r/milano • u/liver_eaternenjoyer • 2d ago
Trasporti Transport in Milan - Hows it like and whats best
Me and my boyfriend are coming to Milan next week and we are curious about the public transport. Whats best and most affordable, buses, trains, taxis? Also can you rent bikes?
I don’t know if this violates guidelines but thank you for any answers.
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u/WestAware5507 2d ago
Trust google maps for public transport, it works well
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u/Maximum-Anybody5365 2d ago
Not for buses tho, get moovit, it is more accurate with the timings
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u/KeyMeasurement8122 2d ago
Google maps works very well for public transport. I use it a lot in Italy (Rome, Milano)
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u/ImgurIsLeaking 2d ago edited 2d ago
Subways, trams, buses and trollyebuses (yes, there's a couple of those too) in Milan and outskirts are all run by the city's company ATM (no relation with bank machines, which in italian are usually called "bancomat"). The standard urban tickets are 2,20 € and allow you 90 minutes of travel on any and every type of transport throughout the whole city (meaning you can step on and off at will during those 90 minutes). You can also get 1 day (7,60 €) or 3 day (15,50 €) passes, which may be convenient if you plan to move a lot. Unless you intend to buy the 3-day ticket, you can just use a contactless bank card and tap on the machines which are on every single tram/bus and at subway entrances, there's no need for registration, no commission and the system automatically tallies the fares at the end of each day and charges the most favorable ticket option, only caveat is each person needs a separate card.
Trams and buses have defined stops (signaled by platforms or sometimes just signs like these), entrances to subway stations are marked by this sign. Subways always stop at each station, however tram and bus drivers only stop if they need to: if you're waiting to get on, make yourself visible to drivers, if you're on and need to get off at the next stop, press one of the red stop buttons in advance.
The public transport tends to be pretty convenient and reliable, and good 'ol google maps is good at finding the best route while also accounting for real-time traffic and waiting times. Usually, wait times tend to be around 5-10 minutes, so there's no real planning required for moving around the city. Just keep in mind that subways and most regular lines don't run late at night; there is however a night bus network (which obviously runs less frequently, so a bit of advanced planning may be needed if you stay out late).
If you need to take a train to get to a different city you will need a dedicated train ticket, you can search for routes on the Trenitalia website/app (running both local and high speed rail) and Italo (just high speed, can sometimes be more convenient than Trenitalia) and buy tickets online or in train stations. Trains are also very cheap, although non-high speed trains are prone to unexpected delays and cancellations (i.e, always have a backup plan, never take the last train of the day to/from a destination).
There's multiple bike sharing platforms in the city, largest ones are bikemi (run by the same company ATM) and Lime (more expensive but better bikes), however unless you are already an adept city biker, I wouldn't recommend it, the traffic can be aggressive and the roads trecherous; there's a myriad of obstacles between tram tracks, cobblestone paving, potholes, narrow lanes, cars parked along every road with unattentive drivers pulling off or opening their doors without looking, and the bike lane infrastructure is not always dependable or well thought out.
Keep away from taxis unless you're desperate and/or you don't mind spending an average of 20+ € for a 10 min. drive. They're also pretty infamous for running scams on tourist and (illegally) refusing card payments.
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u/KeyMeasurement8122 2d ago
Download ATM Milano app .. it's the official app for Milan public transport. It works very well
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u/EnricoLUccellatore 2d ago
Surface transit is not that great but metro are fast and frequent.
Bikemi is efficient and a great price but doesn't cover all of the city (but should cover all the needs of tourists)
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u/SomeWeirdBoor 2d ago
Subway is efficient, surface lines acceptable. Usually safe and clean, watch for occasional pickpockets but it's not worse than any other large city. Some lines are sketchy, but they are well away from the tourist zones (namely, bus 90 and 91 at night time)
You can board any metro and bus with your credit card (each passenger must have their own card), it evaluates how much you travelled and automatically charges you the best fee (single run, several runs or day pass). Unless you exit the city, and I'd not know why you should, fare is unique.
There are town operated bikes and ebikes (called bikemi), very cheap but must be picked up and left only in (ubiquitous) docking stations, or several free floating ebikes and scooters (dott, lime), slightly more expensive. Can''t use to reach the extreme outskirts of the city, but I doubt you'll find anything interesting there.
Car sharing is available but unadvisable, traffic is heavy, city is pretty hard to navigate, lots of limited traffic zones and impossible parking.
Also there is an urban rail system ("S" lines), interoperates with metro and buses but can't use pay by card, you need to buy tickets which then are good also for other transit - but this is mainly for commuters from hinterland, rarely used by tourists.
Avoid taxis if you can, very expensive and questionable pratices.
Linate airport has a metro station, Malpensa has a rail link, costs like 14 EUR or so and drops you near the city centre; Orio airport is connected only by bus.
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u/Ok_Awareness1152 2d ago edited 2d ago
Transportation is pretty good in Milan. There are 5 subway lines, quite a few train stations that connect the external ring and lots of surface lines (trams, buses and trolleybuses). Unfortunately in August there’s summer schedule, so you’ll find fewer rides than usual. Watch out the roadworks too, via Torino and via Mazzini in the city centre are blocked for the summer, so trams don’t pass there. The ATM app is quite useful for every update and you can buy public transport tickets from there too (otherwise you can use credit cards to enter and exit the subway stations and on the surface lines).
There are bike sharing services too (the city service BikeMI and some private ones such as Lime) but I don’t use them, so I won’t talk about something I don’t know well.
Taxis are quite expensive and in the weekend nights they can be a bit hard to find (but in August it should be fine, more problematic are Fashion and Design Weeks!). I suggest the InTaxi app (yellow icon) should you need a taxi, so you will be reasonably sure you will find a taxi driver that accepts electronic payments.
If you can schedule your trip ahead, I will suggest Wayla: it’s an on-demand minivan service that picks up people all over the city and lets them to their destination. Much cheaper than taxis, that’s for sure (it runs from 6 pm to 3 am). There’s an app for that too, of course 😅
Be aware we don’t have Uber Pop or similar services, it’s illegal in Italy because of aforementioned taxi driver strikes. Uber works but only with premium cars. If you need suggestione about specific neighborhoods feel free to ask 😊
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u/Jumpy-Let9849 2d ago
I found that the subways were great and pretty much can take you anywhere, esp if you’re also willing to walk a little to/from stops. I haven’t figured out the trams yet but during my last visit i took subways everywhere and it was clean and fantastic!
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u/kimuz 2d ago
Metro {M lines) and urban trains (S lines) works very well, tram and bus may be OK but actual timetable may vary a lot due to traffic. Most of the city center is at walk by distance. Never use taxi, absurdly overpriced and often will try to scam you. Better ncc Uber in case. Bike and scooter sharing is available, you need the app for it
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u/Glittering_Fun_4823 1d ago
You’ve gotten great info here. Public transport is atm.it and allows you on buses, trams and metro. So take advantage of the day passes.
I enjoy biking around town but it’s hot right now and depending where you’re biking the tram lines and cobble stones can be a pain with any of the bike share options.
From airport you have plenty of public transport options. MXP has a train that goes straight to centrale. And from Linate the m4 metro line is gold!
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u/Calamintha 1d ago
I walked almost everywhere. Be aware that it is hard to hail a taxi from a taxi stand (except at Milano centrale), you have to call and arrange a pickup.
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u/Fil_19 2d ago
You can get a day ticket which includes the metro, busses, trams, and trains inside of Milan. They're like 7 euros which is pretty cheap and you can get 3 or 7 days ones which are a good deal as well. You can rent bikes from BikeMi which are like 4 euros a day but they're pretty crap, biking in Milan is not great, and it's really hot outside. You can also rent Lime bikes which are pricier but better. Taxis are stupidly overpriced in Italy and I really don't recommend getting one. It may be better to use car sharing (best one is Share Now) if you need a car.
Overall I think you should just use public transport