2-Day Weekend in Milan

Milan is not the prettiest of cities - there is grafitti on every wall, and the tram wires run throught the city skyline. There are not too many things to see - but if you're into shopping and dinning, you've reached the right place! The biggest dissapointment of our trip was to do with the hotel reservation - we used the internet to book our hotel, but soon after recieving confirmation, the hotel sent us a mail saying it is fully booked and we need to look elsewhere. We booked again in another hotel, this time using EuroTravel booking center - and upon arriving to the hotel, we discovered once again there was no room and had to downgrade to a nearby hotel for the same price!

I am still awaiting a reply from EuroTravel's customer service, but must point out that the hotel's staff was very, very nice. I'm not too good in descriptions, so I will point out a few tips...

Quick Tips:

Getting a hotel around Piazza Loreto is the best, as Loreto Station is on the Junction on line 1 and 2 (red and green), and these are the main lines, if not the only lines you'll use. We booked at Hotel Florence but were transferred to Hotel Adler - it's a three-star hotel with a very friendly staff (Sylvia and her mother run the place), and adjacent is an excellent restaurent for a delicious dinner.

Change money at the airport - best rates over there.

On Sundays, there's a fair in the Naviglio area - lots of junk, but still, you might find a nice bargain.

All restaurants serve lunch up to 12:30 or 1pm and then close until dinner, when they open around 6:30 or 7pm, so carefuly plan your meal schedule if you don't want to end up eating ice cream and pizza for lunch (which is not such a bad idea...). In Italy, the pasta dish (prima) is fairly small, as it it usually followed by a meat/fish dish (seconda).

Best Way To Get Around:

Traveling - The metro + buses + tram systems are excellent and can take you to almost every interesting place in town. If you plan to tour the city and use the metro more than three times a day (usually is the case), then buy the daily metro ticket - it costs 3 euros and is good for 24 hours. Pass once through the machine, and the next times, just show it to the guy in the booth as you pass by into the station.

The metro stops working at midnight.

The place is clean, there's 24-hour desk, the staff was higly friendly and was the reason we spent both nights there, even though it was not our first choice. The location was great, as Loreto Station is good for both red and green lines- the only ones you'll need. Next door was a very good restaurant. It is very close to the main shopping street - Via Buenos Aires. During convention weekends (Fierra), it is almost impossible to get a decent hotel - book in advance.

Around 6pm, it's aperitif time in Italy, meaning you can order an alcoholic beverage (usually some kind of aperitif like martini, but you choose what you like), and with that drink you get a free buffet of small dishes. This is meant to open your appetite for dinner, but believe me, you can eat a full meal for just 6 euros (including drink). The Navigli area is a great place to stroll in the evening and just choose a place that is crowded... It's right off Port Genova station - once again, follow the crowd.

Right off Garibaldi station (green line) is Via Como, which comes to life around 11pm. There is the good old "Lola Paloosa" bar, which offers classic hits, 7-euro drinks (the house drink is caipirinha or caipirovska) and plenty of single men/women looking for company. The barmen are all good-looking men that swing the lamps over their heads for cheap light pyrotechnics...

If you are a bunch of males, the bouncer will give you a rough time getting in - better come with a date or find some girls to join you before entering. Bar opens 11pm and is fully crowded at midnight (which means you go back to the hotel by taxi).

Right next door is Hollywood - a long-existing dancing club where the crowd is a little more upclass and well-to-do - lots of good-looking girls and boys crowd outside.

I was lucky to have sunny weather in mid-March, so walking around was a pleasure.

Right off Cairoli Station is the Castelo on one side (an ancient castle - I haven't visited, but nice photo op) and Via Dante on the other side - a very nice shopping and cafe boardwalk (street with no cars) which leads you to the Duomo (15-minute walk). Take note that right now (March '05), The Duomo is being renovated, so it is fully covered and not a pretty sight for tourists coming especially for the main attraction in Milan - the glorious Duomo.