Day 0 and Day 1
I flew to Milan, Italy from Stockholm (setting base here for 1 year) to meet Xuan Pei, who was travelling Europe for 2 weeks.
I arrived at Milan Bergamo Airport at around 1.30 am. Although I could catch the last transfer bus to the city, I didn’t. I didn’t have a hotel booked, so I stayed overnight at the airport. I regretted this decision and would (as much as possible) not fly to a place in the wee hours of the night. The airport staff started to clear those who were sleeping on the floor around 2.30 am. I barely had 1hr of rest for the day.
Watch the vlog to see what I did to roam around for the day until I checked in to Airbnb.
The day officially starts at 3.00 pm.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/embed?mid=1g5T47wYbWYJ2cS8eaife6YYsCu1JjN8&ehbc=2E312F&w=640&h=480]Duomo di Milano
We spent about 10mins outside the Duomo, marvelling at the impressive architecture of the cathedral. We wanted to take the lift up to the top but the last ticket was sold out for the day.
La Gioia
The food here was excellent. The highlight is definitely the Cacio e Pepe which is popular here. We recommend trying it in this restaurant when you are in Milan.
Other places visited on Day 1
These were either unplanned or along the way.
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – This is visible from Duomo di Milano as it is right beside it.
- LEONARDO3 MUSEUM – https://www.leonardo3.net/en/the-museum/
Day 2
We explored many beautiful sceneries in Italy and Switzerland on Day 2. We signed up for the ‘Lake Como, St. Moritz & Bernina Train Day Trip’ tour through GetYourGuide. The tour made the experience convenient as there was a chartered bus and booked train cabin that took us through the different locations comfortably.
Varenna, Lake Como, Italy
The first stop of the day is Varenna. Varenna is one of the most beautiful towns of Lake Como. We embark on the cruise on Lake Como from this town.
Lake Como : Cruise on Lake Como, Italy
The cruise on Lake Como was approximately an hour. We took a trip around the neighbouring towns. It was unfortunate that our visibility is affected as it was extremely foggy on the day of our visit.
Tirano Railway Station
After a 2h drive from Varenna, we arrive at Tirano Railway Station where we will take the Bernina Red Train. We were able to view the start of the Italian Alps along the way and see some of the vineyards that were on the hills.
Bernina Red Train from Tirano Railway Station to St. Moritz, Switzerland
The Bernina Ride Train took us from Tirano Railway Station to St. Moritz, Switzerland on a route that was filled with natural beauty. Words can’t do justice here. You can watch the vlog to judge for yourself. The only unfortunate thing for us was the poor visibility due to the fog that was present in the region that day.
Good to note: The 1st class cabin allows you to sit in a cabin with a glass roof. However, the 2nd class allows you to draw down the window so you can interact with nature (literally) physically. You should choose the 2nd class as you can take nice pictures that are unobstructed by glass windows.
St. Moritz, Switzerland
After a 2h scenic train ride, we arrived in St Moritz, a town in Switzerland. St. Moritz is a luxury alpine resort town in Switzerland’s Engadin valley that has hosted the Winter Olympics twice.
We were only given about 45mins-1hour to look around the town.
Cafè, Bäckerei & Confiserie Hanselmann
We took a break and shelter from the rain at Hanselmann. This chocolate cafe started in St. Moritz. We bought Hot Chocolate and Cakes (Black Forest and Tiramisu (I THINK) from the Cafè. It was a good break we needed and it kept us warm.
Pescaria Milano
The tour ended after the visit to St. Moritz town. We took a bus from St. Moritz back to central Milan. Though we were famished, we took a few stops and went to Pescaria Milano for our dinner. The food and service were good. They had an English menu too.
I highly recommend having the Fried Mussels!
Day 3
On the last day of our trip, we plan to focus on exploring the city of Milan.
Breakfast – Panini Durini
We had a simple and inexpensive breakfast at Panini Durini.
Castello Sforzesco
Castello Sforzesco
After breakfast, we spent some time at Castello Sforzesco. The castle dated back to the 15th century and was built by the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza. The castle has a rich history and has served as a residence for several powerful families throughout the centuries. We decided to visit the Museums and Exhibitions at the castle. As we were 18-25 years old, we paid the reduced ticket of € 3,00.
Museums and Exhibitions admission ticket
Ticket Office: Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-16.30
You can book online or purchase your ticket at the Castle Museums Admission Ticket
Full ticket € 5,00; Reduced ticket € 3,00 (18-25 years and over 65).
Lunch: Langosteria Bistrot
We started off with some Fresh Langoustines (7 each), Red Prawns, Grilled Octopus, Gnocchetti with Red Prawns and Linguine with Lobster (a special menu item). They even gave us an amuse bouche which was a perfect addition to our warm sourdough. Let me tell you, the WASABI MAYO WAS THE BOMB! And, they also had some fried seafood which was pretty good too.
Out of everything we tried, we would highly recommend the Grilled Octopus, Red Prawns and Gnocchetti. It was a bit on the pricey side, but if we had the chance, we would definitely visit this place again.
Oh, and just to let you know, we did have desserts, but they weren’t really our thing.
We took a stroll to Navigli District which was nearby. There were many shops selling souvenirs, food and drinks. It is well known for the great nightlife here as the area is lined with many bars. This is where we will visit the world’s smallest bar but later at night.
Gelateria della Musica
After a short stroll, we decided that it was time to get some desserts. We took a walk out of Navigli District to this gelato shop. The pistachio ice cream was creamy and smooth. I don’t think you can find a bad gelato shop in Italy.
Then, we spent some time to do some shopping at Primark, which was 10minutes away from where we were.
Dinner: Osteria Conchetta
We had Milanese Risotto with Ossobuco, Mushroom Risotto, Red Wine Risotto, and a platter of cold ham.
The risottos were cooked perfectly, with a savory and creamy texture.
We highly recommend sharing, as it can be a bit heavy to eat the same flavour repeatedly. The Red Wine Risotto was a pleasant surprise and definitely worth trying.
The World’s Smallest Bar: Backdoor 43
Backdoor 43 is claimed to be one of the world’s smallest bars with only four seats. If you would like to visit, reservations are definitely a must. It is a unique experience to have a bartender curate and personalize your cocktail, but it can get stuffy due to the poor ventilation caused by the setup.
As we walked out of Backdoor 43, our trip to Milan would have come to an end. With a heavy heart, we bid farewell to Milan, but we knew that this was not the end. Our wanderlust continues to linger, and we will always be ready for our next adventure.
Check out our other blog posts!
