Big cities are not ideal destinations to visit in a camper van. The parking areas are usually expensive or inconvenient to get downtown, park for free may not be very safe, especially not knowing the neighborhood of the city’s. But with a little luck and the right directions you can do. We stopped in Milan for almost a week, for free and without any problems …
I am pretty sure that Milan is not considered among the most popular destinations for campers. But as Massimo was born there and it was now 10 years that we had not step foot in the city, we thought that it was a good idea to be there again, this time with our motorhome. We had one more reason rather than nostalgia; as we were told by our friends, the city had undergone many architectural changes in recent years that made it unrecognizable … And in fact …..
Following the advices of a ‘true’ Milanese friend, we went to park close to the Lambrate station, along a small park next to the Polytechnic School [45.47859,9.23581]. It was very quiet at night and lively during the day. Besides, the location was perfect for our traveling around the city. The very convenient Metro Line 2 was in a distance of just a few hundred meters.
The metro costs 1.50 € each way but with € 4.50 you can take the 1 day ticket and with € 8.25 the 2 days ticket.
If you are a walker, there are good news! Downtown can also be reached in an hour or so on foot, although the road is not very interesting.
The admission is € 6.50 and it is necessary to book ahead. On the way to fo there, we stumbled upon a march of the Alpini corps. It looked like they’ve invaded the city! 🙂
Milan’s landmark, the Piazza del Duomo remained as we remembered it – or almost so, since there was a new museum and of course a lot of shops have changed. But it’s always the same Piazza …
Another thing that has not changed is the queue in front of Luini bar, next to the cathedral. This is the place where you can find the most delicious panzerotti in northern Italy !!! 🙂
Don’t be intimidated by the crowds, the service is fast and it’s really worth to try. For me the best are those ‘classic’, just tomato and mozzarella.
What was truly scary was the human flow during shopping time…
Here is another point of reference: the loaf or michetta. It is always the same and it’s always delicious!
Then we took the metro and we went to Garibaldi station to see (finally!) the new Milan! It is Impressive, to say the least …
We found also very interesting the buildings known as ‘vertical gardens’ in the nearby Isola neighborhood.
We went for a stroll along the canals or navigli too, but during the day time, the area is not that interesting apart from a little ‘street art.
Finally we took a ride on the new, without train driver, metro line 5 where you can sit in the front row … It was a completely new experience, almost like visiting a luna park;)
Although I have to admit that Milan can not be considered a beautiful city, it is true that it has many things to offer to the visitors and there are quite a lot of sights and corners that are worth seeing. In addition it is a shopper’s paradise! Nevertheless it is not an easy city. It is chaotic, everybody seems to be in a hurry, the distances are huge and eventually it becomes tiresome … But it is absolutely worth a visit even with you camper van…