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Milan - Getting Around / Eating & Drinking

• Linate Airport (LIN)
Linate is Milan’s national airport. It is located in Segrate, about 7 kilometres (4.5 miles) from the centre of town. There is no train service into Milan from Linate, but the excellent ATM bus 73 departs every 10 minutes from Linate Airport to San Babila metro station, in the city centre, next to the Duomo. Travel time is around 25 minutes and the fare is €1. A taxi from Linate will cost €18–€25, depending on what part of town you are travelling to.

• Malpensa Airport (MXP)
Milan’s main airport is 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the centre. The Ferrovie Nord’s Malpensa Express train runs every 30 minutes – from 06.00 to 20.00 – to Cadorna metro station in the city centre, with stops along the way. A single fare is approximately €9.You can buy tickets at the Ferrovie Nord (FN) desks in the airport. You must stamp your ticket in one of the yellow machines on the platform before boarding. Don’t buy them on the train itself, as there’s a hefty surcharge. Between 20.00 and midnight the train is replaced by the Malpensa Bus Express, which departs every 20 minutes to the central station and takes approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. The service also stops on request at Milan Fiera.
Tickets can be bought in the arrivals hall and cost approximately €6. A taxi from Malpensa to Milan costs approximately €75. Journey time is around 45 minutes. Beware of the rush hour traffic, which can lengthen the trip substantially (and increase you fare.) Use only white or yellow taxis lined up at the ranks and avoid all drivers who solicit business as you exit the terminal.

• Orio Airport (BGY)
Bergamo Orio airport is actually just outside Bergamo. It is 45 kilometres from Milan and handles national, international and charter flights. Trains depart hourly from Bergamo’s railway station for Milan’s central station. Travelling time is about 1 hour. Tickets cost approximately €4. Autoservizi Zani runs buses every 20 minutes from the airport to Bergamo railway station. Tickets cost approximately €2.

Milan boasts long experience of public transport: its first streetcars date back to 1841. Today the Metropolitana Milanese (MM) is highly recommended as an efficient, inexpensive and user-friendly transport system. Of the metro's 3 lines, Linea 1 (the red line) covers the most important tourist areas near the Duomo and tracks back to the Central Station. The extensive bus and streetcar system, overhauled in December 2003, is useful but much slower than the metro. Metro trains run every 4-5 minutes from 06.00 – 21.00 daily. After that services run only every 10-12 minutes. All bus and tram services also run every 5-20 minutes, depending on the route and time of day. Tickets for metro, bus and streetcar are not on sale on vehicles: you can buy them at most news stands and in bars. You can use a ticket for 75 minutes on as many trams and buses as you like, but only once on the subway. Discount tickets are available at Milan's tourist office and day tickets are sold at the ATM (Azienda Transporti Milanesi) Office at the Central Station.
As for taxis, be sure to use white, licensed, meter-operated ones only and wait at the marked stands, as taxis cannot be hailed in the street.

• Contrary to most people’s perceptions, rice rather than pasta has always been the staple ingredient of Lombardy cuisine. The most popular dish is risotto, with arborio or carnaroli rice slowly simmered to absorb cheese, butter and broth, then combined with vegetables, seafood or meat. The area does, however, feature some delicious pasta specialities, such as tortelli di zucca (or pumpkin stuffed pasta) and pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta with cheese, cabbage and potato.) Also particularly notable are Lombard soups, so thick that they easily constitute a main course. Zuppa di porri e bietole (soup with leeks and Swiss cheese) is a particular favourite in rustic-style eateries. If you’re visiting in the winter, polenta topped with mushrooms or meat is a popular seasonally speciality.
• Wine lists in Italian eateries will tend to offer Italian produce and not much else, but this isn’t much of a hardship, as Italy produces first-class red and white wines, with the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) seal of quality indicating a good bottle. The other drink traditionally served with Italian meals is the digestivo: a liquer or grape spirit, like grappa. If you’ve ordered a full meal (antipasto; primo; secondo; dessert; coffee) in a trattoria you might well be offered a digestivo on the house. Ramazzotti – a dark, syrupy liquer made from herbs and spices – is a distinctively Milenese variety.
• Bear in mind that eating out in Milan has become markedly more expensive in recent years, with the introduction of the Euro. Prices in trattorias and the ristorantes have grown prohibitive for many Milanesi. As a result many of them have been going more often to osterias – traditionally the simplest type of eatery, with exposed brick walls, plain wood floors and hand written menus. An osteria will serve a version of Italy’s cucina rustica (rustic cuisine.) Having said that, its kitchen is often as creative as that found in a trattoria or ristorante. Osterias can most often be found in the Porta Romana area and along the Navigli.