Milan Travel Guide: How To Plan A Weekend City Break On A Budget

This post will be sharing my budget-friendly Milan travel guide.

The beauty of living in Europe is that you can catch a flight to anywhere on the continent on a whim for the cost of your weekly grocery shop.

Well, except for the weekend when it is the most expensive time to fly.

But you get my point.

I get the weekends off work for now, but I honestly cannot wait for that to change.

Weekend flights are expensive and sometimes inconvenient, except you book far in advance, which is why I was so shocked when I stumbled on this return flight to Milan from Friday to Sunday.

It turns out there are convenient Friday night flights.

You must search well enough and be lucky to catch the original prices before the airline bumps it up at the last minute.

Yes! I took my first proper European trip for the year and was estatic!

This is a massive deal for me because most of my trips since 2020 have been UK & Ireland-centric.

But now, I’m done with UK Travel and ready to explore Europe.

Travel has become my priority even with my 9-5, so I’m constantly hunting for flights.

So, I went to Milan last week and had a good time. Here’s how I planned the entire trip.

Here’s How To Plan A Trip To Milan On A Budget

As always, I’ll share the details of my Milan travel guide, including costs, to help you plan accordingly.

For the record, Milan is a northern city in Italy and is the fourth fashion capital of the world after London, Paris and New York.

So, you’ll expect that it will be a bit pricey.

Aside from New York, I’ve been to both London and Paris, and I’ve made it work despite being expensive cities.

You’ll be fine if you stick to your budget and explore all the available options.

Flights

Cost: £25.98 return – €31.19

I always took the trusty Ryanair because it was the cheapest available.

I booked about ten days in advance for that price.

Ryanair might not be luxurious, but they’ll get you to your destination for a steal.

A good rule of thumb to get even cheaper flights is to watch out for their monthly deals.

You can get flights as cheap as £5 and £9.99.

Just be sure of the trip; otherwise, you won’t get a refund if you miss it.

They had one for March a few days ago, and I could get a return to Porto and Cork for £30 and £16, respectively.

As for Milan, knowing what airport your flight will be landing at is essential.

Ryanair is notorious for using outskirt airports to cut down airport fees.

So, you need to bear that in mind.

Airport Transfer to Milan Central Station

Cost – €10 one way (£8.44)

My flight landed at Milan Bergamo, about an hour from the city centre.

Thankfully, Milan has prepared shuttle buses – either Orioshuttle or Autostradale – because they know how many people enter that airport.

There are buses every 15 – 20 minutes, and you pay for the tickets at the entrance.

Despite my late flight, I could catch one at 11 pm.

I got to Milan Central Station, where the bus station is at about 11.45 pm.

The chairs in the buses are super tiny, so you sit in the second row at the front or on the aisle.

Just don’t expect comfort.

Accommodation

Cost – 2 nights (€72 – £60.77)

Immediately after booking my flights, I always look for hostels and save my choices.

Before COVID, everyone offered free cancellation, but now everyone wants to make money back at all costs.

So, I initially chose one in the city centre, but by the time I was ready to book a couple of days later, the rooms were sold out.

I was so livid.

I eventually had to get one closest to the Milan Central Station.

In the end, this turned out to be a better decision because the hostel was just a walking distance from the station.

In terms of price, this one is quite pricey.

But I don’t mind paying when I think about how convenient and clean it was.

One nifty trick I used to save money was to book directly on the hostel’s website.

I was able to save about £16 doing that.

Transportation

Cost – 24h pass (£6.12)

Total – £9.5 – €11.41

Before paying for public transportation, I usually gauge the size of the cities and the attractions I’m visiting.

The city is compact and walkable if they’re all clustered together in one location.

If they are spread around instead, I get a day pass, depending on how many days I visit.

But as much as possible, I try to research the cheapest method of transportation beforehand.

As for Milan, there’s a central transportation system operated by ATM Milano.

So you can buy your tickets or passes from the app at your convenience.

After tapping in and out with my contactless card – which is not as seamless as the tube in London – I gave up and bought a 24-hour pass, which costs €7.

Meals

While there’s so much Italian food to feast on, I’m a picky eater, especially outside my home country.

I’m not very good at exploring food, and I’d instead not unless accompanied by someone who knows the food.

I almost always settle for McDonald’s or any familiar fast food for my breakfast or quick lunches.

I also decided to buy some panini from a street vendor.

I finally got a massive Pepperoni Pizza and some Tiramisu on my second day.

I got some pasta but was given something else, which I instantly regretted.

It was too cold for gelatos, so I skipped it, but I definitely won’t on my next trip to Rome.

Attractions

As usual, I don’t pay for attractions and haven’t so far, with no exceptions.

I’d instead save that entrance fee for my next trip.

Notwithstanding, I still try to enjoy as many free things as possible on my travels.

But honestly, being out of the country in a new city boosts my mood even if I don’t pay for attractions.

Some of the must-see attractions for your Milan travel guide should include;

• The majestic Duomo Di Milano which was built over 600 years.
• Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II is a massive shopping centre home to Italian luxury brands.
• Santa Maria delle Grazie is home to Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
• Sforzesco Castle: a huge medieval fortress built in the 16th Century
• Lawrence’s columns were made of 16 Roman marble columns.
• Arco della Pace, a triumphant arch built at the request of Napoleon.
• Sempione Park possible the biggest park in Milan
• Arco di Porta Ticinese is one of the three medieval gates of the city.

Shopping & Souvenirs

Up until this point, my trip was pretty affordable.

I had spent roughly about €180 until I discovered Sephora and Italian Parapharmacies.

This is where I lost my shit a bit.

Before I knew it, I was forking over €100 on Italian and Sephora skincare.

In my defence, we don’t have Sephora in the U.K., so I was giddy about finally walking into one.

I also could not do a lot of shopping at the Saturday Street Market because I didn’t have cash or carry a piece of luggage.

That saved my ass because I would have spent so much more.

Finally,

I hope you have found this Milan Travel Guide helpful.

While it can get expensive depending on what you want to splurge on, there’s no doubt that you can have an affordable trip on a budget.