Weekend Away In Milan: A £250 Challenge
Welcome to our Milan travel guide, perfect for anyone planning a budget-friendly weekend in this stylish city. Milan is a city of fashion, stunning architecture, and great experiences, and in this guide, we show you how to enjoy it all for just £250 each. The verdict? Mission accomplished with £7 to spare! Here’s how we did it.
Getting There: A Milan Travel Guide to Arrivals and Transfers
Our journey began with the Stansted Express from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport. The 45-minute journey set us back £31 return each, even after using a railcard discount. A hefty start, but necessary for our weekend getaway.
Our flights with Ryanair were an absolute steal at just £36 return, and the timings were perfect for making the most of our time in Milan. The flight departed at 7pm on the Friday night, with the return flight departing Milan Bergamo airport at 5:30pm on the Sunday.
Upon arrival at Milan Bergamo Airport, we hopped on the airport shuttle bus to Milan Central Station for €24 return. You can pay by card when you board the bus, so no need to pre-purchase your tickets. There are lots of these shuttle buses just outside the arrivals area at Bergamo airport. The journey to Milan Central station took only 45 minutes, making it the most efficient and cheapest option, especially considering an Uber would have set up back €130!
Where We Stayed
We booked a cosy Airbnb studio called La Piccola Perla, located near the Central Station and just a 20-minute walk from the Duomo Cathedral. It was small but comfortable, and at only £87 per person for two nights (including city tax), it fit perfectly into our budget.
Exploring Milan on a Budget
With only two days to explore, we walked as much as possible, taking in Milan’s most iconic sights:
- Duomo Cathedral
- Il Navigli Canals
- Castello Sforzesco
Milan is a city best experienced on foot, and we spent much of our time immersing ourselves in the vibrant street life. If you wanted a more structured tour, including visiting ‘The Last Supper Painting’ (needs to be booked in advance which we were unable to do) then you can find a range of options with GetYourGuide here. If you choose to book through this link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We really appreciate your support as it helps us keep sharing travel guides like this one!
Food & Drink in Milan: A Budget Traveler’s Milan Guide to Eating Well
We challenged ourselves to spend just €20 per day on food, and we succeeded! Here are the food/drink establishments that we visited:
- Napoli 1820 Pizzeria (Alzaia Naviglio Grande, 62, 20144): Delicious, authentic pizzas for just €10/£8 each in the Il Navigli (canals) area.
- Al Confine (Viale Coni Zugna, 59, 20144): Just €3.50 for a pint on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a really cool bar, with quirky décor and lots of craft beers on tap. This is again in the Il Navigli (canals area) so I’d recommend having a pre-dinner drink here and then heading to the Napoli 1820 Pizzeria for dinner.
- La Prosciutteria (Central Milan): A heavenly meat and cheese board for €10/£8 each. Aperol Spritz’s here were just €6. A great spot to have a few drinks and graze on some Italian antipasti!
- GustaMi (Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 3, 20123): A great café just off the Duome piazza. A double espresso here costs just €1.60, the Nutella croissant was €2.20 and was honestly the best croissant I’ve ever had in my life! They do takeaway pizza slices here for lunch as well.
Of course, we couldn’t resist a couple of rooftop bars whilst creating this Milan travel guide:
- Terrazza Aperol (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, 20121) : Sipping an Aperol Spritz for €21/£18 while overlooking Piazza Duomo was expensive, but totally worth it, as the view of the Duomo piazza was incredible. Be prepared to wait for half an hour or so to get a table though.
- The Dome (Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 20123) : Enjoyed an Ichnusa beer for €12/£10 with another breathtaking rooftop view near the Duome piazza. This was again near the Duome cathedral. Of course this is expensive for a beer, but you do get olives, nuts and bread included with this and was totally worth it for the view alone.
These rooftop bars were definitely worth it if, like us, you were only going to purchase one drink each, or not drink alcohol at all. Being able to watch the sunset over Milan whilst sipping a drink was certainly a memorable experience. On our way home, we visited the HelloSky airport lounge at Milan Bergamo. You can find this airport lounge review here.
Transport
While we mostly walked, we took the Milan Metro twice, costing €2 per journey, making it a super convenient and affordable way to get around.
The Final Budget Breakdown: How to Enjoy Milan on £250 – A Milan Travel Guide Summary
Flights: £36
Airport Transfer: £20
Accommodation: £87
Food & Drink: £69
Transport: £4
Rooftop Drinks & Extras: £27
Total: £243
We set out to complete Milan on a £250 budget and succeeded with £7 to spare! If you’re looking for a European city break without breaking the bank, Milan should definitely be on your list. Overall, this Milan travel guide proves that exploring a fashionable city on a tight budget is entirely possible with the right planning.
If you would like to explore our ever growing list of destinations on a budget challenges, you can find them here.
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