Best and Safe areas in Milan?

Milan has multiple train stations. Which one are you thinking of staying near?

Centrale

Have been all over central Milan including trains stations. We have stayed in the Centrale area several times. I saw nothing or experience anything that would cause me to question the area. But I am not walking the streets at 2 am. I think it is fine but something must be raising your concern. What have you read or heard?

I notice you raised the same question about Naples. Where is your home town? What is your age? Are you traveling alone. That could help us provide more tailored responses to your questions.

I have had friends whose passport got stolen in Naples, and had a nightmare coming back to the US and dealing with Embassy.
And I also read about few incidents around Milan Central Station on the news 10 days ago.
And I understand there is absolutely no big city that doesn’t have sketch areas, I have lived in California which has beautiful parts but also sketchy parts where I would never walk or stay.
I would want to know which parts are those and keep my stay stress free and fun

Passports can get stolen or lost anywhere. You show up at the closest embassy or consulate the next working day and take care of the problem. It’s part of traveling and readjusting your travel schedule.

Since you want assurance and have read or watched things that concern you, probably the best thing for you to do is hire a private guide for your first hours in each of the cities you will visit. They can show you the ropes.

We stayed near the train station in Naples in a wonderful hotel. Our neighborhood didn’t have enough restaurants and we had to cross the giant boulevards without lights or stop, just tagged on behind the locals to get across the huge streets. That’s the drawback to the station area. Yes, it looks sketchy and there are nicer areas, but the only safety I worried about was crossing the boulevards. People don’t bother me and many fewer people were living in the streets than where I live in France or in LA. However, a private guide can set you in the right direction and give you a lot of tips since safety has been in all of your questions.

First of all lets dispel myths about crime and safety in Italy. Milan is indeed the city with, by far, the highest crime in Italy, way more than Naples. Having said that, by American standards, if Milan were a city in the US, it would be the absolute safest city in America among all cities with over 500,000 pop. So everything is relative, as Albert Einstein used to say.

Violent crime is rare in Italy, so, as a tourist, you must have situational awareness to avoid incidents of petty crime (theft, pickpocketing), which are the most common that see tourists as victims. The areas in the city center are the most hit by that type of crime, and the Central station is not immune from it. The safest area is the area in the city center is the Quadrilatero della Moda (Fashion District) near the Duomo. It is also very convenient to visit sights.

Now some common sense advice from the Police in Milan:
- Do not hang out in isolated areas at night
- Avoid carrying valuables and ostentatiously display them
- Leave valuables (including credit cards that you don't need) in the hotel safe. The police even advices to leave your passport in the hotel (which is strange since supposedly the law requires to carry it), and to carry a photocopy instead, along with another ID that is easier to replace (like Drivers' license).
- Withdraw money at bancomats (ATM) inside the lobby of banks, rather than in the streets.
- Don't let strangers get close to you with some excuse, as they might be individuals (like gipsy kids) looking for a pretest to pickpocket.
- Do not carry wallet or phone in your back pocket, especially in crowded areas (public transit, markets, bars etc), pickpockets happen primarily on public transit and crowded markets and bars/pubs/discos..
- Do not leave your phone on restaurants tables (especially at sidewalk cafes) or at the bar counter, where they can grabbed easily, do not use your phone in areas where it's possible someone might grab it from your hands and run away while you are busy talking or texting.

Your SMARTPHONE is the most sought after item by thieves. Keep it safe at all times, like your wallet and passport (or even more).