Italy Q&A: Finding a Hotel in Milan During Design Week
Here’s another in the Italy Q&A series. Maddy asks:
Yikes … we are struggling with accommodations in Milan because it is design week there April 14-21. We have checked in to apartments for rent and they are 2600 euros for the week.
We will be going to the fair as well…do you have any ideas for us?
Thanks for the question, Maddy! Unfortunately for anyone traveling to Milan, accommodations can be tough to find – especially on a budget anywhere near the city center – because the city is much more about business travel than it is about budget travel. And then when you throw in any holiday or “festival” period (that means anything like Fashion Week or any kind of trade show, which happen pretty frequently in Milan) you’re dealing not just with fewer vacant rooms but also higher prices.
It really depends on what your budget is, but there are a couple hotels I’ve stayed at which aren’t right smack dab in the center but are near enough to a Metro stop that you’ll be able to get anywhere you want to go relatively easily:
Hotel Piemonte
Hotel Mec
A few that I’ve found in or near the center (but haven’t checked out personally) are:
Bed & Breakfast Milan
Hotel Star
Ariston Hotel
Hotel Zurigo
Hotel Canada
One I’ve been wanting to take a peek at ever since I saw it featured on a travel show (although it seems to be more expensive and small, so probably fills up fast) is:
I’ll also pass along the services the husband and I used to find the apartment we’re staying in currently; I’m not sure they’ll be able to offer anything less expensive than the prices you said you’ve been quoted already, especially because it’s Design Week in Milan, but I suppose it’s worth a try! These services also seemed to have apartments further out – we excluded those from our search almost immediately, so I don’t recall the specifics, but you might be able to find one that costs a bit less but that takes a bit longer to get to/from. It depends on what your priorities are.
You might also want to consult the Milan page of Craigslist – it’s a hit or miss prospect there, and the apartments listed there often include only a phone number (so it’s harder to get to them first from overseas), but you never know – it’s worth a look, anyway.
And for more hotel options, be sure to check the Milan hotels pages – just plug in the dates you’re planning to be in the city and it’ll show you only hotels that have availability. Then you can sort by price, or neighborhood, etc. Also, check the Milan hostels listings – there aren’t really hostels in Milan, but those listings are full of budget hotels.
If you’ve got any spare time during your visit to Milan, you can check out some of my posts about Milan – including what to do and how to get around the city.
Good luck, and have a great trip!