Milan's street-plan resembles
a spider's web, with roads
radiating out from the central
Piazza Duomo. The bulk of the
city is encircled by three
concentric ring roads,
although the suburbs and
industrial estates are now
spilling out towards a fourth
ring, the Tangenzianale, which
links the main
autostradas
. The city centre is, however,
fairly compact, and most of
what you'll want to see is
within the first or second
rings, each of them marking
ancient city boundaries.
In spite of this, the
streets can be smoggy and
packed, and at some point
you'll want to make use of the
public transport system
- an efficient network of
trams, buses and metro. The metro
is easiest to master (and the
fastest and most useful). It's
made up of four lines, the red
MM1, green MM2, yellow MM3,
and blue passante
ferroviario , meeting at
the four main hubs of Stazione
Centrale, Duomo, Cadorna and
Loreto
. The system is not
comprehensive, but it's
adequate for sightseeing.
However, you may need to use a
tram or bus to
get to your hotel: the system
is well organized and
integrated with the metro.
Buses, trams and the metro run
from around 6am to midnight,
after which nightbuses
take over, following the metro
routes until 1am.
For all public transport
enquiries the information
office at the Duomo or
Stazione Centrale metro
stations are helpful, and have
free route maps. Tickets
, valid for 75 minutes, cost
L1500/?0.78 and can be used
for one metro trip and as many
bus and tram rides as you
want. They are on sale at
tobacconists, bars and at the
metro station newsagents; most
outlets close at 8pm so it's
best to buy a few tickets in
advance, or a carnet of ten
for L14,000/?7.23. Some
stations have automatic ticket
machines, although only the
newer ones give change. You
can also buy a one-day
(L5000/?2.58) or two-day
ticket (L9000/?4.65) from the
Stazione Centrale or Duomo
metro stations.
Taxis don't cruise
the streets, so don't bother
trying to flag one down.
Either head for a taxi rank -
on Piazza Duomo, Largo Cairoli,
Piazza San Babile, Stazione
Centrale, etc - or phone one
of the following numbers: tel
02.6767, 02.5353 or 02.8585.
Apart from taxis, driving
in the city is best avoided:
the streets are congested and
parking close on impossible.
Parking in prohibited zones is
not worth it; you'll be fined
if caught and have your car
impounded by the police.
