Since late 2008, BikeMi has operated stations around the city, allowing locals and tourists to explore the city on two wheels for just a few euros. BikeMi currently boasts over 100 pick-up and drop-off stations throughout Milan, with around 1,400 bikes in total. The program is set to expand to well over 200 stations and 5,000 bikes by the end of 2010.

How it works

To hop on, you’ll first need to register. On the BikeMi Web site, choose a temporary or annual subscription and provide your credit card information. Once your card is approved, you will be e-mailed a user code and password to be used at any bike station.

Simply type in your code at the station keypad and take a bicycle. And don’t forget to watch the time—bikes must be returned to any BikeMi station no more than two hours after they’ve been checked out. (Exceeding the limit three times will get your subscription cancelled.)

The daily rate for using a BikeMi bike is €2.50. A weekly subscription costs €6. On top of these flat fees, you’ll be charged €0.50 for every 30 minutes (following the first free half-hour).

All in all, we think BikeMi provides plenty of incentive to slip off the D&G stilettos and get riding through the streets of Milano.

The post Milan: Get moving with the BikeMi public bike share program appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

In Milan’s “in” season, during the fashion weeks and the leather shows – and when it seems the Milanese host expos on everything from real estate to food – hotel rates go up, up, and away from a comfortable budget.

But, don’t worry, though Milan can get very pricey, it has its off-peak moments. With a little planning, you can snag great rates on some primo budget hotels and enjoy a fantastico trip to Italy’s “second” capital.

First, do some research.

Many of Milan’s trade shows are annual affairs, meaning they are organized and planned well in advance. Check out websites like that of the Fiere (“Fair”) commission of Milan for up-to-date listings of the events.  The most recent calendars can be found here, plus info on all the various shows.

For more of the exceptions (who knew that the hematologists like to get together in October?), visit the Fiera Congress’s site. The most up-to-date calendar can be found here. Plan your dates accordingly so you can bypass them completely.

July is a great month, so is December.

You’ll find, while doing your research, that many of the fairs, conventions, and shows occur during five to ten specific months each year. (February through June offer most of them, and there are less between August and November.) In this way, the Milano Turisimo board has made sure that regular ol’ Cheapo tourists like us can still have a chance to visit this expansive, historic city without losing too many euros.

Read up!

Once you’ve decided to head to Milan, take a look at our guide to the city. We’ve included budget tips and much more. (Did you know that you can see a horse sculpted by Leonardo da Vinci for free?)

Then, take a look at our picks for best budget hotels in Milan.

The post Milan: When to get the best hotel rates (hint: avoid trade shows!) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The typical spread can be something as modest as olives, cheeses and potato chips to something as overwhelming and awe-inspiring as pasta dishes, pizza slices, bruschetta, meats, sautéed vegetables and fruit salad. Unlike the American happy hour, drinks are the regular price or slightly more — but come with unlimited admission to the food bar. The usual aperitivo starts at 6 or 7 PM and lasts until 9, and as little as one drink—alcoholic or not—can be your ticket to one of the most delicious secrets in Italy.

Do as the Milanese do…

Although it is entirely possible to make an entire free dinner of aperitivo, the real test is to act like the Milanese, who delicately graze through the line, giving the food the respect it deserves.

As an American student studying in Milan, amazed by the delicious food and blindsided by the dismal exchange rate, my fellow expats and I were not so sophisticated. We would dash to the food immediately after the waitress walked away with our drink order, returning with our hands guarding our heaps of food, poised to catch the last piece of focaccia from falling to the ground. The locals, still dressed in their crisp and stylish work attire, would watch us with amusement as they nibbled at the vegetables and cheeses, then sampled the more elaborate dishes.

After all, the Milanese have had time to perfect their technique. With roots in ancient Rome and more direct ancestors in the 1800s, aperitivo is a well-established Italian tradition, particularly in Northern Italy. The modern aperitivo began to take shape in the 1920s in Milan—the city became known as “the capital of aperitivo” as the tradition gained popularity—and consisted of drinks of Campari or similar bitters, accompanied by simple snack foods such as olives or nuts.

Since then, the food selection has exploded in size, and the drinks are no longer limited to traditional “aperitif” liquors—bitters, prosecco, martinis and white wine—though they still remain the most popular choices, with the decisive winner being the Negroni (1 part Gin, 1 part Campari, 1 part Sweet Vermouth). Through it all, the social essence of the aperitivo tradition has remained its unchangeable core.

“Aperitivo offers a moment of relaxation at the end of a day at work, where you can allow yourself the pleasure of conversation paired with the pleasure of good food,” says Grazia Mannozzi, author and professor at the University of Insubria, just outside Milan. “It is especially successful due to the pleasant climate of our country and the Italian passion for socializing,” she says, “as can also be seen in the ‘passeggiare’ tradition, in which people stroll in the piazzas and the main streets of the cities in the evening.” Mannozzi attends aperitivo approximately once a week, but says she knows of many people who attend far more frequently (“especially those without children to make dinner for!” she adds).

So many aperitivo options

The possibilities for aperitivo are endless. Walk into any neighborhood café and you’ll find a dozen tables crammed with friends and family, laughing and talking excitedly, very rarely sitting; standing for the excitement of a story, mingling with friends at other tables, passing along the bar filled with steaming plates and bowls.

Pick: Bar Tender
Piazza Morbegno (intersection of Via Varanini and Via Venini)

Bar Tender is our pick for “neighborhood bar.” Drinks are anywhere from €5.50 for a regular drink to €8 for a large drink. Service is prompt and friendly and the food selection is legendary—many Milanese claim it is the largest they have seen in the city. With various types of focaccia, pizza, and pasta dishes (and with servers that bring the plates around to the table to serve you seconds), you may find it difficult to wait until 9, when they clear the bar to make room for the delicious desserts.

Brera

Head to Brera, the artsy, bohemian district, and meander along its cobblestone streets where you’ll find friends, looking effortlessly hip with their colorful scarves, lingering over their white wine in the ivy-climbed patio cafés.

Pick: Radetzky Café
Via Largo La Foppa, 5

Drinks average about €8, and the buffet has all the elements of a standard aperitivo spread, yet nothing more. You pay, however, for the experience—considered one of the trendiest bars in Brera, this is the place to see and be seen. And its location in the primarily pedestrian-only streets of Brera guarantees that the party flows outside on warm nights, accumulating crowds of patrons drinking and smoking around the picturesque bar.

Navigli district

Care to have a drink in Venice? Take a trip to Milan’s Navigli district, where the canals—designed in 1482 by Leonardo da Vinci to import wine, food, and the marble needed to construct Milan’s elaborate Gothic Duomo—still carve through the narrow streets.

Along the still waters, lined with lights, the trendiest bars and restaurants compete for the largest and most exciting stuzzichini selections, as the university students compete with the blaring music. For an even more unique experience, step onto one of the houseboats docked in the canals, which offer aperitivo and often live music. Whether by land or by sea, most of the Navigli hot spots turn their buffets into dance floors later in the evening.

Pick: Slice
Via Ascanio Sforza, 9

Drinks are about €7, and the experience manages to combine an impressive food selection with a fun and trendy experience. You will probably not notice the burnt orange walls, animal prints and knick-knack decorations because you will be too busy filling up your plate. With standard wares such as focaccia, cold cuts, pasta, French fries, and even New York-style pizza, the word has gotten out; arrive by 7 PM at the latest before the line gets out of hand.

Piazza Duomo

For a more classic aperitivo experience, go no further than the heart of the city, Piazza Duomo. There you’ll find the more expensive bars, as they tend to cater to the large percentage of tourists who never stray from that sightseeing epicenter. But be careful—expensive does not necessarily translate into better or more food.

Inside the Galleria di Vittorio Emanuele lies Café Zucca, arguably the home of the aperitivo. A favorite hangout of Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini after their performances at La Scala, the legendary opera house next door, “Zucca in Galleria” was owned by the Campari family, who lent their name to the traditional aperitif they invented. Consequently, Zucca is often considered the original aperitivo bar, and wears its history proudly. Though you’ll pay extra for the experience, soak up the historical ambiance as you gaze at the Duomo’s magnificent spires and pinnacles. Weaving in and out through the crowd of tourists, you’ll also hear the clicks of heels echoing along the marble floors as the shoppers pass by with their newly acquired Gucci and Prada treasures.

Pick: Caffè Miani Zucca In Galleria
In Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Piazza Duomo

Like few places in the city, Zucca has made a determined effort to remain in the style of the golden days of aperitivo. The keyword here is classic: classic, old-fashioned décor; classic, simple food selection (olives, potato chips and nuts); and classic, original aperitivo drinks (Negroni and the classic Milanese martini are most popular).

You can’t go wrong

With almost every bar and café in the city offering some version of aperitivo, the choices may seem overwhelming. But with obvious variations in ambiance, selection size, and prices, it is easy to select an unforgettable aperitivo experience. Just follow the pace of the Milanese in their leisurely tribute to food and friends; that is, if that new plate of risotto will let you.

About the author:
Jenna Weiner is a senior English major at Georgetown University. She is the former Editor-in-Chief and current News Editor of The Georgetown Independent, where she writes mostly feature articles. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, she travels whenever possible and lived in downtown Milan for four months.

The post Milan: Aperitivo bars offer delicious dining, cheapo-style appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.