Transport in Milan

Transport in Milan: How to move around the city

Milan is a big city and moving by car, especially during rush hour, can be a really stressful experience. Luckily, there are other ways to move around, most of them provided by the Milan Transport Company (ATM).

The first paragraphs are dedicated to the public transport (subway, public buses, trams, etc..) with information about hours, prices, discounts for students and so on… But you can also find information about bike sharing, car and scooter sharing, taxi and also airports… In short, everything you should know about transport in Milan!

SUBWAY

The Milan Metro can’t be compared to those of the biggest European cities like London, Paris, Berlin or Madrid. Nonetheless, it is the most efficient one in Italy.

It is made up of four lines (MM1 red, MM2 green, MM3 yellow and the MM5 purple), plus a rail link made up of 5 suburban lines (S1-S2-S5-S6-S13) covering more than 80 km. Two metro lines are under construction and should be completed in the next few years.

The Milan Metro is opened every day from 6.00 am till 00:30 am.

SURFACE TRANSPORT

In addition to the metro, Milan has a good bus & tram network system serving both the urban and suburban areas. The metro is the fastest and usually the best option, but surface transport is comfortable and efficient especially for short distances.

Many people prefer it also because it allows them to enjoy many of the city sights.

TICKETS AND FARES

Tickets can be purchased at ATM Points, ticket machines and authorized bars and newsstands. You must validate your ticket at the machines onboard. Be careful, you can’t purchase tickets on board, so you need to get one before you enter.

The fares we are going to show are related to M1-M3 area, with this tickets you can travel in Milan city center and also reach other municipalities (Assago, Baranzate, Bollate, Bresso, Buccinasco, Cesano Boscone, Cinisello Balsamo, Cologno Monzese, Cormano, Corsico, Cusano Milanino, Novate Milanese, Milano, Opera, Pero, Peschiera Borromeo, Rozzano, San Donato Milanese, Segrate, Sesto San Giovanni, Settimo Milanese, Vimodrone + Rho Fieramilano Train Station)

  • simple ticket for the city center: 2,00 € (valid for 90 minutes from validation – single access to the metro)
  • carnet: 18,00 € (valid for 10 simple tickets)
  • day pass: 7,00 € (unlimited journeys for 24 hours from validation)
  • 3days card: 12,00 € (unlimited journeys for 72 hours from validation)
  • weekly: 17 € (unlimited journeys during a week from Monday to Sunday)
  • monthly: 39 € (unlimited journeys during a month from the 1st)

There are many other different tickets you can find out about on the ATM website (https://nuovosistematariffario.atm.it/).

TRAVEL CARDS

Travel Cards allow you to travel whenever and as often as you want on the public transport system. Travel Cards are electronic cards which cost 10 € and are valid for 4 years. You can purchase the electronic card online or at any ATM Point or at any outlet located on the underground.

Discounts for under 27

If you’re under 27 you can get a discount on the monthly and annual Travel Cards for public transport

  • monthly: 22 €
  • annual: 200 €

Where ATM Points in Milan are located

  • Duomo M1-M3 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20, Sun 10.15-13.15 e 14-17.30)
  • Centrale M2-M3 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20, Sun 10.15-13.15 e 14-17.30)
  • Cadorna M1-M2 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20, Sun 10.15-13.15 e 14-17.30)
  • Garibaldi M2-M5 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20)
  • Loreto M1-M2 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20)
  • Romolo M2 (from Mon to Sat 7.45-20)

You will need to bring a passport photograph, a valid ID and your Italian social security number (Codice Fiscale). Once you have your electronic card you can charge it via ATM Milano Official App or at the ticket machines located in every underground station, at authorized outlets, at ATM Points, and at some cashpoints. You can choose different validity periods:

  • weekly: 17 € (from Monday to Sunday, valid for one week)
  • monthly: 39 € (one month from the 1st to the last day of the month for which the travel card was purchased)
  • annual: 330 € (valid for 12 consecutive months)

TICKET BY SMS

You can buy your ticket via SMS. You need to send one SMS with the text “ATM” from your mobile to the number 48444. If you take the bus/tram you need to show your confirmation in case of control. If you are buying it for a metro ride you can print it with your PNR at an automatic machine in any metro stations.

NIGHT TRANSPORT

Since 2011 Milan has been served by a night bus network which is active from 0:30 am to 6 am. Many other bus lines allow passengers to move around the city when the regular daily transport is closed.

Three lines replace the metro serving all the stations and work all week and weekend nights. (M1, M2, M3). In addition, N90, N91, N25 and N26 travel by night every day of the week including weekends.

The other lines follow the route of their daily counterparts and they just work on the weekends (Friday and Saturday). These are N6, N15, N24, N27, N42, N50, N54, N57, N72, N80 and N94. You can use night transport with only one ticket which you can buy from parking meters during the weekend. Travel Cards are also allowed.

Find more info in this map.

UBER

Uber is a famous American drivers service but in Milan is not a common service. Due to the fact that only NCC (Noleggio Con Conducente) drivers are able to enlist as Uber drivers, there aren’t nearly as many of them around as you might have expected to be. The cheapest solution is to take a taxi (sharing one will be the very best option).

TAXI

Taxis are the most comfortable but also expensive way to move around Milan. Base fares can vary depending on the hour and the day of the week. Weekdays from 6 am till 9 pm it’s 3,40 €, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 5,60 €, while at night (from 9 pm till 6 am) it’s 6,70 €.

The basic rates are 1,12 € per km and 29,19 € per hour.

If getting a taxi is the only option you have we suggest you try to find someone to share it with.

BIKE SHARING

Since 2008 Milan has had a public bicycle transport system designed for short distances- called BikeMi. You can pick up a bike at one of the almost 300 stations around the city and leave it at any other station. The service is fully automatized and works 24/7. To use BikeMi you need a subscription that can be purchased online at www.bikemi.com, at any ATM point, or for only daily and weekly subscriptions you can call (toll-free number 800 80 81 81) and use your credit card or wap (wap.bikemi.it). The fares for the subscriptions are:

  • Annual: 36 € (12 € if you already have an ATM Travel Card and you are Under 27)
  • Weekly: 9 €
  • Daily: 4,50 €

With your subscription you can use a traditional bike anytime you want for free, for up to 30 minutes for each ride. After the first 30 minutes, a fare of 0,50 € for every 30 minutes is applied, for a maximum limit of 2 hours. After that, it will cost you 2 € per hour.

For electric bikes, a part of the annual subscription, you would pay 0.25 € for the first 30 minutes, 0,50 € for the second half an hour, 1 € for the third one, and 2 € for the fourth one.

Note that exceeding the 2-hour maximum limit 3 times blocks the subscription.

If you want a bike for a long term rental you can have one with Swapfiets. This company offers traditional and electric bikes and allows you to use them for one or more months and receive technical assistance for free at any moment.

CAR-SHARING

In Milan, there are different companies that offer a car-sharing service. You can rent a car with a smartphone app and pay it per minute just for the duration of your trip. It is halfway between car rental and a taxi ride and it’s widely used in Milan, in fact, you can even enter in the “Area C” and park on yellow and blue zones without additional costs. From 2015 you can also rent a temporary scooter from Enjoy with the same process of renting a car.

The most famous car-sharing companies are:

SCOOTER-SHARING

If you are looking for a scooter the most famous sharing companies are:

ELECTRIC SCOOTER-SHARING

During the last years, we assisted at a new way to move around the city, using the e-scooters. In Milan you can find many companies offering this service as a sharing one:

DRIVING AROUND

If you want to use a car, keep in mind that in the center there is a congestion charge named “area C”. The fee is 5 € and it’s applied to every vehicle entering the city center on weekdays from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm. The access is free only for hybrid or electric vehicles and scooters.
When you have to park your car, remember that white lines mean “free parking”; yellow zones are reserved for residents, while blue lines denote “pay and display”: pay for a ticket from the dispensing machine and display it clearly in the front windscreen.

AIRPORTS

Milan is served by three airports: Linate, Malpensa and Orio al Serio.
Linate is the closest to the city center and you can reach it by bus (73 or X73) with a simple ATM ticket.

Malpensa is the second biggest airport in Italy and it’s located in Varese province. You can reach it by coach from Central Station (10€) or by train from Cadorna Station (Malpensa Express one way: 13€, round trip 20€, you can buy the ticket here).

Orio al Serio is located in Bergamo province and it’s famous for its great offer of low-cost flights. You can get there by coach from Central Station (10€).

You can book your ticket to (and from) the airport online easily from the Milan Airport Transfer page here.

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