a&o Travel Report: A long Easter weekend in Milan

Every year, the same question comes up: where shall we go for the Easter holidays? Four consecutive days off are ideal for a short break. Right at the start of the year, we decided to travel to Italy and visit Milan. The deciding factors were the affordable hotel rates and cheap flights – you can’t go wrong with that. And we were hoping for sunny spring weather, and this much we can already reveal: the weather couldn’t have been better, with temperatures between 20 and 25 °C and sunshine every day! Here is the detailed travel report of our six-day Easter trip, which can serve as a guide for other travellers.

Maundy Thursday: Journey to Milan and check-in

Our Easter trip to Milan got off to a very relaxed start at Berlin’s BER Airport. The FEX took us quickly and on time from the city centre to the airport, and apart from the broken escalators, everything went perfectly. As the plane wasn’t due to take off until 2.30 pm, we had plenty of time in the morning to pack our hand luggage – the rucksack was just about big enough for five nights.

We took off slightly late and landed at Milan Linate Airport at 4.30 pm. Thanks to the clear information on the a&o website, we knew exactly how to get there. We boarded the M4 metro – conveniently, there’s no need to buy a ticket; you simply tap your credit card or smartphone on the turnstile. A single journey costs €2.20, and after two changes, we reached Ca’ Granda metro station (M5) in about an hour. From there, it’s just a few minutes’ walk to the a&o Milano Ca Granda.

Check-in went smoothly; we just had to pay the city tax – €5.00 per person per night. We popped into our nicely furnished room to freshen up and unpack, and shortly afterwards we were ready to kick off our holiday. As the sun was shining, we decided to start with a couple of cold beers from the a&o hotel bar and sat outside in the sun. Afterwards, we explored the immediate surroundings a bit and looked for a restaurant for dinner – naturally, it had to be an Italian Pizza Diavola with spicy salami.

Then it was back to the a&o Hotel, because after all, a day of travelling is quite tiring and we’d planned a packed schedule for the next few days – inspired by these a&o travel tips: Day trips from Milan to the Northern Italian Lakes

Good Friday: Trip to Como on Lake Como

After a really good breakfast at the a&o breakfast buffet – with delicious Italian Cotto ham and fresh bread rolls – we took tram line 7 to the nearby Greco Pirelli station. There, we bought tickets from the machine for the journey to Como San Giovanni on the S11 suburban railway, at a cost of €5.20 per person. The train departed at 9.39 am and arrived at 10.40 am. As Good Friday is not a public holiday in Italy, the train wasn’t very full, and upon arriving in Como we found an endless weekly market where, alongside food, there were all sorts of fashion items and household goods on offer.
After half an hour at the market, we headed for the Basilica of San Fedele, as it was only open until 12:00 noon and would not be open for visits again until 15:30. It was then lunchtime, so we popped into Pasticceria Aida on Piazza San Fedele, directly opposite, for an Aperol Spritz – unfortunately, the service was very slow and inattentive, but that gave us plenty of time to watch the hustle and bustle. Afterwards, we strolled through the narrow streets and visited the Cathedral of Santa Maria.

We finally made our way to the lakeside, where we found a long queue at the boat landing stage. Continuing north along the promenade, we passed another long queue, this time for the Funicolare Brunate funicular. Our destination was the Villa Geno fountain, visible from afar. A few metres further on (behind the swimming pool), we stopped for lunch at Ristorante La Vita è Bella – we had ‘Elefantenohr’, a large breaded neck cutlet, right by the lake with a magnificent view of the many seaplanes taking off and landing every few minutes. Truly impressive!

After a relaxing afternoon spent strolling and taking lots of photos, we caught the R17 regional train back to Milan at 4.46 pm from Como Lago station, situated almost right by the lake, with the terminus at Milano Cadorna. If you leave the station and turn right, you’ll soon come to the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie – world-famous for Leonardo da Vinci’s mural ‘The Last Supper’. We, however, turned left towards Parco Sempione and Castello Sforzesco, which was quite busy in the evening (around 6 pm).

Passing through the Torre del Filarete and past the Fontana di Piazza Castello, we walked straight on along Via Dante and through Piazza Mercanti to Piazza del Duomo, the cathedral square. Bathed in the evening sun, the imposing Milan Cathedral glowed with a magical radiance, rising majestically amongst the impressive buildings surrounding the square. We visited the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and, at the other end, saw the exterior of La Scala and the Palazzo Marino.

We had roast chicken for dinner at the Old Wild West, and from the Cairoli tram stop we took tram 4 back towards the a&o Hotel. There we popped into the hotel bar and, after a cold beer and a Cuba Libre, we flopped onto the bed and watched a bit of TV before going to sleep – at least there was Sat.1 as a German-language channel.

Saturday: Trip to Lugano in Switzerland

Breakfast No. 2 was much busier than the day before, when we were almost alone. A sign that the a&o Hotel is well booked up over the weekend and the holidays – so better book a room in good time before it’s too late!

We took the number 42 bus from the nearby stop to Milano Centrale station and were immediately struck by the sheer scale of the building, which was opened in 1931 and whose 24 platforms handle around 500 trains a day, carrying well over 300,000 passengers. We then took the RE80 towards Locarno, departing at 9.43 am for Lugano in Switzerland – journey time 75 minutes, fare €16.00. It’s worth buying the return ticket straight away, as this would probably cost CHF 16.00 at a Swiss ticket machine. The train journey took us past Como and we were able to enjoy beautiful views of Lake Lugano – with the snow-capped Alpine peaks in the background.

Once we arrived in Lugano, we made our way down into the city centre, passing San Lorenzo Cathedral, which we visited briefly. Market stalls had been set up in Piazza Riforma and Piazza Manzoni, and we strolled towards the lakeside promenade to sit on a park bench and enjoy the view of the water and the excursion boats. For CHF 10.00, you can hire a pedal boat, and there are also motorboats available. As day trippers, we didn’t have time for that, so we continued our exploratory walk on to Ciani Park, where various play areas for children and families had been set up for the Easter weekend.

To save time and money, we decided to pop into Burger King and followed the lakeside promenade southwards to the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. At tea time, we went to the Coop department store on the historic shopping street Via Nassa, where they offer a good-value afternoon tea set (coffee and cake for CHF 5.90). By 4.02 pm we were back on the train, as we’d seen more or less everything – or at least enough.

Back at Milano Centrale station, we visited the Mercato Centrale Milano market hall, which is directly adjacent to the station building. We were offered some samples to try and took a seat at one of the many tables to enjoy an aperitif – there was a wide range of spritz drinks on offer, from Aperol and Hugo to Sarti and many more. As we were so impressed by the station concourse, we decided to have dinner at Wagamama – with a perfect view from above of the hustle and bustle in the hall. The view was great, but unfortunately we weren’t entirely satisfied with the service, food and drinks. We took the historic tram on line 5 back to the hotel and rounded off the evening at the hotel bar.

Easter Sunday: Trip to Stresa on Lake Maggiore

Easter Sunday began, of course, with breakfast at a&o again, but we were in a bit of a hurry today as we had to catch the 9.25 am train to Stresa; otherwise we wouldn’t have arrived until the afternoon at the earliest, and that was too late for us. So, just before 9:00 am, we took the tram to the main station and squeezed into the last remaining seats on the train (RE4), which was once again very full. We really didn’t want to spend the 80-minute journey standing up. The ticket price is €8.60 per person.

Once we arrived in Stresa, we walked down to the lakeside promenade and then decided to head left/west towards Isola Bella first. The view of the lake, islands and mountains was fantastic, and we considered whether we should take the ferry from Carciano to Isola Bella for just €2.50 – where, in addition to the gardens and Palazzo Borromeo, there are also several restaurants. You should definitely do that; we decided against it, though, but will make up for it one day on our next visit.

After a short lunch break at the restaurant by the former Funivia Stresa–Mottarone cable car station, which has been closed since the tragic accident in 2021, we walked back to the tranquil town centre of Stresa. The narrow streets were bustling with people, and we settled down to enjoy the sunshine in the beautiful Piazza Luigi Cadorna. After several spritz drinks in the sun, we boarded the train back to Milan at 18:23 and stopped at a restaurant near the main station just before 20:00, before taking tram 5 back to the a&o Hotel.

Easter Monday: Trip to Lecco on Lake Lecco

Another public holiday in Milan was upon us, but this time we wanted to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast. We didn’t leave the a&o Milano Ca Granda until after 10.30 am and took tram 5 back to the main station, where the RE8 to Tirano was due to depart at 10.57 am. Due to the relatively late hour, the train was even fuller than the others so far, so for the fare of €5.20 per person, we only had standing room available – but given the relatively short journey time of just under 40 minutes, this was reasonably acceptable.

Lecco lies on the south-eastern arm of Lake Como, which is therefore also known as Lago di Lecco. If you walk straight on from the station, you reach Piazza Garibaldi in just a few minutes. We followed Via Roma to Piazza XX Settembre, where we took a seat in the sunshine at one of the many restaurants and cafés with outdoor seating. After a cool drink, we continued across Piazza Mario Cermenati to the lakeside. Excursion boats travelling as far as Bellagio stop at the Lecco jetty. Bellagio is one of the most beautiful spots on Lake Como – situated right on the headland where the lake splits. Next time we’re in the area, we’ll head there – or alternatively take the train straight on to Varenna.

In any case, we strolled on along the Lungolago di Lecco promenade, though apart from the lovely view there wasn’t much to discover. Various stalls selling jewellery, fashion, handbags and more had been set up, and here and there people were buying something. Due to the late breakfast and the planned early dinner, we had just a light snack in the early afternoon: cake or panini to satisfy our hunger at the Bar & Pasticceria Centrale on Via Roma. A little further on, we visited the Santuario Beata Vergine della Vittoria church and walked on to the River Adda, which connects Lake Lecco with Lake Garlate further south.

We decided not to leave too late (to avoid the crowds) and to take the somewhat slow S-Bahn (S8) that departed from Lecco. Before that, however, we visited the Basilica di San Nicolò, home to the town’s iconic landmark, the Campanile San Nicolò bell tower, which can be seen from afar. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t work out; the platform was packed with people wanting to return to Milan. The S8 at 17:06 was 15 minutes late, and an earlier regional train was also completely overcrowded, leaving numerous passengers stranded on the platform. When the S-Bahn pulled in, there was a massive crush; the arriving passengers were barely allowed off the train, an elderly lady was nearly knocked over, and as we boarded, there was shoving, jostling and swearing. Terrible!

With this – unfortunately – extremely negative impression of the Italians, we headed back to Milan to the Greco Pirelli S-Bahn station. To calm ourselves down, we walked towards the a&o hostel and the pizzeria I’d picked out beforehand. And let me tell you, Pizzeria La Bufalotta won’t let you down! They served delicious Neapolitan pizzas, and lots and lots of locals were ordering them to take away for their families at home. Of course, I had to have a Pizza Diavola again! Satisfied and full, we walked the rest of the way back to the a&o, where we enjoyed a delicious long drink.

Tuesday: Check-out, Milan Cathedral and return flight

The time had finally come: it was the last day of our Easter trip to Milan. After breakfast, we took our time packing our rucksacks, which we left at the hotel until our departure in the early afternoon, and took the metro to Duomo station – the Milan Cathedral or Cathedral Square. We booked tickets for the cathedral online via the website and, after a short wait and a security check, were inside within about 5 to 10 minutes. Tickets are also available to buy at the ticket office to the right of the cathedral, but we only noticed that later.

We were captivated by the cathedral and its architecture; there was so much to see and discover – no wonder, as it is, after all, one of the largest churches in the world. Construction began around 650 years ago, and Napoleon had himself crowned King of Italy here in 1805. Next time, we’ll also visit the cathedral’s roof, which is possible for an extra fee and is also very popular. However, we preferred to take another short stroll and walk a bit before taking tram 4 back to the hotel to collect our luggage.

We then took the metro to the airport at 2 pm, using lines M5, M2 and M4, which took about an hour from the a&o Milano Ca Granda – perfectly fine, especially as there were probably even quicker options available (M5, S-Bahn, M4). Security at Milan Linate Airport was quick, so we still had time for lunch and ate a final pizza at the Rossopomodoro chain’s airport restaurant. Time flew by and shortly afterwards we were sitting in the plane at an altitude of 11,000 metres, looking down on the Alps, whose snow-capped peaks seemed to form a seemingly endless sea. It was truly beautiful and impressive, and our trip came to an end here.

a&o travel tips for Milan

You should install the following four apps on your smartphone to plan your trip to Milan perfectly and stay informed at all times:

• ATM: The app for Milan’s public transport network. Whether by bus, tram, metro or suburban train, this app guides you safely through the city and tells you where to change, when the next train is due, etc.
• Trenord: Timetables, connections and ticket purchases all in one – the app from regional transport provider Trenord is ideal for buying tickets quickly and cheaply – online, without queuing at a ticket machine. Don’t forget to validate your ticket before your journey! This also applies if you’ve collected a physical ticket from a machine – simply hold it up to the scanner to activate it!
• Trenitalia: For whatever reason, the journey to Stresa couldn’t be booked via Trenord, but only via Trenitalia. As the tickets are personalised with your name, booking via the app is more convenient than using a machine – which often has a queue.
• a&o App: The a&o App on your smartphone allows you to manage your booking for the a&o Hotel in Milan, as well as for all other a&o hotels and hostels. Perfect for keeping track of things, but also for making the booking itself. And with the free a&o Club, guests save on every booking as well as when ordering soft drinks via the mobile app at the a&o Bar!

It is also important to always remember to ‘tap in & out’ at metro stations: place your credit card or smartphone on the turnstile to open it, but make sure to check out again when leaving the metro station. The best fare is calculated automatically (right up to a day ticket. A single journey costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes. On buses and trams, you only check in, not out.

► One last insider tip: At Milano Centrale station, you can only access the platforms via turnstiles. It therefore gets very busy just before trains depart – either arrive in good time and make your way through, or (here’s the tip) use the ‘Staff’ entrance (to the right of the turnstiles). There are station staff there who will wave you through if you show your ticket – whether on your smartphone or as a physical ticket. It’s much quicker that way.

Have a great time in Milan and the surrounding area! Perhaps not necessarily at Easter, as it was very crowded, especially on the trains, due to the public holidays. However, there’s plenty to see and do for a long weekend or even a week. With an extra day or two, we would certainly have gone to Lake Garda as well – taking the train to Desenzano and then continuing by boat to Sirmione. That’s on the must-see list for our next visit to Milan – along with a few other sights, so we’ll definitely have to come back!