There are perks to traveling without an itinerary and sometimes there aren’t. In our case we didn’t find a place to stay in Milan until the night before. I actually booked an AirBnB but the host cancelled. I was annoyed. So we ended up booking a room at Idea Hotel Milano Corso Genova. It was near the airport and off the beaten path. So we thought.
Ideal hotel was an old contemporary hotel. It probably was contemporary during the early 2000s, but now it looked dingy. There were marks all over the white walls. The upkeep of the rooms were less than stellar. We did like that the mini fridge bar was complimentary.
We arrived in Milan by train from Venice around 4pm. The shuttle from our hotel to the airport had really odd hours. It didn’t make any sense to go back to the airport to take the train into central Milan because we wouldn’t have had any transportation back to the hotel. We ended up chillin’ at the hotel and having dinner. The food I ordered was gross. I wasted my money. I hate wasting money on food. It hurts my heart.
The next morning we got up early and ate the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. The breakfast food was so much better than the night before. Can’t complain when it’s free.
We were sort of clueless as to how to get to central Milan. I asked the front desk person and she gave me map and directions. It wasn’t difficult at all. Had we known, we could have explored Milan the night before. Oh well. You live and learn. We probably needed that night in to rest anyway. The front desk person suggested we take the hotel shuttle to the airport, leave our luggage in airport storage and take the train to central Milan. The train ride was only 20 minutes away. We were headed back to NYC that evening so that option made sense.
I won’t even tell you about how much of a hassle it was to get our train tickets. Goodness! A few of the machines were broken and the lines were out the door. We missed our first train even though we were there 30 minutes early. And then our debit cards wouldn’t work in the machines. It was a disaster. We literally got our tickets with 2 minutes left to catch the next train. We made it on the train in time – out of breath – but we made it.
Our time was limited in Milan, but we did get to see the Milan Cathedral, the shopping square and a cool photography exhibit (#wakeuopeautiful). And then it was back to the train to catch our plane. I’ve heard that you only need one day in Milan. I don’t know how true that is. I definitely would have wanted to spend more time in the city. Maybe next time.
Catch up on my Italian adventures here.
++++++++++++++++++
Wearing: Vintage Gap Denim Jacket | Forever 21 long Tunic | Hue Pleather Pants | Steve Madden Black Flats | Thrifted Coach Purse
One comment
I have that dress. Almost wore it today.