Milan · Backpacking

A hostel at Via Roberto Lepetit 33, about 100 metres from Centrale, with 4- and 6-bed dorms, en-suite bathrooms, lockers and a 24-hour bar and reception. A shared kitchen with free pasta, fruit and vegetables is included; breakfast, towels and the aperitivo are extra.

A single urban ticket is €2.20 and covers 90 minutes with changes; a 24-hour pass is €7.60, three days €15.50 and a 10-ride carnet €19.50. Tapping a contactless bank card at the metro gates charges the same fares and caps automatically, which saves buying anything.

Milan's civic museums are free on the first and third Tuesday of each month from 2pm, and several — Mudec, Palazzo Morando, Palazzo Moriggia and Casa-Museo Boschi di Stefano — never charge for their permanent collections at all. The first Sunday of the month is free at state and civic museums alike, and correspondingly full.

Lombardy's regional operator runs from Centrale, Cadorna and Porta Garibaldi to Como, Bergamo, Varese and Pavia for a few euro each way — a fraction of the high-speed fare and the reason a day out of Milan is cheaper than a day in it. Buy at the machine and validate before boarding.

Roughly: €35–55 for a dorm bed (double that in fashion or Salone weeks), €7.60 for a 24-hour transport pass, €1.20 for an espresso standing at the counter, €5–8 for lunch at Luini or in Chinatown, €10–15 for an aperitivo where the buffet replaces dinner, and €10 for a civic museum. A frugal day lands near €70 including the bed, and closer to €35 without it.