcontinental flights arrive at Terminal 1, while charters use Terminal 2.

Airport facilities
Milan Malpensa Airport facilities include banks, bureau de change, newsagents, cafés, bars and restaurants. After check-in, there are electrical goods, clothes and fashion outlets, as well as the usual duty-free shops. Tourist information, a post office and car hire operators, including Avis, Europcar and Hertz, are available upon arrival.

Transport to the city
The hassle-free way to travel to Milan's city center is by rail. The Malpensa Express (tel: 02 8511 4382; www.malpensaexpress.it) runs from Terminal 1 to Stazione Cadorna, just north of the historic center. Trains stop at Milano Bovisa Politecnico and Saronno Centro. Alternatively, a shuttle connects terminals with the station at Gallarate, where there is a choice of trains to Stazione Centrale or Stazione Porta Garibaldi.

Coach services, operated by Air Pullman (tel: 02 5858 3185; www.airpullman.com), depart for Stazione Centrale, Milan Fiera, Milan Lampugnano and Piazza Castello. The same company also operates the free shuttle bus service linking Malpensa with Linate airports (journey time - 75 minutes). Taxis to Milan's city center are available at both terminals. The trip into town costs around €70.

Approximate flight times to Milan
From London is 2 hours; from New York is 8 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 11 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 9 hours 15 minutes and from Sydney is 23 hours 30 minutes.

MilanLinate International Airport (LIN)
Tel: 02 232 323.
Website: www.sea-aeroportimilano.it

Milan Linate Airport is located 7km (4 miles) east of Milan's city center and provides the easiest access to and from the city.

Airport facilities
Tourist information, post-office, banking and exchange facilities are available during office hours and there is an on-site restaurant and snack bar. Car hire companies include Avis, Europcar and Hertz.

Transport to the city
A coach and local bus service operate from the airport to Milan's city center. The Starfly shuttle service (tel: 02 5858 7237; www.starfly.net) runs to Stazione Centrale. The cheaper alternative, the ATM (tel: 800 808 181; www.atm-mi.it) bus 73, runs to Piazza San Babila. A free shuttle bus service also links Malpensa and Linate airports every 15 minutes. Taxis are available to the city center from outside the terminal. The fare is approximately €15.

Getting There By Road

Italy has an excellent network of tolled autostrade (motorways), the main north-south link being the Autostrada del Sole, which links Milan with Reggio Calabria, in the toe of Italy. Those on a budget may prefer the strade statali, which are often fast, have multi-lane carriageways and are toll-free. Milan traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for driving is 18 years. Speed limits on motorways are 110-130kph (68-81mph). All those without an EU license must carry an International Driving Permit. EU nationals taking their own car will need an International Insurance Certificate or Green Card (Carta Verde).AutomobileClubd’Italia– ACI (tel: 06 491 115; www.aci.it) can provide further information.

Emergency breakdown services
ACI (tel: 803 116).

Routes to the city
Milan is a major crossroads for traffic heading north, south, east and west. Italy's central artery, the A1 (Autostrada del Sole), travels due south from Milan to Reggio Calabria via Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples. The A4 (Turin-Milan-Bergamo-Brescia-Verona-Venice-Trieste) forms the ring road skirting the north of the city. Named Autostrada Serenissima after Venice's nickname, this is the trouble spot where north-south and east-west traffic meet and drivers often feel anything but serene. Traffic from Varese and Lake Maggiore on the A8 and from Switzerland and Como on the A9 can also get tied up here. Genoa, to the southwest of Milan, is reached by the quieter A7.

Driving times to the city
From Turin - 1 hour; Bologna - 2 hours; Florence - 3 hours; Venice - 3 hours; Rome - 6 hours.

Coach services
Milan has no coach station. Coaches for the airports run from the Air Terminal at the Stazione Central, while the principal intercity and international coaches depart from Piazza Castello, next to Castello Sforzesco. The coach company Autostradale (tel: 02 7200 1304; www.autostradale.com) provides information on connections to the rest of Italy. The Azienda Transporti Milanesi (tel: 800 808 181; www.atm-mi.it) office in Stazione Centrale also offers advice. The international departures, operated by Eurolines (tel: 08 6155 4014; www.eurolines.it) from Piazza Castello, connect with services to most European cities. Direct services from Milan include Warsaw, Prague, Vienna and Istanbul.

Getting There By Rail

Rail Services
Milan trains are reliable and reasonably priced, although hefty supplements can be added depending on the type of train (Diretto, Inter-Regionale, InterCity or Eurostar). All train tickets must be validated by stamping them in the yellow machines on the platform before boarding. The main railway station in Milan is the Stazione Centrale, Piazza Duca d'Aosta, which has high-speed links to other major cities in Italy including Bologna, Venice, Genoa, Turin, Florence and Rome. The vast neo-Babylonian facade dates from the 1930s, dwarfing the ticket offices below from where escalators rise to the platforms and shops. Milan has 10 other stations mostly feeding commuter routes. Porta Garibaldi has useful services to Varese, Bergamo and Cremona.

Rail Operators
Trains from Cadorna station (downtown Milan), including the Malpensa Express, are run by Ferrovie Nord Milano - FNM (tel: 02 8511 4382; www.ferrovienord.it). The Italian state railway, Trenitalia (tel: 892 021 in Italy only or 06 6847 5475; www.trenitalia.com), runs the rest. The direct Rome-Milan service between Italy's most important business centers is fast and reliable (journey time – 4 hours). Services include the InterCity, with services to destinations such as Rome, and the luxurious Treno Eurostar, which also links Milan to Rome via Bologna (1 hour) and Florence (2 hours 10 minutes). For ports, there are regular trains to Venice (3 hours) and Genoa (1 hour 30 minutes). The EuroCity train services link Milan to more than 40 other European destinations.

Getting Around in Milan, Italy

Public Transport

For those foot-weary travelers tired of dodging scooters, Milan has a comprehensive transport network run by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi - ATM (tel: 02 4803 8345; www.atm-mi.it). Swapping between the metro, bus, tram and trolleybus is easy, thanks to an integrated ticketing system.

The metro has three lines - red MM1, green MM2 and yellow MM3 - which converge at Duomo, Centrale FS, Loreto and Cadorna. Tickets must be validated by punching them in the SITAM machines on-board buses or at the metro stations. Tickets are available from newsagents, tobacconists (a capital T for tabacchi distinguishes these outlets), most cafés and at automatic vending machines at major metro and bus stops.

Passes, valid for one or two days, are available from ATM railway offices at Cadorna, Centrale FS, Duomo, Loreto and Romolo. A carnet of 10 tickets is also available.

Taxis

Taxis (usually white or yellow) can be hailed on Milan's streets, although they rarely stop. It is better to hire them at taxi ranks outside train stations. You can also call a taxi: the main firms are Radiotaxi (tel: 02 5353) and Autoradio (tel: 02 8585). Tipping is not expected, but you should usually round the fare up to the nearest euro.

Driving in the City

If at all possible, driving in Milan should be avoided. Milan's streets are congested day and night and parking is very difficult. Roadside parking in the historic center is limited to a maximum of two hours within the blue lines marked by sosta a pagamento (pay to stop) signs, while paying for hotel or private garages is expensive. For visitors making a day trip to Milan, the best option is to head to one of the park-and-ride schemes run by ATM, which connect with Milan's metro system. Those determined to drive further in could try the private, 24-hour car park of Autosilo Borgospesso, Via Borgospesso 18, close to the cathedral.

Car Hire

To hire a car in Milan, drivers must be 23 years or over and must have been in the possession of an EU license or International Driving Permit for at least one year. Insurance is included in the hire price. It is best to add collision damage waver (CDW) and personal accident insurance (PAI). Car hire companies in Milan include Avis (tel: 02 6707 0884; www.avis.com) and Hertz (tel: 02 6698 5151; www.hertz.it).

Bicycle Hire

Milanese are enthusiastic cyclists and often spend Sundays cycling along the canals or cycle paths to the countryside outside the center. Cycling in the center may seem a good option in a flat city that has many dedicated cycle paths, but traffic fumes, hair-raising driving and tram tracks are just some of the problems cyclists face. Bicycle hire is not commonly available to visitors.