We spent the afternoon downtown doing some sightseeing and shopping. The next day, we took the Malpensa Express to MXP, which leaves every 30 minutes from Milano Centrale. It costs 13 EUR and takes about 50 minutes.
Another option is the bus shuttle from Milano Centrale, which costs 10 EUR and takes about 80 minutes. You can buy tickets here. By comparison, a taxi/Uber ride to MXP from our hotel was 155 EUR.
The Alps
General tips
- I’m a bit paranoid about losing my passport abroad. Rome—like most big cities in Europe—is known for pickpocketing in crowded areas. To protect against that, I bought these boxers, which turned out great. They have two side pockets that can easily fit a passport and a wallet each, and they’re comfortable to wear.
- You can use Uber to order a taxi in large cities such as Rome and Milan. In Rome, the minimum fare was 9 EUR, and the maximum fare shown in the Uber app was honored. In Milan, the minimum fare was 14 EUR, but the maximum was not guaranteed, so we ended up paying more compared to the Uber Black fare.
- You can pay for pretty much everything using Apple Pay with your phone or watch, so there’s no need to carry a physical card. Unlike other countries where some small shops have a card minimum, that wasn’t the case here. The only things we had to pay cash for were the gondola in Venice and church donations.
- One thing we didn’t realize is that the next train stop after Lake Como San Giovanni is a city called Chiasso, which is just six minutes away—in Switzerland! A fun bonus if you want to add another country to your visit.
Hope you find this guide useful—and let me know in the comments if you have any questions or other tips!
