Travel to Milan
Flying to Milan
Airlines operating direct flights to Milan from the UK include Alitalia, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. From the USA, there are direct flights with Alitalia, American Airlines, Delta, Emirates and United. Fares are fairly consistent year-round, with rises during peak holiday periods.
Flight times
From London - 2 hours; New York - 8 hours; Los Angeles - 14 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 10 hours 30 minutes; Sydney - 23 hours 30 minutes (including stopover).
Travel by road
Italy has an excellent network of tolled autostrade (motorways), the main north-south link being the Autostrada del Sole, which links Milan with Reggio Calabria, in the toe of Italy. Those on a budget may prefer the stradestatali, which are often fast, have multi-lane carriageways and are toll-free.
Milan traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for driving is 18 years. Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on non-urban roads, 90kph (56mph) on local roads and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. All those without an EU licence must carry an International Driving Permit. A Green Card is useful, though not compulsory for EU nationals.
Automobile Club d’Italia– ACI (tel: +39 06 491 115; www.aci.it) can provide further information.
Emergency breakdown services
ACI (tel: +39 803 116).
Routes
Milan is a major traffic crossroads. Italy's central artery, the A1 (Autostrada del Sole), travels due south from Milan to Reggio Calabria via Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples.
The A4 (Turin-Milan-Bergamo-Brescia-Verona-Venice-Trieste) forms the ring road skirting the north of the city. Named Autostrada Serenissima, after Venice's nickname, this is the trouble spot where north-south and east-west traffic meet and drivers often feel anything but serene.
Traffic from Varese and Lake Maggiore on the A8 and from Switzerland and Como on the A9 can also get tied up here. Genoa, to the southwest of Milan, is reached by the quieter A7.
Coaches
Milan has no coach station. Coaches for the airports run from the Air Terminal at the Stazione Centrale, while the principal intercity and international coaches depart from Piazza Castello, next to Castello Sforzesco.
The coach company Autostradale (tel: +39 02 3008 9000; www.autostradale.it) provides information on connections to the rest of Italy. The Azienda Transporti Milanesi (tel: +39 02 4860 7607; www.atm-mi.it) office in Stazione Centrale also offers advice.
The international departures, operated by Eurolines (tel: +39 861 199 1900; www.eurolines.it) from Piazza Castello, connect with services to most European cities.
Time to city
From Turin - 1 hour 50 minutes; Bologna - 2 hours 30 minutes; Florence - 3 hours 25 minutes; Venice - 3 hours; Rome - 6 hours.
Travel by Rail
Services
Milan trains are reliable and reasonably priced, although hefty supplements can be added depending on the type of train (Diretto, Inter-Regionale, InterCity or Eurostar). All regional tickets must be validated by stamping them in the yellow machines on the platform before boarding, though e-tickets are also accepted.
The main railway station in Milan is the Stazione Centrale, Piazza Duca d'Aosta, which has high-speed links to other major cities in Italy including Bologna, Venice, Genoa, Turin, Florence and Rome. The vast neo-Babylonian facade dates from the 1930s, dwarfing the ticket offices below from where escalators rise to the platforms and shops.
Milan has 10 other stations mostly feeding commuter routes. Porta Garibaldi has useful services to Varese, Bergamo and Cremona, and is where trains from Paris arrive.
Operators
Ferrovie Nord Milano - FNM (tel: +39 02 85111; www.ferrovienord.it) runs trains from Cadorna station (downtown Milan), including the Malpensa Express. The Italian state railway, Trenitalia (tel: 892 021, in Italy only or +39 6 6847 5475; www.trenitalia.com), runs the rest.
The direct Rome-Milan service between Italy's most important business centres is fast and reliable. For ports, there are regular trains to Venice and Genoa. The EuroCity train services link Milan to other European destinations.
Journey times
From Rome - 2 hours 55 minutes; Venice - 2 hours 35 minutes; Florence - 1 hour 40 minutes; Naples - 4 hours 25 minutes.
