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Original poster

Is it possible to do Milan "on the cheap"

12 replies

DaphneDeloresMoreheadRidesOn · 19/08/2023 11:30

Wizzair/easyJet have some very cheap flights going to Milan coinciding with half term/annual leave in October. I'm talking £100 return for two.
I've found a decent looking air bnb with loads of good reviews for £84 a night which has a kitchenette - DD13 prefers to eat in in the evening so what we usually do is have breakfast in the air bnb, lunch out and then cook for ourselves in evening.
i don't have much time to put some money aside so... is it possible to get away with around 25e pppd on sightseeing, ice cream, coffee and lunch ?

OP posts:

Original poster

DaphneDeloresMoreheadRidesOn · 19/08/2023 11:32

We would be getting in at around midday on Monday, then flying back at 2200 Wednesday so 2.5 days exploring working on leaving the city at 1900 to get to the airport.

OP posts:

Mynewnameis · 19/08/2023 11:34

We found very little to do apart from window shopping in very expensive shops. We went up the cathedral and saw the last supper aswell but then just wandered. I'm not good at window shopping I guess.

SwedishEdith · 19/08/2023 11:38

You can do a tour of La Scala as well. 2.5 days would be good. It was over 20 years ago now when I went but I liked Milan. Easy public transport.

Letsnotargue · 19/08/2023 11:42

We found drinking in the evenings could be extortionate but everything else was pretty well priced. There is a castle with an art gallery in it which we loved and could probably have spent a whole day there if we didn’t have other things booked.

I remember lots of cafes etc and if you stuck to those rather than restaurants for lunch you’d probably be OK.

itsmyp4rty · 19/08/2023 11:43

Why not? This is the way we always travel. I haven't been to Milan but I'm sure mostly it will be wondering around looking at the sights. Look up free things to do in Milan, I'm sure there will be lots of suggestions. Decide if there are any things that you really want to do that cost money and put that amount aside out of the budget. Check out tripadvisors 'cheap eats' if you can't afford coffee and ice cream out then we always enjoy the different ice creams you can get from supermarkets abroad which saves a few quid.

The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that you're leaving the city around 7pm but your check out time will probably be 10 or 11 so you will have to carry your bags around with you all day unless you book for an extra night.

cancan678 · 19/08/2023 11:44

There isn't a lot to do. Unless you can rent a car and explore

Whataretheodds · 19/08/2023 11:49

We always use Stasher or similar if there's nowhere to leave luggage at the airbnb

Original poster

DaphneDeloresMoreheadRidesOn · 19/08/2023 11:57

@itsmyp4rty i already checked out options for dumping bags - we would only be doing the small under seat bags but we can leave bags in lockers at the station

OP posts:

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 19/08/2023 12:06

I guess you’d need to be doing free sightseeing really because 25e probably won’t buy you lunch and sightseeing? I’ll ask Dd when she gets back from work as she’s spent quite a bit of time in Italy and was in Milan last month. She does say that Milan is her least favourite Italian city……she caught a train from there to lake como for a day which she said was nice. Not sure how much the train was, I’ll ask.

coldseedlessgrapes · 19/08/2023 12:08

We always travel like this. Yes, it's perfectly doable. You've got a kitchenette and transport isn't particularly expensive. You can see the city, buy ice- cream and street food which is cheap if you want.
You can visit the Navigli which is quite a characteristic area too. You don't need to pay entrance fees to experience a place.

Original poster

DaphneDeloresMoreheadRidesOn · 19/08/2023 15:51

Dd is also not a fan of museums or churches so we wouldn't be looking at anything other than the essential sights - Duomo, last supper, Sforzesco castle and La Scala (crucial as she wants to be a classical musician)
the rest of time is usually wandering and food, the canal area looks perfect.
if we need to spend a bit more it's not an issue, just want to keep it as affordable as possible

OP posts:

cheezncrackers · 19/08/2023 16:49

Yes OP, you can. There are plenty of pizzerias and reasonably priced restaurants in Milan and you can also self cater if you have an apartment - bread, olives, cheese, ham, bottle of wine from the supermarket. The shopping is great and there's plenty to see and do in Milan. It's not a beautiful Italian city - it's a business city and a lot of it is pretty ugly tbh - but there are nice enough areas in the centre and enough to entertain a teen. I'd take my kids there and they're a similar age.

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