sarge56

Hi guys!

I'm specifically side-tripping to Milan to see The Last Supper. I'm arriving around noon on Thursday and departing Saturday late morning for Florence.

I have a ticket to view the painting at 1:45pm Thursday. I am staying 2 nights at the Hotel Berna.

So, I have a few questions:

1) Besides the Duomo and the Castle, what can I squeeze in/what should I squeeze in?

2) It looks like Milan has a pretty good transit system. I believe my hotel is only minutes from train station and a metro stop. For the short time I am there, would it be best to buy single rides? Or is there a 2-day pass that might work? (I am not so much concerned about the cost of single vs. 48-hr pass- it's more about convenience for me. I'd much prefer something I can swipe and go as opposed to worrying about having the right change or how far I can go on one ticket, etc.)

3) On that same note, IS the system pretty easy to use? How late/early does it run? Can I buy tickets/pass at the train station?

4) I am not much of a shopper (art/history/architecture), but the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II looks awesome. Is it worth it to head there? I also hear that one must go down the Via Monte Napoleone. If not a shopper, is it still fun?

5) Looking for restaurant recs. I like simple fare and pasta. (Cacio e pepe is my favorite, but I do like a good plate of lasagna, too!) I like beef, and certain seafood. However, I'd prefer my shrimp be served sans the head and shell. hahah I would like to avoid the tourist traps. And especially interested in a couple places near my hotel for dinner both nights. PS I am always, I mean always, looking for the best cheese plates. Gorgonzola, crostini, chestnut honey..mmmmm)

6) Do you think I have a better chance of getting a dinner reservation if I make it for 2 and then my dining partner will happen to miss our date? It's not often, but there are people that think single diners aren't worth it...

Thanks!

kybourbon

The metro is easy to use. You are supposed to have a luggage ticket, but I don't think anyone pays attention to that. You might find a tram or two convenient also.

http://www.atm-mi.it/en/ViaggiaConNo...s/default.aspx

Hez

If the restaurant doesn't want single diners for whatever reason (not worth it, other diners find it awkward, they can't afford using the table for just one person, whatever) that's their prerogative. Not that I think it's likely you'll run into this problem anyway, but it's not like there's a dearth of restaurants in Milan if one happens to turn you down.

sarge56

Thanks ky. I've got an even better map that shows metro, tram, buslines, etc.

What I can't figure out is if I have to buy separate ticket to ride the trams/buses, or if my 2-Day Urban ticket covers the tram.

I will keep looking.

Hez, you have a valid point. If someone is going to turn down my reservation for one, they probably wouldn't offer the best of service. (Last year, in a restaurant in Rome, I was a single diner and was seated way at the back by the kitchen door and refrigerator, even though there were plenty of seats up front. I suppose I should have asked to be seated elsewhere, but then one doesn't know who's spitting in one's soup. haha)

But, true, most places in Rome had no problem seating me as a single. Thanks!

kybourbon

My link was the official transport link the Milan. You just needed to click tickets for the info.

http://www.atm.it/en/ViaggiaConNoi/T...Biglietti.aspx

trotters

Be sure to take the Duomo elevator to walk on the marble roof for a close up look at the statues and great views of the Piazza del Duomo below. The Galleria and La Scala as well as the Ambrosiana are worthwhile, too. There is a collection of Leonardo's drawings at the Ambrosiana as well as a Raphael cartoon. For me Milan's highlights are "The Last Supper", La Scala and the Duomo roof.

asps

Your hotel is within walking distance from Centrale railway station (unless your luggage is too heavy, in which case it would be two minutes by taxi).

If you are into art, Brera is a major museum with pieces by Caravaggio and Raphael; Poldi Pezzoli museum a little gem, easily overlooked.

I suggest a walk from San Babila to Duomo and Castello over corso Vittorio Emanuele and via Dante.

sarge56

Thanks. I am looking to see if there is a tour of La Scala I can take.

Definitely will take the elevator to the top of the Duomo.

Brera sounds great. (I love Caravaggio, though Impressionism is my favorite.)

ky- I did click on tickets. That is how I found the info on the 2-day ticket. But cannot determine what it is good on other than the Metro. It lists "lines", but I don't know bus from tram from train lines. If you click on "Network Map", at the bottom, you can download the Network Map (which appears to show only the Metro lines), while the "City Center Map" shows all lines. I'll keep looking. I know the info is out there somewhere. I'm guessing the ticket covers all of the city lines (like the Rome ticket does), but I'd like to know for sure. So, hopefully, some other Fodorite has spent some extensive time in Milan and can verify.

Thx again all!

asps

A standard ATM tickets covers all lines, metro, tram, bus, within city limits. A ticket is valid 90 minutes, but while travel on surface lines (trams and buses) is unrestricted, only a single travel on metro lines is allowed within the 90 minutes. For example: you validate your ticket on the first leg of your trip; if you subsequently have to enter metro, you validate it again; you can switch lines within underground metro, but as you leave metro gates you cannot enter again on the same ticket. Some lines go out of city limits, for them you need interurban tickets that are more expensive but work the same way - but it is unlikely you will get out of city limits.

kybourbon

If you look at this map from the transport link, click the box on the right marked "overground stops". Watch the map (it may take a minute). All the buses will appear. You can also search your routes.

http://www.atm-mi.it/en/Giromilano/Pages/default.aspx

kybourbon

If you look at this map, you will see all lines color-coded (legend at bottom of page). Tram lines are blue, buses burgundy. You can zoom in and move the map around.

http://www.atm.it/en/ViaggiaConNoi/D...ntromilano.pdf

sarge56

thanks ky and asps!

LR220

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