Milan In One Day: Our Food and Art Filled Luscious Layover

Legendary art, freshly baked pizza pockets, luscious gelato, and... Starbucks? How to experience Milan in one day when you're on a layover.

​Plus: The Milan airport hotel we loved!

​Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

If you have one day in Milan, this isn't a bad way to start.

On my first visit to Milan, I changed trains and spent my last precious lira (yep, it was a long time ago) on a soggy train station sandwich that was decidedly not good. I was unimpressed - and hungry.

One my second visit to Milan, I once again changed trains and spent way too many Euros on Burger King. Yes, BURGER KING. My least favourite fast food - and the last thing you want to eat in Italy.

But on my third visit to Milan, oh let me tell you about the third visit. It was filled with gelato so luscious it was downright profane. And dough. Soft, fluffy dough, fresh from the oven, with the cheese and tomato sauce so hot they were bubbling together in a happy stew. Then there was art, the kind of art that puts all the other art to shame. And - of course! - there was coffee. 

After two false starts, I finally had my day in Milan. I arrived via an overnight flight from New York and I left the same day, on an overnight flight to Addis Ababa. It was all part of our epic round-the-world trip that required us to cash in all our frequent flyer points and embrace a world of short but sassy layovers. Though my time was short, I was ready to do Milan in one day - or, at the very least, do my version of it in one day. 

​Here's where we ate, what we did, and even where we stayed in Milan, plus practical advice on getting from Malpensa airport to Milan's central station. 

We weren't spending the night but we still got a cheap hotel in Milan. Best. Decision. EVER!

Photo credit: Trip Advisor

Photo credit: Trip Advisor

Photo credit: Trip Advisor

Photo credit: Trip Advisor

Photo credit: Trip Advisor

For our layover in Milan, we did something new for us. We rented a hotel room! We’ve never done so before on layovers unless, of course, we were spending the night. However, our daytime layover in Milan was sandwiched between not one but two overnight flights. Rest, even in short doses, was paramount. 

While we joked about renting rooms by the hour, we realized that having access to a hotel room for just a little bit was the perfect solution for us. Thankfully, airport based hotels work hard to accommodate guests arriving at strange hours and are usually willing to accommodate early check-ins. As such, we were able to check into our chosen hotel, the Moxy Milan Malpensa Airport, well before noon.

The Moxy was located directly across the parking lot of Terminal Two, a distance we walked in one minute - no shuttle bus required and the bright pink hotel accents made it easy to locate. Too easy! The room itself was in line with what you’d expect from most airport hotels - clean, comfortable, compact, and well designed to make the most of the space. We were lucky to get a 35 Euro clearance rate but even at the non-discounted rate of 70 Euros, we would have been thrilled. We happily dumped our belongings and organized a few things before taking off to the city center. 

When we returned, we took a moment to appreciate that the lobby and snack bar area was funky, artsy, and original - not things I normally care about for a quick layover hotel but in this instance I could see it being the perfect venue for a jet-lagged guest to do some writing or travel planning. But I had just one thing on my mind. I wanted a shower! 

Let's talk about that amazing shower. I'm sure a less tired and gritty person would see it as nothing more than a standard shower in a standard small hotel room. But to me it was heaven. When we returned to the room after several hours exploring Milan, it was fantastic to wash away the grime of the day. Oh, and it was even better to scrub away the accumulated muck from the overnight flight and the previous day's adventures. Hot water and fluffy towels have never felt so good!

We were practicing throw-away packing for the first 36 hours of the trip. After shedding our original outfits at the hotel, some bonus space in our bags opened up to make things more manageable. It was SO lovely to have a private space to spread out our belongings and organize our gear. We also appreciated the hotel's strong internet connection and the comfortable bed, though I sadly never did get a nap. 

Overall, I’d declare our stay here to be short, sweet, and a resounding success. It gave us small but incredibly necessary doses of privacy, hygiene, rest, storage, and work space. Of course, having a hotel for the day wasn't an essential. We probably could have paid for luggage storage in Malpensa but for such a low price it was worth every penny. I  had debated the merits of paying for a hotel when we weren’t actually going to sleep there overnight. Would the staff think we were weird when we checked out without spending the night? They didn't even blink - I think we weren't the first layover lovers to do this!​

Getting around: Milan airport to train station and back again

Buses waiting for the return trip behind Central Station. Photo credit: Flickr.

To get from the Milan airport to the train station downtown, we booked theMalpensa Express “Air Pullman”  bus online, which cost 16 Euros per person, round trip. While there's no need to reserve your seat or purchase your ticket in advance, doing so saved us a total of four Euros over the course of the round trip. Hey, the exchange rate isn’t great for Canadians. We’ll take those four Euros any day!! This was the least expensive option to travel from the Milan airport to the city center that was still convenient for us. And it worked out just fine.

After leaving our belongings at the hotel, we were able to find our bus outside of Terminal Two without much problem. (Hint: Look for the bold Malpensa Express logo and check with the driver that you’re in the right place. I’m not sure there was any clear “Air Pullman” label on the buses we took so that’s not the main name you’ll be searching for). On the return trip, this bus, along with others from several other companies, park at a dedicated bus area by the side/back of Milan’s Central Station. During the day, shuttles to and from the airport are in a near continuous cycle and there’s no need to return at a specific time for a particular shuttle to the airport. One will be along in a few minutes if it’s not there already, loading on passengers. 

A few tips for the ride: The trip from Malpensa to Milan Central Station takes about an hour and, if you're on a layover visit, this is a prime time to nap. There really isn't that much to see along the drive. There will be a few suburban stops before you make your ‘big’ stop at Central Station. Having never been to Milan before, I wasn’t sure which stop was ours. Sure, things didn’t LOOK like they were beside a big city train station but, hey, bus stops can be deceiving. So if you’re like me and a bit uncertain about these things, be reassured that the real, final stop will be very apparent. 

Before leaving downtown Milan, take a moment to look in and around Central Station - it’s a beautiful building. The Centrale metro station is also attached to the train station and, for 1.50 Euros a ride, it’s a cheap, easy way to save yourself some walking to get to the Duomo and the historic city center.

Overall, we found that traveling from the Milan airport to the city center was easy and affordable, as was getting around Milan itself.

Cafes in Milan and other easy, affordable eats 

Luini’s Panzerotti is a tiny bakery counter that’s about a 3-4 minute walk from the Duomo Piazza. While its name and location aren’t exactly a hidden travel secret - it’s listed in just about every guidebook - I promise it hasn’t been over-hyped.

This is where you come for panzerotti, Milan’s version of a homemade pizza pocket. You pay around 3 Euros for a handheld pie of thick dough that’s pre-filled with ingredients such as tomatoes and mozzarella at the most basic level to slightly more elaborate versions where ingredients like hot salami are an option. There are both baked and fried versions available but unless you are extremely health conscious, I would ask them for whichever was just cooked so the insides of the pockets will still be hot and bubbly.

There are also sweet versions available with chocolate and cherry or a combination of plum, apple, and walnut, which I seriously regret not buying and taking along with me to eat as snacks later on in the day. 

While you're at Luini's, take a few moments to explore the gorgeous Galleria Vitorrio Emanuele - a glamorous, old fashioned shopping plaza where both Prada and Ferrari have shops. If food is still on your mind, there are two nearby places to consider.

• Grom Gelato is nearby at Via Santa Margherita 16. I didn't have a chance to visit myself but it was highly recommended by my friends at Journeywoman. 
• Pasticceria Marchesi is also at the Galleria (Via Santa Maria alla Porta 11a) and is well known for coffee and pastries.
• It's admittedly a bit of a journey from Luini, but El Brellin (Alzaia Naviglio Grande 14) is still within central Milan and nicely positioned for exploring the city's canal area. Our time in Milan didn't really correspond with a meal but if it had, this was on our list for local risotto and deep fried stuffed squash blossoms. 

Gelato in Milan: Chocolat Milano

Feasting on gelato is a priority for us when we're in Italy... okay, when we're just about ANYWHERE! And we are thrilled to report that Milan did not disappoint. We passed by Chocolat Milano (Via Giovanni Boccaccio 9) while walking from the metro station to the church where Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper is located. We were on a tight timeline and just gave it a cursory glance and brief comment that it looked good. We took a different path on our return journey, all in the name of seeing just a bit more of the city, but somehow our feet steered us back to Chocolat Milano. 

It was a fortuitous stroll. Chocolat Milano makes superb gelato, with pristine, intense flavors and silky-smooth texture. Love at first bite!

Coffee in Milan: Local versus Starbucks Milano

Milan is a city of high style and that's evident in everything from clothing and accessories to everyday necessities like coffee. Milan is rumored to be the city which inspired Starbucks and that history influenced the company to open its very first Italian location in Milan. And what a location! This isn't your ordinary coffee kiosk but a flagship roastery, a full coffee house experience that's unlike any other.

By coincidence, I was in Milan just days after the city's first Starbucks opened - and, as far as I can tell, I was one of the very first travel writers to visit it independently, free from a press trip. My impression was that it was an incredible, multi-sensory experience with some rather amazing drinks unavailable anywhere else. As a frequent Starbucks visitor at home, I was in heaven. And I was in hell. Despite 30 minutes of effort, I couldn't actually figure out where I needed to go to just order a simple cappuccino. I left empty handed and I'm a gal who managed to find a vanilla latte in Maun, Botswana. Not cool Starbucks. However, in the interest of fairness, it's entirely possible that things have become more visitor friendly and with greater signage since those early days of operation.

But directly across from Starbucks is the entrance to the subway station and there within I had the classic Milan coffee experience: A one Euro cappuccino made with nary a 30 second wait. It was lovely and delicious and I was so happy (and tired!) that I nearly cried. 

My best advice for coffee in Milan: By all means, check out the Starbucks but you'll probably be happiest grabbing a cup from the transit station just like I was.  

What to see in Milan in one day

Our first moments in Milan, exploring around the Duomo.

Notice our tickets say 12 Euros. Ha! This is NOT the price we ended up paying but it's proof that tour operators more or less just resell the tickets they acquire for huge markups. Still: worth it.

See that tiny second floor balcony niche? It's almost exactly above The Last Supper!

Who exactly is living beside the world's most precious piece of art?

We usually follow a pretty standard travel layover plan that we've honed over the years: head to the city center and see as many sights as possible within a compact space to minimize travel and maximize time. But as we started our trip planning process, I was reading Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. It was through that biography that I learned that Da Vinci's The Last Supper resided in Milan's Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Forget my standard plan. We had a new priority.

Da Vinci made preparatory notes for the The Last Supper and savvy travelers must do the same just to see it.   There are two ways to get tickets to see The Last Supper. The first is through the Convent's official website. Alas, the affordable tickets - usually released a few months in advance - are often sell out within hours. We missed our window of opportunity - which left us with Plan B.

Plan B is to obtain a ticket as part of a tour package. The good news is that there a multiple tours that offer a combination of guided sightseeing through Milan's city center and viewing the The Last Supper. Alas, we had a big problem - the timing just didn't work out. We arrived too late for the morning tours and too early for the afternoon tours. Thankfully, we discovered a secret Plan C.

We noticed some tour operators offered a "package" that combined a The Last Supper ticket with a "bonus" guidebook. This is a clever work around of a rule that prevents reselling tickets like a scalper. Thus, we had our perfect solution - tickets to view The Last Supper and a schedule that worked. This is the exact package we had - pricey, but totally worth it. I loved every moment of my time with Leo. Forget every grumpy rumbling you hear about how there have been so many restoration attempts over the years that there are precious few brush strokes remaining in Da Vinci's original hand. You will not regret going to see it. 
.
(Note: A lot of tours advertise a guided tour of The Last Supper and a guaranteed skip the line ticket. Balderdash. ALL tickets to The Last Supper are "skip the line" because there is NO line. Tickets are timed. About 12-15 people are allowed in for 15 minutes at a time.)

My only Milan regrets? Not having more time.

Look at this jaunty tram! I wish we could have caught a ride.

Thankfully, unlike my first two visits in Milan, on this trip I had time to get out of the train station - and to have some good food! But I have two small regrets regarding my one day in Milan. The first is related to the fact that our flight from New York was delayed and thus we had to shave a few hours off our overall layover. That meant cutting out a visit to Milan's Duomo and I was sad to miss such a fabled site. 

The other regret is that we weren't able to ride on Milan's gorgeous vintage trams, which cost a mere €1.50. These jaunty orange street cars follow some beautiful routes through the city. With our slightly reduced timeline, we stuck with the metro to save some time. We DID try to ride one at the end of the day but we couldn't figure out where or how to buy tickets - the locals inferred we had to buy tickets just like we would for the subway and then validate them onboard. Alas, time was tight so we had to skip out on this experience. Next time Milan, next time!

And there WILL be a next time. Now that I've had a taste of Milan (quite literally), I'll make sure my next trip won't just be to change trains at the station. 

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