3 Days in Milan and Lake Como

Itinerary created by

Francesco Meola

What you’ll do

Are you planning to visit Milan and add a day trip to Lake Como? This itinerary is for you! For me this is the best way to explore Milan and have a day trip full of activities and places to visit :)

You can definitely see all the major landmarks in Milan, as well as a few interesting museums, and of course trying some delicious food. I added some useful information about transportation, where to stay and how to reach the city from the airports.

A day to Lake Como is a must-do, in just one day you can visit a lot and enjoy what in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in the country (and probably the world).

How to get to Milan from the airports:

Milano Linate:

If you fly to Milano Linate you made a great choice. It's the city airport and it's perfectly connected to the city centre with the underground line M4 (the blue line). It will take about 15 minutes to reach the centre of Milan, at San Babila underground station.

Milano Bergamo:

As the name states, the airport is located in the city of Bergamo, about 50/1 hour to Milan. Other than private transportation options, the only option to reach the city centre is with coaches. There are many departing every hour to Milano Centrale.

Milano Malpensa:

You'll likely land here, it's the international airport of Milan and the biggest in the area. It's located about 1 hour from Milan.

Malpensa Airport has two terminals T1, the largest, and T2, mainly used by the company Easyjet.

No matter the Terminal, to reach the centre of Milan you have a few options:

Trains: The Malpensa Express perfectly connects Malpensa airport to the centre of the city, and it's also the fastest option to reach the centre. You can take the train to Milano Centrale or Milano Cadorna. I usually opt for Cadorna as it's closer to where I live, and it takes a bit less time.
You can either choose based on which station is closer to where you are staying or if you need to take the underground, which line you need. Central has the yellow and green lines; Cadorna has the red and green lines.
The ticket one way is €13. In Italy since last year you need to validate online tickets too. There is a check-in option through the app you bought the ticket with; I usually use Trainline. Make sure to do it a few minutes before the train departs.
Coaches: are fairly cheaper than trains, tickets are about €10. The only time I'd take the coach instead of the train, is either late at night or super early in the morning. Compared to trains you can get stuck in traffic and waste a lot of time.
Taxis and ride-sharing services are also available from Malpensa Airport to Milan, albeit more expensive than public transportation options

Where to stay:

You'll be fine in any part of the city centre of Milan, however, these are my top 3 areas also based on restaurants, things to do, transportation, and safety.

Ticinese/Navigli
Porta Venezia
Brera

The only area I'd avoid booking a hotel/apartment is Centrale, where the station is. In my experience, in most major city the area around the station is not the best, and Milan is no exception. I generally don't feel safe when I'm there, especially at night. It's a general feeling along all the people I know here, so always be careful when you are in the area at night.

For the accomodation I left you an option, where some friends stay recently and loved it! It's located in the Navigli neighbourhood

This one is optional

Le Corti degli Artisti - Navigli

Unique Milan experience

Category

Hotel

Direction

See other stays nearby

3 km (1.9 mi)

8 min

Naviglio Grande

Iconic canal

Category

Sightseeing

Direction

6.5 km (4 mi)

22 min

Things to know about Milan Transport System:

Milan has the best transport network in Italy. ATM is the company managing the network which has 5 metro lines (the M4 line, the blue line, will be completed this year; nowadays only part of it is open), many trams and buses that will bring you to any corner of the city.

Price: standard ticket is €2.20, and you can use the same ticket for the duration of 90 minutes and take anything, metro, trams and buses.

Where to buy tickets: In the underground they have machines before the entrance selling paper tickets, or you can go to "Tabacchi" or "Tabacchini" and they will likely have paper tickets too.

For me though it's not necessary to buy paper tickets, as you can also pay with contactless card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Whenever I don't have a monthly travel card and need to pay one single journey, this is how I do it.

How to pay with contactless cards: In metro you need to validate the ticket when you enter but also when you exit. Otherwise, they will charge you more.

In busses and trams, the machine for contactless payments is usually located on the front.

Do you need a daily card: There is the option to buy a daily card and use all the means of transport for 24 hours without limits. You'll likely not need to take them many times, most places are within walking distance, but in case you do, just know it's an option. The 1 day ticket costs €7.60.

3 days tickets costs €15.50