Last weekend, we ventured to Milan from our temporary home base in Lucerne. We were staying in Lucerne for a little under three weeks while CJ was on a special project at work. I will share all about our stay here, but that is for another day. 🙂 We were planning to stay in Switzerland the whole time since there are so many amazing cities to see within a 2 hour radius. When one of CJ’s co-workers recommended Milan for the affordable food, wine, and shopping, we were sold! We also wanted to take advantage of being so close…who knows when we’ll have a chance to come back?
Getting there:
At 6:15am, we walked to the train station from our hotel to catch our first train. We got off at the station in Lug and had time to grab coffee before hopping on the train to Milan. We were surprised to see that we had most of the train to ourselves. It was new and spacious, so it felt like we were traveling luxuriously! Unfortunately, about an hour and a half later, we had to get off at one of the stops to run to our assigned seats in the front of the train. It was great while it lasted! 😉 We arrived in Milan around 11am, making the trip about 3 1/2 hours.
The train station in Milan is where things got a little hectic. We were spoiled by the fact that everyone speaks English in Lucerne, and that everything is efficient and orderly. We soon realized that Milan was going to be a very different experience. It is comparable to NYC: a heavily populated, tourism filled city, where everyone is rushing around trying to get where they need to be. Finding out how to get to our hotel and exchange currency was complete chaos. Eventually, we figured out how everything worked, bought a 3-day public transportation pass, and found our way to the hotel.
Accommodation:
Around 2pm, we arrived at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Milan. CJ had enough points for one night, and our second night was only $90. It was an updated and modern hotel, and everything about it was very nice! We were able to eat a complimentary breakfast each morning with Hilton status. Had it not been free, we definitely would have saved $ and eaten somewhere else.
Since a 3-day transportation pass is only $12, it is worth it to stay here if you are on a budget. The only downside is that it’s located almost 4 miles from the city center, and even further from other popular areas. This might not sound like very far, but the main mode of transportation is a trolley bus with many stops along the way. It took around 30-40 minutes each way from the hotel, so it just depends on your preference. If you are looking for places to eat and shop close to the hotel, then this is not the place to stay. It worked out great for us, once we figured out the system!
Transportation:
When we arrived at the train station, we looked for an app or machine where we could purchase a transportation pass. We followed the signs, and found that we needed to buy them in a gas station-like store. There was a long line coming out each side, so we must have arrived at a popular time! We learned that it was similar in other areas to purchase tickets, so we just stayed in line.
After buying our passes, we headed down the escalator to hop on the Milan Metro. This is very similar to the subway system in the U.S. I don’t know what we would have done without Google maps! We put our destination in, and it let us know which metro to take, and where to get off. Next, we needed to head outside to catch one of the trolley buses called the “ATM”. We took this the rest of the way to our hotel.
Places we visited:
Duomo Milano @ Piazza del Duomo
The city-center of Milan is called the Piazza del Duomo. Duomo Milano is the cathedral pictured here. As we turned the corner and saw the cathedral for the first time, it was honestly breathtaking. Pictures just don’t do it justice! It is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have seen. The grandness and detail are worth marveling at. We didn’t pay to go in, but we would love to do this next time. However, just seeing the outside is worth it.
I would recommend starting your journey here. This is where we landed on Friday evening. We ate at a pizza and pasta restaurant nearby called “Ristorante da Giordano il Bolognese.” It felt so good to sit and enjoy a meal after a long day of travelling! There are many other restaurants in this area to choose from, but just know that they will be very busy depending on the time. Most of the main attractions are centered around the cathedral, and you can walk just about anywhere you need to from this location.
Naviglio Grande @ Navigli
Navigli is a neighborhood located in southwest Milan. It sits on a canal called the Naviglio Grande which is lined with restaurants, shops, a market, and apartments. It was gloomy and raining by the time we made it here, but it was still enjoyable to walk around. The area was very busy, but way less overwhelming than the city-center. First we stopped at “Fud Bottega Sicula” for drinks. We were planning to eat dinner next, at a place called “Il Secco,” but learned that it was only a Prosecco bar.
I’m so thankful we stopped here, as we had one-on-one time with the bartender for about an hour. We learned so much about Prosecco and had other great conversations. It felt like our own private experience. The bartender recommended that we try a restaurant down the canal called “Acquasala.” I can’t recommend this place enough! We had the best meatballs I have ever tasted, and we each tried a different type of pasta and shared. It was the perfect way to end our evening.
Sempione Park
This is a huge park in the middle of the city, and is definitely worth a walk-through. There are beautiful paths, ponds, statues, and buildings within the area. I would compare this to Central Park, but on a smaller scale. It was a breath of fresh air (literally) from the chaos. The park is north of the city-center, and was the closest attraction to our hotel. We started our Saturday here, and walked until we ran into Sforzesco Castle at the south edge of the park.
Sforzesco Castle
Visiting this castle is a must! Once again, we didn’t pay to visit the museums within the castle, but it was worth it to see the outside. There is a large moat outside and inside the castle walls, with beautiful courtyards to walk through. There are also free public restrooms which are very hard to come by.
After walking all the way through the outdoor portion of the castle, we ran into a gelato cafe called “Bar Castello.” CJ got cheesecake and a chocolate espresso drink, while I got a shot of espresso and gelato. It was the best gelato I have ever tasted! I would go back to this place to try different flavors. It was a half mile to get from here to the Duomo cathedral, and the main street we walked is lined with stores like Zara and H&M. We would love to come back to this area to go shopping, as the prices are SO good!
Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio
We stumbled upon this church while walking the streets around the city-center. It was absolutely beautiful inside! Many of the churches are open to the public and full of tourists. We felt awkward walking in at first, but it really is meant to be explored. This is just one of the many basilica’s in the area, and I would recommend visiting one of these to admire the beautiful architecture and artwork.
Starbucks Reserve
I know that Starbucks Reserve is available in the U.S, but this was one of our favorite parts of the day. We weren’t planning to go due to the long line outside, but we decided to give it a try for a good American cup of coffee. We can only do so much espresso! To our pleasant surprise, the line went very quickly. Not only is it in a beautiful building, but it was a great place to rest from the misty and cold day. We chose to do the “experience” where we picked our blend and watched our coffee be brewed in a siphon. It came with delicious chocolate paired with the blend we chose. We were able to fill up our water bottles here, and once again, there was a free public restroom which was a huge bonus!
Places we would love to see next time:
Teatro Alla Scala– Milan’s famous opera house which opened in 1778.
Armani Silos– A fashion art museum with several floors of Armani’s clothing exhibit.
Gallerie d’Italia– An art museum with works from the 19th and 20th century.
Orto Botanico di Brera– A botanical garden located in the Brera district.
Santa Maria delle Grazie– A church that contains Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting.
What we learned for next time:
- Don’t exchange money at the train station. With the exchange rate and tax, we lost almost half of our money. Not worth it when most places take card, although it is worth it to find a card that doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee.
- If random men walk up to put “happy bracelets”, on your wrists, kindly give them back and walk away. Before you know it, it will be knotted on your wrist and then you feel obligated to hand over cash. They get ya fast!
- Learn some basic Italian.
- Make an itinerary- there are so many places to see and eat, that it would have been much less overwhelming with a plan.
Overall, we had a great weekend, and hope to return one day. Milan isn’t for everyone, especially if you prefer outdoor adventures to big cities. We loved getting to experience a completely different culture and amazing Italian food. If you are a history and/or fashion lover like me, Milan makes a great weekend trip!
Have you ever been to Milan, and if so, what places would you recommend? Leave a comment with your recommendation!