Milan – one day trip

The airport in Bergamo is an excellent hub for farther travel across Lombardy and other regions in Italy. If you have a free weekend, no plans and around 40€  in your pocket, I invite you for a short one-day trip to Milan! In order to save on accommodation, it’s best to buy tickets for the morning flight and return in the evening. I flew from Warsaw early in the morning, while on the way back I took advantage of Ryanair (departure at 9.20 pm to Warsaw – Modlin Airport). Total cost ticket was around 20€.

From the Orio al Serio Airport you can get to Milan by bus. There’re many operators like: Autostradale, Oriosuttle and Flixbus.Tickets can be bought online even for € 4 and 9 € for return ticket. Latecomers can buy tickets at the desks located in the main hall. Bus stops are in the front of the entrance to the airport. Most buses go to the Central Station in Milan, and the journey time is less than an hour.

The first tourist attraction  is the Central Station – Milano Centrale, located in a beautiful historic building. It is perfectly connected with other cities in Italy, so travel to Milan can be extended for example with a trip to the beautiful Lake Como or even farther to Verona, more you can find here.

The train station is located right next to the Centrale Fs metro station, where  a yellow metro line runs towards the famous Duomo Cathedral. Metro in Milan is one of the most modern in Europe and the ride is a tourist attraction itself. It’s worth sitting in front of the car, which is driven automatically by a computer.

Regular ticket costs 1,5€  and is valid for 90 minutes. At the price of 4,5€  you can also buy a 24-hour ticket, for all modes of transport in Milan (data from 2018, full price list you can find by clicking here. Travel you can plan here. Public transport map is available here.

Metro station is located in Piazza Del Dumo right next to the famous Duomo Cathedral. The Duomo enchants at first sight. It’s one of the largest sacral buildings  in the world. Indeed, it’s not that big like famous Basilica in Lichen in Poland but it’s unique due to the amount of decorations and marble figures on its facade.

Anyway, it’s not surprising, it was under construction for about half a century! The construction of the facade of the cathedral was speeded by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, who wanted it to be ready for his coronation. What’s more, Napoleon’s figure was located on one of the towers of the Duomo.

Duomo cathedral  has over a hundred towers, but there is no bell tower at its peak. In fact, there’re bells inside, but they’re  used only for special occasions, because vibrations could damaged the fragile decorations

The amazing towers of the cathedral can be admired from the top terrace. Admission to the terrace is quite expensive as it costs 12,5€ but it’s worth it. A more expensive ticket includes admission to the Cathedral.

However, the interior of the Cathedral can be seen after getting off the terrace, that’s why you can only buy a ticket to the observation deck. Tickets can be purchased here.

Next to the cathedral is the most famous arcade – the Gallery of Victor Emanuel. Milan is considered the capital of fashion right after cities like New York, Paris or London. The famous Fashion Week is organized here.

The Gallery is said to be the oldest shopping centre in Italy, here you can see boutiques of the most famous fashion designers.

An important point on the tourist map of Milan is Castello Sforzesco.

The castle is surrounded by Sempione Park – the largest park in Milan. Here you can take a rest by the lake, go to the viewieng tower and Japanese garden. Park ends on the Arch of Peace.

A visit to Milan can be the opportunity to try local dishes. Contrary to popular opinion, pizza and pasta are not typical dishes for Lombardy. The most popular dishes are for example: ossobuko (stewed calf’s foot) or busecca – sliced tripes with beans. I’m not a fan of offals, so I ordered a safe option – Risortto Milanese – rice with saffron. While my friends were served crispy, aromatic pizzas, I received something like this…

Tour cost:
– flights around 20€
– bus on the route airport- Milan – airport around 10€
– urban transport tickets 3 €
Usefull maps and applications are available here.