Milan was the very first place to travel at the end of the pandemic. We decided at the spur of the moment. Without very much planning. The planes started flying and offered seats for low prices. There was no time to hesitate. We got our third vaccine and were more than ready.
Milan was not, to be honest on our bucket list. But it was near, it was famous, and we had not seen it yet. Reasons enough to buy tickets on the low-cost plane to Milan Bergamo.
accommodation in Milan
Next, we searched for accommodation on Booking.com. It had to be near the center and public transport with a direct line to the train station. We also filtered the ones with free cancellations and with strict health measures. Finally decided to take a room at BellaMI hotel, a short-term room rental agency. It was an excellent choice. The room rental facility has contact-free check-in and out, and was clean and quiet. It is within walking distance of the center and on a direct tram line from the Central train station.
We got an excellent price for the accommodation because we made a reservation about two months ahead with the option of free cancellation and no payment in advance.
The room in the BellaMI hotel
For every travel, we use the budget planning table. We begin with putting estimated round figures in sections. The figures come from investigating how much it could cost and the amount we are willing to spend.
We calculate the money for the food based on the average daily cost at home and add an extra 20%. While traveling we have our light breakfast in the room. The main meals we eat in some restaurants and other meals are fast food or takeaway.
Free table Template on page Tables, lists
local transport in Milan
Local transport is the transport from the airport to the city and back. We chose public transport by bus that connects Milan- Bergamo airport with Milan central train station. Many companies operate this line. Check for yourself:
https://www.milanbergamoairport.it/en/bus/
The buses stop in front of the airport building. You can buy tickets online or on arrival in front of the buses. The price is 10€ per person one way. We went with Teravision because it had the most frequent rides. The most convenient is to arrive at Milan Central station where you can change to any other public transport.
Milan Central station
Trains in Italy are excellent. There are so many lines that connect almost every place. They are fast and faster, comfortable and affordable. Tickets can be bought online and in advance. That way you can get much cheaper tickets because it is the same principle as plane tickets. The price goes up with the demand.
When in Milan we decided to visit Lake Como. It is near and you can make it in one day.
The trains from Milano Centrale station run frequently to Como. Look for the fastest connection because the price is the same. An average ticket costs 4,80€. We had to calculate the cost of the boat on Lake Como and the bus on return.
Details about that are in our post One day on Lake Como.
public transport in Milan
Milan has an underground/metro network and lots of bus and tram lines.
A single ticket is valid for 90 minutes after stamping. It is possible to move along more routes and combine more vehicles, either with several intermediate stops. It is possible to make return journeys with the same ticket, always within 90 minutes of the validation, even by making many entries on the subway. Price: 2,00 €.
IMPORTANT: it is advisable to buy more tickets at once! They sell them at the Central train station: one floor down to the tobacco shop in the main entrance hall. We had a problem, later on, buying some more because they stopped selling them in shops across the town.
During our stay, we preferred walking and a tram ride. Tramlines go through the old city center and around. They are handy for taking a break from walking and resting while sightseeing in the city.
If you are in better shape and condition than us, you can use many public bikes, scooters, and motorscooters to share or rent.
See the choice of vehicles to share or rent:
https://www.yesmilano.it/en/articles/kick-scooter-bike-motorscooter-sharing-rental
tickets
While preparing for the trip we collected information about the places we are going to see. For Milan, there is much online data and suggestions on what to see.
We put all that in our Attractions table, noting what type it is. Next to that is a column to place if we need the tickets for that or not. If yes, how much are they, and is there a reduction for +65?
That gives us an approximate amount of money to plan for tickets and entrance fees.
Fortunately many places worth seeing in Milan are free.
List of the places to visit
Free Template on page Tables, lists
There are two churches where you need to reserve tickets in advance. It is because there is a limit of people who can be inside at the same time.
Those two are Santa Maria Delle Grazie with the famous Leonardo da Vinci’s Last supper and La Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. Good thing is that you can reserve it online and pick the time for the entrance.
More about it in our next blog post What to do in Milan in 2 days.
extras
In the end, you can put the amount of money you are willing to spend on souvenirs.
It is always good to prepare a sum for some extras. That means there will always be things you cannot predict or you choose to do something out of planning. The amount is up to you. With time and experience, the amount for that will get smaller.
Itinerary
Along with the planning and researching we were building our itinerary to see how it all fits together. Our 3 days in Milan ended in 5 days of travel. That was because the plane to and from Milan was flying in the middle of the day. Going to and from airports took us most of the day. We wanted to see Lake Como so much that we squeezed it in one day.
More about it in One day on Lake Como.
Very helpful in making an itinerary are sites Visit a city and Wonderlog. Both have mobile apps that are handy while traveling. And both are completely free. There you pick and add attractions and it calculates how far they are from each other and show you the way on the map. And many more features.
