Milan World Expo 2016 tourist question
 

I am considering Milan as a base for a trip possibly in June or early Sept Next Year(2015). I would be using the train for visits to other towns/cities. Even though the World expo runs for 6 months, would I be correct in thinking the city will be somewhat busier than usual and more importantly the cost of Accommodation will be higher as a result. I would be travelling to the lakes district and also training it to Mantua as an example of my intended plans.

Thanks in advance

As far as I know, the expo site and most of the events are not in the city proper but out in the fair district. However, accommodations costs in Milan are almost always high since Milan hosts many, many trade fairs throughout the year (with the exception of August.) Every year, one week in June is men's fashion week and another in September is the overall Fashion week for Fall/Winter collections.

With early planning you might be able to lock up a bargain b&b, and if there are special restaurants you want to go to, reserving (closer to your travel dates) will get you in. But apart from August, Milan is always bustling and busy, and hotel costs are higher with fewer quality budget choices than most other Italian cities.

Milan does have, however, an excellent, fast subway system. If you find an accommodation near a subway stop on one of the lines that feeds directly into Milano Centrale, you can save money by not staying near the Duomo. A subway trip to the station is usually no more than 15 minutes, even you are all the way at the far end of the line.

Thanks for the detailed response sandralist. On top of the usual events like mens fashion week as u mentioned, the link below indicates expected visitors numbers of up to 29 million, which if correct, equates to on average another 158000 persons each day in and around the city of Milan.
Your suggestions of a B & B and advice on the subway only 15 minutes from Milano Centrale are appreciated.

Link

http://www.expomuseum.com/2015/

Yes, well, you can see that some previous years the fair attracted far less people. Also, there were all sorts of dire warnings about the scarcity of hotel rooms for the London Olympics and overcrowding, etc, and it turned out not to be the case. I certainly don't think that your experience of Milan will be that it is overrun and too crowded. But it is good you know that the event is happening so you get your ducks lined up in a row early, including admissions to any sites you want to see in Milan that require advance booking.

I tried to think of another city you could use as a base, but around there pretty much all trains emanate from Milan, so even if you pick another location, you end up transiting through Milan Centrale to switch trains. So the subway is a better bet. It really does zoom, the trains are frequent, and it runs late into the night.

Training to WHICH lake? Garda? Como?...perhaps Milan is not the place you need to stay in but I agree that other than perhaps the cost of lodging (and IMO you do not need to stay in a B+B but that's obviously a personal choice) you aren;t going to notice if a lot more people are in town. Milan is a busy city anyway as has been pointed out.

I agree that it's unlikely that the Expo will attract so many visitors that Milan will be noticeably overcrowded.

We stayed in Milan for almost a week once during two important fairs in November, the Obei Obei, and the Artigiano in Fiera. These are not trade fairs, but especially the Artigiano in Fiera attracts people from all over Italy. It was also at the time of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Sant'Ambrogio (patron saint of Milan), which is the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season in Milan (although now it effectively starts earlier than that).

The city was crowded, in a festive way, not in an oppressive way. Actually, we found a special discount at the Hotel Ariston that week, which is a short walk from the Duomo. So I wouldn't despair of finding a centrally located hotel.

>>>I would be travelling to the lakes district and also training it to Mantua as an example of my intended plans.<<<

I would stay in those locations instead of spending big chunks of your day on trains. Is this the only area your are visiting on your trip?

Which lakes? How many days do you have altogether?

I agree with kyb. I like Milan more than most here, but I wouldn't use it as a base and then spend hours every day on trains. Just use trains to take you from one destination to the next.

I should have clarified the lakes info a tad more! I would be staying in accommodation on the lakes while there, and transiting to other destinations of my trip from Milan. Time in a Milan hotel could be up to 8 or 9 days, hence my question on accommodation. This would be a solo trip, and was budgeting around 100 euro. I am open to the idea of a 15 minute subway ride close to Milano Centrale for day trips. As an example, one of the day trips would incorporate Bellinzona in Switzerland.

Thanks for the responses, appreciated.

For 8 or 9 days you might want to consider an apartment. This inexpensive one is nicely located with respect to the train station and using the subway to see Milan.

http://www.homeaway.co.uk/p978943

Most people coming to Milan do not stay a week or more, so you might be able to work out a bit of a discount on any apartment you rent for 8 or 9 days. Check out air bnb too. Always read reviews of places before renting!

"As an example, one of the day trips would incorporate Bellinzona in Switzerland."

From your lake base (which lake?) or from Milan? If you mean from Milan, that's 3 hours r/t by train. If from the town of Como, it's about 2 hours r/t. A combo of bus/train from Menaggio via Lugano would take about 4 hours r/t.

Mantova is 4 hours r/t from Milan.

>>>Time in a Milan hotel could be up to 8 or 9 days, hence my question on accommodation. This would be a solo trip, and was budgeting around 100 euro. I am open to the idea of a 15 minute subway ride close to Milano Centrale for day trips.<<<

This doesn't make sense. You seem to be on a budget, yet are choosing to stay in an expensive city instead of the smaller places you want to visit where it would likely be cheaper. You only want a 15 minute subway ride, yet you want to spend hours every day on trains that will be no nicer than the subway.

Sandralist
Thanks for the link to apartment,the one listed looks appealing.

Jean and kybourbon
I am aware of the travel times between some of the places mentioned, and it makes sense to me,but obvoiusly not all, as our plans and itineraries when travelling vary depending on what we are comfortable with. Thats also not to say I am not open to better suggestions from experienced travellers on this forum.
As my intended visit to Mantova is just a day visit, I am comfortable with sitting back in a train for 2 hours each way as opposed to spending time checking out of a hotel, lugging my luggage to the train station at either end of ther ride and then spending time checking into the hotel at the other end for a day visit. I certainly wouldn't do this 2 days in a row but one day here and there is not abig deal for me.
I am also considering the bernina express to Switzerland, and will probably consider a 2 night stay north of Milan.
Again I appreciate the responses and ny further advice welcome.