Where to stay in Milan

We were in Milan in May 2024. Trains and subway are safe and convenient. We stayed at the Hotel Berna. It was only a 5 to 10 minute walk from the main train station. Our room was nice and the subway was right down at the end of the street. Room rates were reasonable. We too did all of our travels by train. The trains are great. Just need to keep an eye out for potential strikes. Enjoy your trip.

Ahhh yes, we hit a strike when in Cinque Terre this past September. Thank you so much for the information. Looking forward to Milan’s Art and architecture!!

The train and subways are safe in the sense of bodily injury and the risk of theft is low, especially if you follow basic precautions. There are some areas where the thieves hang out which is typically where travelers and tourists frequent i.e., train stations and the city center you are at risk of being robbed. We take them often on all the lines. My personal is to have all valuables away at all times. My phone is well secured if there is standing room only. I have a friend that saw a phone taken out of someones hands as they passed it over the reader for the at the turnstiles and also when the metro/train doors closed and they were too close to the doors. If someone asks a question "non lo so" is the best response.

I'm not going to offer a specific place, but look at the train and metro lines and what's on the sightseeing list, and where you're coming in/out of. If you're flying into MXP you'll take the Malpensa express which finishes at Cadorna and the red (M1) and green (M2) lines or LIN blue (M4). If you're going to La Spezia afterwards, you'll likely be leaving from Centrale M2 and yellow (M3) or Rogoredo yellow. With only three nights, save time and take the metro. If that's the case, I'd consider staying w/in a couple blocks of a stop on one of those lines. More locations are probably noted elsewhere, but I wouldn't stay too close to Centrale or Loreto.

We are looking at a B&B that's a 10 minute walk from Centrale, where we would eventually depart for Cinque Terre. We would also be right close to the Lima metro station. Why should I not stay too close to Centrale? Are there security/safety issues in this neighborhood?

Lima should be okay as the direction of Turati, Porta Venezia, & Palestro are in a high rent area. It can be described as grittier as are some spots further up the red line. Going out late at night when most locals are home would be the only concern. With a basic level of situational awareness, we've been through there at 10 p.m. with no concern.

I am going to Milan in April ‘25 and have booked at Hotel Berna as mentioned earlier. I did a big search here for Milan hotels and many people have recommended it and had no security worries. You might want to do a deep dive into past posts on the forum before you commit to somewhere with a less convenient location.

I was in Milan last July for a conference last July and took the subway around. It is easy to use (tap in and out) and I never felt unsafe even later at night.

We found a really nice place near Piazza Virgilio, not too far from Cadorna station as well. Hope this will work for us, looks like a great location other than tram noise, but hey we are in Milan :)

We are staying in the porta Garibaldi area for a short upcoming visit/ we like to walk and like being a bit out of the main central area (although not as convenient to duomo area but about a 25-30 min walk) Our local Milanese friends suggested based on what we wanted to see which includes the ‘newer’ Milan.