Before coming to Milan we hadn't planned on where we wanted to visit as we were only there for one night. The city has some great accessible places to visit and the Metro has a number of accessible stops making it easy to get around.
Read on to find out more about the accessible places we found to visit in Milan.
Journey
We travelled by train from Venice Mestre to Milano Centrale which took about 2 hours 20 minutes. I booked wheelchair assistance for the train via a service called Sala Blu (https://www.rfi.it/en/for-persons-with-disability/sala-blu.html) which can be done by email or by the Sala Blu app. The assistance at the train station was good, there is someone who is sent to meet you at the station and assist you onto the train. The train itself was spacious and comfortable. Once we arrived at the train station we took the Metro to Duomo station.
Stay
When looking for a hotel we found that it was expensive to stay in the centre of Milan so we found a hotel which was further out. The iH Hotels Milano Gioia was a 30 minute walk from Milano Centrale Station. It wasn’t in the best location but we had only booked it for one night so this wasn’t an issue. The accessible room was a little dated but it did have a seat in the shower. It was okay for a one night stay but I probably wouldn’t have wanted to stay there any longer.
Getting Around
Milan has a metro service which is mostly accessible and an easy way to get around the city. Some of the lifts are a bit smelly so take a deep breath before entering!! This link will show you a map of the metro network with details of accessible stops.
Visit
Duomo de Milano
We firstly went to the Duomo di Milano which is huge! You step out of the Metro and it’s right in front of you. We arrived mid morning so the square outside the Duomo wasn’t too busy. There is a side entrance to get into it which staff at the front of the queue will direct you to. Make sure that your shoulders are covered otherwise you will need to wear one of their plastic covers! Inside the Duomo there are a number of incredibly tall pillars. I wouldn’t say this was one of the prettiest cathedrals i've visited in Italy but the structure is amazing and took over 600 years to build. Inside the Duomo was accessible and apparently there is a lift which can take you onto the roof but unfortunately we didn’t know about this when we visited!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
This is situated alongside the Duomo. It is a beautiful shopping mall, filled with designer shops. The architecture is stunning so take a slow roll through to take in it’s beauty.
Teatro alla Scala
We came across this theatre whilst walking around the centre and it is known as being the most famous Opera theatre in the world. It was so hot outside we wanted to go inside somewhere and decided to visit the museum here. The entrance was free for both me and Adrian. We were taken up to the museum by a security guard and there was plenty of help for us.
The museum documented the history of the theatre and the famous operatic singers who had performed there. I really enjoyed this museum and the staff there were great and knowledgeable. We were also allowed to see the theatre which was really beautiful. If we’d have been staying in Milan longer I would have loved to have watched a performance here!
The Last Supper
We thought we would attempt to see the famous Last Supper fresco by Leonardo da Vinci even though we hadn’t prebooked tickets. We caught the Metro and walked over to the Santa Maria delle Grazie but were told we weren’t allowed in… it was worth a try! If this is something you want to see it has to be booked months in advance.
Our trip to Milan was short but it was great to visit the city and some of the sights. It was very hot whilst we were there and busy too so not always easy to get around. If I was to visit again I would visit The Last Supper, see an opera at Teatro alla Scala and maybe have an Aperol Spritz overlooking the Duomo!
Next stop is Florence! You can find out about our previous stop in Venice here.
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