Getting around Milan

Metro, trams, buses

ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi), a municipal company, runs five metro lines: M1 red (Sesto 1° Maggio–Bisceglie/Rho Fiera), M2 green (Assago and Abbiategrasso–Cologno and Gessate), M3 yellow (Comasina–San Donato), M4 blue (Linate Airport–San Cristoforo) and M5 lilac (Bignami–San Siro); the main interchanges are Duomo, Cadorna, Centrale, Garibaldi, Loreto and Lotto. The tram network, among the largest in Europe, keeps 1920s historic cars on some lines; trolleybuses 90 and 91 run the outer ring road. Night service is covered by metro replacement buses and N lines.

The S lines of the suburban service (Trenord) cross the city through the Passante rail tunnel and link the suburbs and Lombard provinces; they are included in the integrated fare.

Tickets

The STIBM integrated fare system divides the metropolitan area into concentric zones from Mi1 to Mi9: the municipality of Milan is Mi1–Mi3. The ordinary Mi1–Mi3 ticket is valid 90 minutes with unlimited changes on metro, trams, buses and suburban trains within the city; there are daily and three-day tickets, carnets and weekly, monthly and annual passes, with reductions for under-27s, over-65s and ISEE income bands. Pay with the ATM app, ticket offices, machines or by tapping a contactless card at the gates (best fare calculated at the end of the day). Current prices are on the ATM website.

Airports and stations

Milan has three airports. Linate (LIN), a few kilometres from the centre, is served by the M4 (about a quarter of an hour to San Babila) and by buses. Malpensa (MXP), the large hub to the north-west, is linked by Trenord's Malpensa Express from Cadorna, Centrale and Porta Garibaldi stations (under an hour) and by coaches from Stazione Centrale. Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY), the low-cost base, is reached by coach from Centrale in about an hour. SEA manages Linate and Malpensa.

Stations: Milano Centrale (high-speed and international), Porta Garibaldi (high speed, Passante, Malpensa Express), Cadorna (Trenord, Malpensa Express), Rogoredo and Lambrate (regional), Rho Fiera for the exhibition halls.

Cars, bikes, sharing

The centre inside the Cerchia dei Bastioni is Area C: on weekdays car access is paid with a daily ticket enforced by cameras, residents at a reduced rate. Almost the whole city is Area B, an environmental limited-traffic zone that on weekdays bans the most polluting vehicles by Euro class, with mileage-based exemptions through the regional MoVe-In service. Parking is paid (blue lines) in most of the city, with residents' rates by zone; park-and-ride car parks at the metro termini are the commuters' choice.

BikeMi, ATM's station-based bike sharing with standard and electric bikes, covers the centre and semi-central districts; free-floating shared bikes, scooters and mopeds licensed by the municipality add to it. The cycle network is growing along the Navigli, Corso Buenos Aires and the Martesana canal; traffic remains heavy and bike theft frequent.