For me happiness is travelling - MILAN, Italy (tips and more)

Hello my stemians!

I want to wish all of you a Happy Thursday! Hope you are feeling great and happy!

My choice for today’s post is Milan, the capital of fashion. I visited this city almost two years ago and it was one of my first vacations only with my mom, I love travelling with her, our relationship got stronger thanks to this activity. We visited in late February, the weather was pretty cold, but we still enjoyed our stay there.

We arrived in the evening and went straight to the hotel to leave our luggage. We stayed a bit and recovered after the flight and then we went on a promenade directly to Duomo!

I find the Duomo one of the most beautiful cathedrals I ever saw, it made my night beautiful just by being able to see it, after that we went to a restaurant to eat some pasta!!! Because we were a bit tired and started raining, we went to rest at the hotel, because in the following days we would have our schedule full!

After a good night sleep and an Italian breakfast, we went directly to the Church Santa Maria delle Grazie, where we had our reservation made for seeing The Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci. It is vital to book your tickets before your trip because usually the tickets are sold in advance for months. You can buy only online! Your stay in the room where are you seeing The Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci, is limited to 30 minutes and by a number of persons, so you must respect the hour written on your ticket. The painting was created between 1495-1497!

Unfortunately, it is not in the same condition because it was damaged during the WWII bombing, among other events. It is one of the most known pieces of art in the entire world. Actually, this is not a painting, but a mural painting. In the other corner of the room, you can see the Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato Montorfano, another beautiful mural painting!
The Church Santa Maria delle Grazie was finished more than 500 years ago, in 1490, so you shouldn’t miss it if you are visiting Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. I guess you did not know that the door of the church is even older than the church itself.

After that we went on a walk to Sempione Park, one of the largest park in the city. It is really close to the Sforza Castle and the Arch of Peace. If you are visiting this city on a good weather you can canoe on the park pond, drink a juice/coffee in the park pubs if you are with your kids there are kid's playgrounds and recreational facilities.

In the following morning we visited the Duomo, a Catholic Cathedral, one of the most important attractions in Milan. We stayed in the queue at least 30 minutes, so probably it’s better to buy the tickets online. Duomo is located right in the city centre, so you can take the metro or walk, depending on your hotel location. The construction of this marvellous cathedral started in 14th century, but the final touches were added also in the 20th century, so it was designed for approximately 600 years, amazing! The gothic cathedral has a capacity of 40 000 people. The exterior is more spectacular than the interior.

In this picture, you can see the Madonnina, the most famous statue of the cathedral, made from copper.

We also visited the Palazzo, the home of Duomo Cathedral Museum. It is an essential cultural centre and exhibition space. It was restored after the damages caused by a bomb in 1943. In the centre of the Piazza del Duomo, you can spot the statue of the king Victor Emmanuele II designed by Ercole Rosa.

Another important attraction right near the great Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which was constructed in 1877. There you can find only expensive shops like Prada, Gucci, Dior and more.
It has patriotic symbols in the decoration, mosaics and murals; on the façade are statues of Italy's greatest scientists and artists. It is one of the oldest malls in the entire world.

Later we went to the Sfarzo Castle, where you can find one of the best museums in Milan. It was constructed in the 14th century. is a historic fortress which houses several of Milan's best museums including the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco.

One important reason to visit this place is Leonardo da Vinci, you can see can see ceiling paintings, in case you miss The Last Supper.

Why to visit this city:

• Italian Cuisine, I love it!
• Duomo
• The last supper
• Shopping, there are a lot of outlets, probably the best month is January. Here are some outlets you can check out: Serravalle Designer Outlet, Vicolungo The Style Outlets or Franciacorta Outlet Village.

How to get from the airport to the city:
Milan has the three airports: Malpensa International Airport, Linate Airport and Bergamo Orio Al Serio Airport. Don’t worry you can easily get to the city centre by public transportation!

Malpensa International Airport is the largest airport of Milan, located 49 km from the city.
You can choose one of the options below:

1. Train
   Malpensa Express is a great and fast way to get to the centre of Milan. The one-way ticket cost 13€ and the return ticket 20€. You can buy online before your trip or directly from the airport. We chose this option because it’s a bit faster than the bus.
2. Coach – there are several companies which provide the same service. The coach is a little bit cheaper than the train.
   You can take the Terravision bus, the trip lasts 50 minutes. The ticket starts at 6€. You can buy the tickets online, on board or directly from the airport. For more, check here
   Another option could be Malpensa Bus Express, you should check this.
3. Taxi- most expensive way to get to the city.
   I recommend the taxi only if you are in a hurry, you are losing the plane or something, the trip will cost at least 90€.

Linate Airport is the second airport in Milan, located only 7km away from the city centre.
You can choose one of the options below:

1. Coach
   You can take Air Bus Linate Centrale. one way ticket costs 5 €, return ticket costs 9 €. More info about the schedule, here.
2. Taxi
   The trip has a duration of 25 minutes. On average the trip to the Central Station costs 35 €.

Bergamo Orio Al Serio Airport is the low-cost airport of Milan, located 45 km away from the city.
Here you have the following options:

1. Terravision Bus I think is a good option, you can find tickets at 5€. In March I will be flying to this airport and I think I am gonna take this bus. 42 minutes is the travel time.
2. The train is a bit expensive than the bus, the ticket starts from 7€ and the trip would take 1h.
3. Taxi is obviously the most expensive way to get to the city, it would cost at least 80€.

Accommodation:
There are a lot of options, the prices are a bit higher than the prices in Rome, but I am sure you can find something on your taste. Our hotel was located really close to Piola Metro Station, so I would recommend you to find something near the Metro.

When it’s the best time to visit:
We visited in late winter, the weather was pretty cold, so I would especially recommend spring and summer time and January for the sales. I have a friend who visited Milan in spring and it looked totally different from what I had seen, so green and shiny. I will be returning this spring in Milan, as a part of my trip to Morocco, because I am flying from Bucharest to Milan, Milan to Fez. Hopefully, I will have the time to visit the city again, though I have on my plans to visit Bergamo and Lake Como, if I do not succeed maybe I will return on summer, the plane tickets are extremely cheap from Bucharest.

Public Transportation:

• Trams- one of the most complex networks in Europe
  
• Buses- are connected with the suburbs
• Metro
• According to this , these are the fares for the public transportation
  1 Ticket 1.50 €
  10 Standard Tickets 13.80 €
  One-day ticket 4.50 €
  Two-day ticket 8.25 €

MilanoCard is a great opportunity for the tourists because you have free public transportation and discount for many museums, shops, and restaurants. There are two types of this card:

• MilanoCard for 24 h - 7€
• MilanoCard for 72 h -19€

Did you know that Milan has the most skyscrapers in the country?

Prices of the main attraction:

• Duomo- the ticket price starts at 12€ if you are a student.
• The Last Supper - you should book in advance, the tickets are hard to find. The price depends on who is the seller. Here is the official website,, I think here you can find the best price.
• Palazzo Sforzo, the admission ticket is 5€, also you can buy online.

What can you do, if you are staying one week in Milan:

• Day trip to Lake Como – This is what I am planning to visit this March, stay tuned for my post.
• Day trip to Bergamo - This is what I am planning to visit this March, stay tuned for my post.
• Day trip to Verona – This is what we did, even though we stayed only a few hours. Probably I will write a brief post about the city of Romeo and Juliet.

Sources:

• https://www.visitacity.com/
• http://www.malpensaexpress.it

Hope you enjoyed my post!
Best wishes
@alexandraioana26

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