Melih Kağan Özel Hello, in this article I wanted to prepare a Milan Travel Guide. I have included details on how to eat cheaply, some basic information on transportation, and where to buy the cheapest SIM card.
Sim Card:
After landing at Bergamo Airport, I think the first problem for all of us is internet access. Nowadays, people can solve this problem with eSIM technology. If your phone does not support eSIM like mine, you will need to buy a physical SIM card. From my research online, I saw that SIM card costs can reach 40-50 euros. Honestly, I didn’t want to pay that much.
As a result of my research, I found a newly established GSM company called ILIAD.I paid 18 euros (10 euros for activation + 8 euros for the monthly plan). This gave me 120 GB of data and unlimited calls. Since they are new in the market, they don’t have many stores. However, they have many vending machines. There was one at the exit of Bergamo Airport. Despite being at the airport, the prices were the same. Don’t worry, there’s an attendant next to it to help you. If you’re lucky, a lovely Italian lady will assist you. :). I am leaving the necessary links right here: ILIAD
Food
This place I’m going to recommend is both very delicious and quite affordable. You can have a snack in the middle of the day and continue your tour. They have been making Milanese-style slice pizza for years. They make a standard margherita pizza and then add toppings to the cooked pizza. The name is Spontini; I think you shouldn’t leave Milan without eating a margherita from Spontini: LOCATION, MENU
Secondly, aperitivo is a very popular concept in Milan. For prices ranging from 10 to 15 euros, you get one drink and a plate of snacks. You can enjoy this experience with friends or family. Have a drink and snacks before dinner. If you want to try this, I won’t give a specific name. The Navigli area in Milan is perfect for this. You can go to any restaurant you like there.
Riding Trains Without a Ticket
Unfortunately, this is a much-discussed topic, and I didn’t want to skip mentioning a few things. During our trip to Milan, we stayed in Como, so we used the train daily. Therefore, we had the experience of seeing the frequency of ticket checks. My advice to you is to buy your tickets unless you have no other choice because, even though it’s a regional train, we encountered frequent checks.
The likelihood of getting fined is quite high, although I can’t say the same for buses. Now, do we really have to pay these fines, and is there any truth to them? I’m not sure. There are different discussions on this topic, but in summary, I recommend paying the fare for the vehicle you use if you can. There is no problem with tickets purchased digitally, but if you bought your ticket from the counter, you need to validate it. If you don’t validate it, your ticket becomes invalid. This is very important.
Transportation
Regarding transportation, if you live in Istanbul, I don’t think you will have any difficulty. Just as we solve questions in Istanbul like “Which metro goes where?” or “Which bus should I take to get there?”, we can solve them similarly here. I used the Moovit app, which works actively in almost every city in Italy. The city also offers transportation services to many places via metro. You can buy tickets from the machines at the turnstile level. There are many options, such as single-use tickets or daily tickets, so you can purchase whichever suits you best.
Pickpocketing
Unfortunately, pickpocketing is a chronic problem in countries like Spain and Italy. It never happened to me, but sometimes the metros can be very crowded, and believe me, there might be a skilled thief among you. But there’s no need to overly worry and ruin your holiday.You can put your belongings in zippered bags. Most importantly, keep them in front of you. This helps protect against pickpockets. Be a bit more careful in crowded places like the metro. This way, you can avoid negative incidents. Some travel insurance policies cover pickpocketing. It’s beneficial to consider this when getting insurance.
Safety
In today’s world, developed and wealthy cities often face immigration issues. Milan is also affected by this. Its crime rates are similar to Istanbul. For your safety, be cautious after dark. Avoid unknown and poorly lit streets.
