LANGUAGE

Italian

CURRENCY

Euro

BEST TIME TO VISIT

April to May and September to October

NEAREST RAILWAY STATION

Milano Centrale railway station

NEAREST AIRPORT

Malpensa Airport (MXP)

EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER

112

INTERNET ACCESS

Wireless internet access is widely available in Milanese hotels, cafes, shops, museums and restaurants, usually free of charge (although some of the very top end hotels still charge upwards of €10 per day for access). There’s also free city-wide access at info.openwifimilano.it although it isn’t always reliable. If you don’t have your own computer, a few of the higher-end hotels will let you have use of a computer or iPad. Otherwise, there are just a handful of internet cafes charging €2 to €6 per hour. Some cafes will request ID in order to use their facilities.

VISA

Not required for EU citizens. Nationals of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the US do not need visas for visits of up to 90 days.

Citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland do not need a visa to visit Italy. Nationals of some other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and the US, do not require visas for tourist visits of up to 90 days. For more information and a list of countries whose citizens require a visa, check the website of the Italian foreign ministry (www.esteri.it).

The standard tourist visa issued by Italian consulates is the Schengen visa, valid for up to 90 days. This visa is valid for travel in Italy and in several other European countries with which Italy has a reciprocal visa agreement (see www.eurovisa.info for the full list). These visas are not renewable inside Italy.

HOTEL

Big, sprawling Milan can be overwhelming when you look at a map. It’s not nearly so daunting when you notice that most major things to do are within walking distance from the Duomo, itself Milan’s prime attraction. And they line up conveniently, so walking to the outermost of them takes you past one or two others. These highly-rated hotels in Milan are close to the important tourist attractions:

LUXURY

Hotel Spadari al Duomo

Grand Hotel et de Milan

Park Hyatt Milan

MID-RANGE

Gran Duca di York

Hotel La Madonnina

Hotel Star

BUDGET

Antica Locanda Leonardo

London Hotel

Casa Mia Hotel

COST OF LIVING

Milan is not an obvious tourist city, partly since it’s most famous as a fashion and banking capital, and neither of those is really visible to the average visitor in any meaningful way. Still, this is where you come to see the Last Supper mural and one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world.

Hotels and even hostels in Milan can be extremely expensive, depending on the time of year you travel. This is a business city so at times every room can be jammed with well-heeled business people, but a week or a month later there might be great discounts at some of the same hotels.

The main attractions are quite reasonably priced, and there’s plenty of free things to see, but be aware that if you want to see the Last Supper you need to reserve well in advance because access is very limited. Food and drinks run the gamut, with some excellent northern Italian cuisine being very pricey while pizza and other casual options remain affordable to budget travelers.

Hotels in Milan tend to stay fairly crowded all year round, with prices only lowering during the first three months of the year. This is a business city so things can be unpredictable, depending on conferences and trade shows, and weekend deals are sometimes possible. There can be a huge difference between hotels with similar star ratings, so don’t assume you’ll be happy in the cheapest.