Milan: Top tips

Despite doing a lot of research before my trip to Milan, there were a few things I learned while I was there that I wish I’d known sooner. So I’ve put together some of my top tips for anyone planning a trip to the Lombard capital.

Getting there

Milan has three airports – Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo. I flew into Malpensa, which is some 30 miles from the centre of Milan.

It’s really easy to get to Milan from the airport – there’s an express train that takes you to Central Station or Cadorna Station.

But I chose to hop on the express bus, which leaves every 20 minutes from Gate 4 – it only costs €8 (I bought my ticket from a guard beside the bus) and takes around an hour to get to Central Station.

Linate and Bergamo airports also have express bus services that take you to the centre of Milan.

Getting around

The city centre is very compact and all the main sights are within walking distance. But if your legs are tired or you want to get from A to B quickly, then the Metro is very reliable.

The underground transit system has four lines – a red, yellow, purple and green one – and stops close to all the major sights.

You can buy your tickets from the ticket machines or kiosks in the Metro stations. But be warned, many of the ticket machines are old and aren’t in the best condition, and I found a lot of people struggled to use them so you can be queuing for a while to buy your ticket.

A one-way ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for 90 minutes or you can buy a day ticket for €4.50.

Sightseeing

The Last Supper

If you’re planning to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper while you’re in Milan, make sure you book your tickets weeks in advance. I booked my tickets two weeks before I went and the only tickets left on the Saturday morning were for slots that started before 9am.

Tickets cost €10 (plus a €2 booking fee) and you can buy them from the Vivaticket website or by phone on +39 02 9280 0360. Only 30 people are allowed in to see The Last Supper at any one time and visits last 15 minutes.

You’ll need to pick up your tickets at least 20 minutes before your scheduled visit – the ticket office is in a separate building to the Santa Maria delle Grazie refectory, it’s the other side of the small garden next to the refectory entrance.

The Duomo

Milan’s magnificent cathedral is open every day from 8am and if you’re planning a visit, you’ll need to buy your tickets from the box office across the street or online from booking.duomomilano.it.

You can buy tickets for the cathedral, its roof terraces or its archaeological area, or you can do as I did and buy a Duomo pass, which allows you to visit all three and will save you money.

I opted for the Duomo Pass B, which cost €12 and gave me access to the terraces by foot. If you want to take the lift to the roof terraces, you can buy a Duomo Pass A for €16.

But unless you have mobility issues, you’re better off saving yourself the €4 and walking – it’s not a particularly arduous climb and you’re at the top before you know it.

Food

Dishes

Milan’s most famous dish is probably osso bucco, which is a dish of slow-cooked veal shanks in a vegetable broth. It’s often served alongside risotto alla milanese (above), which is a saffron-based risotto.

I made sure to try both during my trip to Milan and the osso bucco, in particular, was incredibly tender and tasty. I ordered it at a pleasant little restaurant called Momus on the Via Arco. Milan is also the home of Panettone.

Panzerotti

On my first day in Milan, I passed a small shop called Luini (above) selling panzerotti that had a long line of people outside queuing to get inside.

Whenever I go anywhere and see a long line of people queuing for food, I take it as a good sign.

So at lunchtime the next day I headed over to Luini’s, tucked away in a little side street between the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade and the Duomo, only to find there were two enormous queues stretching down the street – in both directions!

Panzerotti look like pasties but are essentially small calzone pizzas – they’re made with dough and filled with typical pizza toppings such as tomato, mozzarella and hot salami.

They also have sweet versions with fillings such as peaches, almond and amaretti, and figs, walnut and cocoa.

I joined the queue and it took around 20 minutes to get served, and I was amused to find there was a security guard near the front making sure no-one pushed in and the queue moved efficiently.

I opted for a tomato, mozzarella, anchovy and olive panzerotto (above), as well as a chocolate and pistachio one, which I saved for later. I then copied my fellow diners and stood in the street opposite the shop tucking into my warm panzerotto.

It was delicious and worth the wait! The sweet panzerotto was also very good.

Restaurants

Before going to Milan, I’d read the Brera district (to the north of the Duomo) was a good place to go for dinner.

So on my first night, I headed off on foot up the Via Brera only to find a number of places that looked like tourist traps. Famished, I stopped off at one where the food was good and reasonably priced, but not quite as nice as I was hoping for.

On my final night, I did a bit more digging and found I was in the right district, but at the wrong end.

So I hopped on the Metro and got off at Lanza (on the green line), then headed in the direction of the Via Mercato and the neighbouring side streets where there were loads of great restaurants. If I was to visit Milan again, this is where I’d go for dinner.

Food shops

Milan is renowned for its fashion boutiques, but the city also has some impressive food shops.

The food hall on the seventh floor of La Rinascente department store is incredible with unbelievably pretty chocolates, desserts and patisserie (above), along with unusual pastas, pasta sauces, condiments and wines. It’s not cheap, but well worth a browse.

Peck is another of Milan’s famed food halls, it’s like the Milanese Fortnum & Mason’s. I had a great time wandering around and gawking at all the incredible food stuffs I couldn’t afford to buy.

There’s a fish counter, a meat counter, a cheese counter and so on, all brimming with top quality produce, as well as chocolates and other sweet treats that are so pretty it would be a crime to eat them (above).