Experience a Street Car City Tour in Milan

See Milan from Aboard a City Icon

While many major European cities rely on concrete highways and impersonal modern trains, Milan is still served by an extensive street car network that has criss-crossed the city since the early 1900s. This network was constructed to connect the most important parts of the historic city centre with much of the modern city which developed around it, proving to be the most efficient way to move city dwellers around. As a result, the traditional yellow and orange trams, fitted with polished wooden benches and sash windows, are up there with the most recognisable of Milanese icons.

How it Works

Most major hotels are served by nearby tramlines, with streetcars offering an ideal way for holidaymakers or business travellers to get a real feel for the city. Share a ride with typical Milanese as they go about their business, or plan a fabulous city tour along various routes, taking in Milan's best shopping or the wonderful museums of the city. This truly is an efficient, enjoyable way to see Milan at ground level while also ticking off some of its best loved attractions.
Tour operators offer hop-on hop-off streetcar tickets, fully guided tours or commentary on personal audio devices, allowing visitors the freedom to see what they want of Milan at their own pace. Prices start from €15 and usually include in the price a 24-hour MilanoCard, which can be used on all modes of public transport.

Shopping and the Fashion District Tour

If retail therapy is a treatment, then Milan is the elite clinic administering it. A genuine powerhouse when it comes to Italian and global fashion, Milan boasts myriad high-end stores, designer boutiques and mega malls offering the latest in men's and women's fashion.
Street cars serve the city's most important retail centres, taking keen shoppers right to heart of the action. However, it is not only shopaholics who love these famous locations, with most people going to enjoy the social atmosphere, sample fabulous Italian coffee in one of the many chic cafes or marvel at the ornate architecture. One such highlight is the mammoth Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a four-storey, Belle Epoque arcade that was one of the world's first shopping malls. Another attraction is the famed Via Monatenapoleone, the most important street in Milan's glamorous fashion district, Quadrilatero della Moda.

Architecture Tour

The street car network provides the best means of tracing the development of Milan's architecture over its millennia-long history. Starting in the centre of town, admire Milan's beautiful central train station, before taking in the majestic Milan Cathedral. This behemoth-like Gothic cathedral is the fifth largest church in the world and also provides stunning views over all of Milan from its terraces. Admission via lift is €13.50, whilst those feeling fit can ascend by foot for €9.50.

From there, ride around the corner to Piazza della Scala where you will find Milan's celebrated opera theatre, La Scala. Then various street car lines connect to Porta Sempione, a historic city gate dating back to Roman times, dominated by the beautiful XIX century Arc of Peace and surrounded by a gorgeous park and gardens.
Continue with the architectural tour by taking the street car to the modern Porta Nuova, Milan's bustling financial district. Here, sleek, ultra-modern skyscrapers are juxtaposed with the Napoleonic gate which gives the area its name.

Art Tour

Art lovers will not want to leave Milan without seeing some of its phenomenal artistic treasures. With so much ground to cover, the street car provides a simple way to access numerous museums and collections with minimum hassle.
Stop off at the XV century Sforza Castle, or visit the Pinacoteca di Brera to admire a fine collection of Renaissance masterpieces. Of course, no art tour would be complete without taking in Leonardo da Vinci's seminal work, The Last Supper. Painted on a wall in the refectory of Santa Maria della Grazie, the work attracts many visitors, so booking online is advisable.
Offering visitors a pleasurable and efficient way to get around town, Milan's street cars ought to be experienced, being an attraction in their own right.

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