Milan City Guide
A cathedral of white marble with a forest of spires, the sumptuous glass arcade Galleria, La Scala and Leonardo's Last Supper. Italy's fashion capital wears its style openly. Add Brera, the fashion quadrangle and an aperitivo on the Navigli. Two ready-made day routes sort out art and dolce vita.
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Practical information for Milan
Public transport
Operator. City transport is run by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi, ATM for short, with five metro lines M1 to M5, a large tram and bus network and a few trolleybus lines. The suburban railways operate under the Trenord brand. Since 2019, both have been covered by the Sistema Tariffario Integrato del Bacino di Mobilità, or STIBM. It divides the region into concentric zones with Milan at the centre, named Mi1 to Mi9. Visitors who only see the city have little to do with this structure, since a single ticket at the Mi1-Mi3 level covers Milan plus the first ring of surrounding municipalities and is equally valid for metro, tram, bus, trolleybus and Trenord trains within this area. It's checked via gates in the metro and validators on surface vehicles.
Network. Four metro lines plus trams, including historic 1928 cars.
Modes of transport. Metro · Tram · Bus · Trolleybus · Suburban rail (Trenord)
Operating hours. The metro's operating day begins around 5.40am and ends shortly after midnight. This is documented by the official M4 timetable, where the first train from Linate Aeroporto towards San Cristoforo runs on weekdays and Saturdays at 5.40am, on Sundays at 6.00am, and the last one at 0.26am in each case. Frequency is high, between 7am and 8pm a train comes every one to three minutes on weekdays, every three to six minutes on Saturdays, and every four to six minutes on Sundays. As soon as the metro closes, night buses take over, with lines NM1 to NM4 following the metro routes above ground. ATM publishes the exact first and last services for the other metro lines per station as a separate timetable PDF at orari.atm.it.
Night service. Milan runs all night, though above ground. When the metro closes, the replacement lines NM1, NM2, NM3 and NM4 take over, following the route of the corresponding metro line by bus. Also running every night are trolleybus 90/91 on the inner ring plus lines N25 and N26. On the nights from Friday to Saturday, Saturday to Sunday and before public holidays, a second set of lines is added, N15, N24, N27, N42, N54, N57, N80 and N94. For the outer districts there is also Radiobus, a bus you book on request, which runs daily from 10pm to 2am and is marked with a Q on the maps. The same fare applies as during the day, so either the €2.20 am ticket or a valid day or multi-day pass. Timetables for the night lines are only available in the ATM app and on GiroMilano.
Buying tickets. The simplest option is the machines in the metro stations, found in every station and taking both card and cash. Newsstands and tobacco shops also sell tickets the traditional way, found on almost every major corner in Milan. Digitally, the official ATM app covers all ticket types for Milan and the surrounding area, plus tickets for bus line Z301 to Bergamo. If you'd rather not buy anything, just tap a contactless bank card or your phone on the reader at the orange-marked gates, and the system automatically charges the lowest fare afterwards. Children under 14 travel free with an ID document, no ticket is needed for them at all.
App and payment. Two digital options exist side by side. In the official ATM app you buy tickets with a credit card or PayPal, activate them before boarding, and hold your phone with the app open about five centimetres from the reader at the turnstile. Importantly, don't delete or update the app during your trip, or the validated ticket will be lost. The second option is Contactless Pay as You Go, where the contactless bank card itself becomes the ticket. Accepted cards are Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Maestro and VPay, along with linked services like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Visa Postepay prepaid cards and pure PagoBancomat cards do not work. Tap the card on the orange-marked gate when boarding and again when getting off, always with the same device. At the end of the day the system charges the lowest possible fare, from the fourth ride onward the day rate kicks in automatically, capped at €7.60 for Mi1-Mi3. The contactless system does not apply on Trenord or other rail operators' trains.
Which ticket. The standard ticket costs €2.20 am and is valid for 90 minutes from first validation, during which any number of tram, bus and trolleybus rides are allowed, plus one re-entry into the metro. The day pass costs €7.60 and is valid for 24 hours from first validation, equivalent to the price of three and a half single tickets. The three-day pass costs €1 pm and is valid for three consecutive days until 3.45am on the final night, equivalent to just under six single tickets. If you prefer to pay per ride, there's the ten-ride card for €7.50 pm, so €1.95 per ride, though it can't be used by several people at once. All prices given apply to the Mi1-Mi3 zone. If you pay contactless with a bank card, there's no need to choose, the system caps the total at €7.60 per day.
Fare zones. The Mi1-Mi3 zone covers Milan and the first ring of surrounding municipalities. The city ticket is valid on M1, M3, M4 and M5 from end to end, including as far as Linate Aeroporto. On the M2, coverage is limited because the line reaches far out into the surrounding area. Malpensa has its own separate fare.
Tip. Tram line 1 runs vintage cars right through the centre.
Links
- ATM, tickets for Milan with prices and validity
- ATM, network maps to download
- ATM, paying with a contactless bank card
- ATM, night network and replacement lines
- Malpensa Airport, bus connections to Milan
- RFI, Milano Centrale station
- Network map
Getting there
Main station
Location. A monumental 1931 building; the hall alone is worth a look.
Long-distance trains. Milano Centrale is northern Italy's most important long-distance station, with 24 platforms for passenger services. Heading south, Frecciarossa and the private operator Italo run via Bologna, Florence and Rome to Naples and Salerno, with some trains continuing through to Lecce. The fastest non-stop Frecciarossa cover Milan to Rome in 2 hours 50 minutes, four more in 2 hours 59 minutes. Heading west, trains go to Turin and Genoa, heading east via Verona, Vicenza and Padua to Venice, with extensions to Trieste or Bolzano. International connections run as EuroCity services to Switzerland, the EC 10 leaves Milan at 7.10am and reaches Zurich HB at 10.27am, the EC 60 leaves at the same time and reaches Basel SBB at 11.32am. Night trains to southern Italy depart in the early evening, the InterCity Notte 765 at 9.15pm and the 755 at 9.50pm, both to Lecce with sleeper and couchette cars. The station has luggage storage, Trenitalia and Italo lounges, cash machines and free WiFi. The Sala Blu for passengers with reduced mobility is staffed daily from 6.45am to 9.30pm.
Opening hours. The first long-distance trains depart at 5.10am for Salerno and 5.20am for Naples, the first Italo at 5.40am for Rome. Late in the evening the last high-speed trains leave around 10.30pm and 10.45pm, plus night trains at 9.15pm and 9.50pm towards Lecce.
Airports
Into the city. The Malpensa Express takes 51 minutes to Milano Centrale and 37 minutes to Cadorna. The train stops at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Buses to Milano Centrale are the alternative, their stops are on Level -1 of Terminal 1, next to the station.
Frequency. The train runs every 30 minutes, from Milano Centrale from 5.25am to 11.25pm, from the airport from 5.09am to 10.09pm. Buses to Centrale run from 3.20am to 1.05am, back from 5.00am to 2.40am, adding up to roughly every 20 minutes. Four operators share the route, Malpensa Shuttle, Autostradale, Terravision and Caronte.
Into the city. The M4 runs directly into the centre from Linate Aeroporto station, taking around twelve minutes to San Babila. The normal city fare of €2.20 am applies, there's no special ticket. First train on weekdays 5.40am, last at 0.26am, on Sundays starting at 6.00am.
Frequency. Every one to three minutes on weekdays between 7am and 8pm, every three to six minutes on Saturdays, every four to six minutes on Sundays.
Into the city. Terravision runs non-stop to Milano Centrale, around 50 minutes, €5 one way and €10 return. Orio Shuttle serves the same route from €8. Luggage is included in the price with both.
Frequency. Terravision runs every 30 minutes. Orio Shuttle runs around the clock every day, including public holidays.
Local quirks
- Aperitivo replaces dinner. Between six and nine, a buffet comes with your drink. In Milan this is an institution, not a snack.
- Tap the gate on the way out too. The Milan metro has gates at both entrance and exit. If you pay contactless with a bank card or phone, you have to tap the reader again when leaving the station. Without this second tap, the system won't charge the ride correctly. Use the orange-marked gates for this, and always the same card for the outward and return journey.
- Children under 14 travel free. Across the entire ATM network, children under 14 pay nothing, whether on the metro, tram or bus. An ID document proving their age must be carried. Teachers accompanying school groups within the city also travel free.
Good to know
- Currency
- EUR €
- Emergency number
- 112
- Plug type
- C · F · L
- Time zone
- Europe/Rome
- Driving
- right
Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 90 km/h, 110 km/h on expressways, motorway 130 km/h
In rain, the motorway limit is 110 km/h instead of 130, and 90 instead of 110 on expressways. Drivers who have held their license for less than three years may drive at most 100 km/h on the motorway and 90 km/h on expressways. Within built-up areas, 50 km/h is the rule, though signposted city roads allow up to 70 km/h.
Tipping. Not expected. Bills often carry a coperto or servizio. If you were happy, round up.
Tolls. Most motorways are tolled. Take a ticket on entry, pay on exit. No vignette.
Access restrictions. Many historic centres are closed to non-residents. Cameras read the plate and the fine arrives home months later. Hours and boundaries differ from city to city.