Italy has always been one of those countries that has been on my travel bucket list for a looooong time and I finally got the chance to visit this summer. It was the perfect end to first year exams and the best start to my summer. When initially booking this holiday I had planned to the best of my ability for it to be an inexpensive trip (due to being a student). Therefore I'll be including prices and budgeting tips to help you plan your trip to Italy and what you can do to be money savvy whilst being on holiday.
So lets take it all the way back to the booking process. When booking flights I used the website Skyscanner and let me tell you this site is such a God send. Not only does it provide you with the cheapest dates to travel but lets you create price alerts via email informing you whether the flight prices have dropped or gone up.
This is just an example of just how cheap flights can be where the green indicates the most price affordable days to fly out. I used the same format getting flights for £9 to Milan Malpensa and £20 flights back to London Stansted with Ryanair. We chose to fly out from Stansted because it was the cheapest option. Furthermore due to our flexible nature originally I didn't have a fixed destination in mind and used the 'everywhere' tool on Skyscanner providing me with the most low cost flights.
For those searching a savoury breakfast in Italy you can abandon your search because there is virtually no such thing. Italians typically have a very sweet breakfast with a cup of coffee. Although there was only one thing I could eat on the menu which was a vegan brioche it was worth the trip here. Bear in mind that nearly all eating places have a service charge that you can not avoid. So the brioche was 1.80 euros but I ended up paying 2.60 euros including the service charge. Another thing to take into consideration is that Milan has no concept of tap water so I would recommend buying a bottle of water and keeping this during your entire stay as there are frequent water spots dotted around the city. This was one of my favourite things about Italy as you get fresh cold water whilst walking around in 30 degrees heat.
2. Visit the Duomo
The Milan Cathedral is an architectural beauty and if Milan got one thing right, it is definitely their beautifully constructed buildings. I'm going to be honest this place is flooded with people trying to get the picture perfect instagram and because of the overwhelming number of people it is pretty hard to get a decent picture of yourself in front of the cathedral.
The total entry price is 12 euros this is if you want to take the stairs up to the terraces (there's not a lot of stairs trust me) otherwise the ticket would cost 16 euros if you wanted to take the lift option. The terraces would have to be my favourite part as it's less congested allowing you to get those perfect instagram shots. Additionally, the terraces allow you experience a panoramic view of the entire city. Take into consideration that the Cathedral is a godly place thereby you will be expected to cover your shoulders and legs up until your knees. If you are not wearing the appropriate attire you will be expected to buy a kimono from the ticket office for an additional 2 euros. Another top tip of mine would be if you have extra time on your hands visit the Duomo around sunset this is when less people are around and the deep colours of the sky truly makes the Cathedral look magical.
3. Visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Again if your in the Sempione Park region the Sforza Castle is another place you can visit. Normally you have to pay entry during the day but if you come one hour before closing time which is at 5:30PM you get free entry.
8. Visit the Navigli District
This is just an example of just how cheap flights can be where the green indicates the most price affordable days to fly out. I used the same format getting flights for £9 to Milan Malpensa and £20 flights back to London Stansted with Ryanair. We chose to fly out from Stansted because it was the cheapest option. Furthermore due to our flexible nature originally I didn't have a fixed destination in mind and used the 'everywhere' tool on Skyscanner providing me with the most low cost flights.
In terms of our accommodation I used Airbnb and booked a little apartment in the heart of Milan. The space for the 4 of us was fitting where it came with one double bed and a comfy, spacious sofa bed. In total for 4 nights the entire place cost £327 working out to £81.75 per person for the entire length of the stay.
On the day of our flight we did an airport transfer with National Express from Liverpool Street Station to Stansted Airport costing £4.75 single each (this is if you book in advance). We decided to depart from this station as it only took 50 minutes and again was the cheapest option.
With Ryanair you find that you have to check in online and this can be done with their mobile app where you obtain your boarding pass on your phone making it more convenient. In regards to luggage Ryanair allows you to take one form of cabin luggage and one small carry on under 10Kg that gets checked in for free at the gate at no extra expense. We opted for this option as we was only going for 4 nights and didn't really need the excess luggage.
My first and foremost tip for luggage would be that make sure that all your liquids fit in one clear sealed plastic bag. Through security you are not allowed more than one plastic bag and it turned out that I had 4 bags of liquids. It was the most stressful airport security experience as some of my things had to be left behind only taking essential liquids through with me.
The flight was only 1 hour and 40 but because of Italy being one hour ahead we landed at 9:35PM. Instead of getting a taxi from the airport to our place we decided to do a bus transfer with a company called Terravision from Malpensa to Milan Central Station costing 8 euros each for a 55 minute journey. The bus departs every 20 minutes so you'll never be waiting around for long.
Due to arriving very late in the night at Central Milan our Airbnb host was kind enough to pick us up and take us to the apartment which is another reason why you should book with Airbnb because nothing beats their hospitality and food recommendations from a local.
1. Breakfast at Pavè
For those searching a savoury breakfast in Italy you can abandon your search because there is virtually no such thing. Italians typically have a very sweet breakfast with a cup of coffee. Although there was only one thing I could eat on the menu which was a vegan brioche it was worth the trip here. Bear in mind that nearly all eating places have a service charge that you can not avoid. So the brioche was 1.80 euros but I ended up paying 2.60 euros including the service charge. Another thing to take into consideration is that Milan has no concept of tap water so I would recommend buying a bottle of water and keeping this during your entire stay as there are frequent water spots dotted around the city. This was one of my favourite things about Italy as you get fresh cold water whilst walking around in 30 degrees heat.
2. Visit the Duomo
The total entry price is 12 euros this is if you want to take the stairs up to the terraces (there's not a lot of stairs trust me) otherwise the ticket would cost 16 euros if you wanted to take the lift option. The terraces would have to be my favourite part as it's less congested allowing you to get those perfect instagram shots. Additionally, the terraces allow you experience a panoramic view of the entire city. Take into consideration that the Cathedral is a godly place thereby you will be expected to cover your shoulders and legs up until your knees. If you are not wearing the appropriate attire you will be expected to buy a kimono from the ticket office for an additional 2 euros. Another top tip of mine would be if you have extra time on your hands visit the Duomo around sunset this is when less people are around and the deep colours of the sky truly makes the Cathedral look magical.
3. Visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Didn't I say that they hit the nail on architecture and can you believe this is a shopping centre?! I am like most of you still bewildered to how this is a shopping centre to this very day. All the shops situated here are very high end designer and if you've got the cash to splash then by all means go ahead. Otherwise it serves the function of being an aesthetically pleasing building to take a stroll through.
4. Have lunch at Piz
If you want to try the best pizza of your life you have to come to Piz and theres no debate about it. Piz for me was the best Italian pizza I had ever tried and nothing else can beat it. We decided to go for lunch around 1o'clock knowing that if we went any later it would be closed from 3pm onwards and would not open again until dinner which would be 7/7:30pm. When we arrived there was a humongous line out the door (thats how you know its good). The hospitality here was AMAZING where they served us prosecco (for those that drink) and cheese, tomato and spinach flatbread whilst we waited. The wait looked like it was going to take 40 minutes but instead it took 10 minutes. The entire menu was in Italian but the waitress kindly explained it to us in English and it was a literally no brainer that I was going for the margarita. The pizza is like no other, where the tomato sauce seems to be taken freshly from the tomato itself giving it a tangy/salty flavour and then the cheese was just phenomenal. I couldn't recommend this place anymore (look how much I have gone on). The total cost of this pizza was just 8 euros and it was worth every cent.
5. Get Gelato at La Gelateria Della Musica
This gelato place has to be on everyones list when they visit Milan. The service was amazing and due to the range of different flavours I just couldn't decide so was given the chance to try nearly every flavour that they offered. In the end I decided to settle with cookies and cream and salty pistachio costing 2.80 euros for two scoops which is such a bargain. If you truly want an authentic gelato experience I highly suggest coming here. Since I have returned I have literally had gelato cravings, that's how delicious it was.
6. Visit the Porta Sempione
If your ever passing by Sempione Park come and visit the Arch of Peace (it kind of reminded me of the Arc De Triomph in Paris). In front of the arch there are several grass areas and huge steps you could sit on whilst possibly having a picnic and soaking up the sun in front of this majestic view.
7. Visit the Sforza Castle
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Again if your in the Sempione Park region the Sforza Castle is another place you can visit. Normally you have to pay entry during the day but if you come one hour before closing time which is at 5:30PM you get free entry.
8. Visit the Navigli District
The Navigli district is about 20 minutes on the metro from central Milan and is such a cool spot to chill alongside the canal. We decided to take a little pit stop here due to our feet killing us, I think tip of the trip would be if your doing a city break definitely bring a pair of comfy trainers to get about because sandals are not going to make the cut. Milan is seriously developing a pattern of great picnic spots and by the side of the canal makes the perfect spot to relax for the evening with live music in the background.
9. Dinner at Pasta d'Autore
This pasta find was not planned within the itinerary but spontaneously found whilst browsing trip advisor. Situated in the Navigli area it was the best pasta I had tried on the trip. I went for the four cheeses option and boy it was the creamiest pasta ever. The portion appears quite small but it was the complete opposite. Again the entire menu was in Italian (thats how you know your in an authentic restaurant) but the waitress was kind enough to translate. The bread were complimentary starters and the entire meal costed me 9 euros without service charge!! Does Milan get any better?
10. Eat at Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo
Look at this beauty of a pizza. For you pizza lovers out there Sorbillo is the place for you. We stumbled across this find from a time out recommendation and loved it here. With every popular restaurant there was a queue leading out the door but we was seated fairly quickly. When the pizza's arrived I was mesmerised at the size and can truthfully say that it was extremely bigger than my plate. Crazy right!? The pizza was for sure value for money as a pizza this big only cost me 8.30 euros and lasted me till breakfast the next day. So if your ever in Milan this has to be on everyones food list.
For more Milan pictures follow me on Instagram: _davinderkaurr
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