Accommodation in Milan is quite expensive. Compared with other European countries, Italy is one of the most expensive, and Milan is one of the most expensive cities in Italy where accommodation is concerned. So, after looking at hotel prices, I decided to stay in a room or an apartment.
I found a pretty decent option, and in this article I want to share what a budget apartment in Milan turned out to be like, whether it is worth choosing this kind of accommodation and what you need to bear in mind.
1. General information about the apartment (price, location, host)
I looked for the apartment/room on Airbnb — I think everyone knows this service by now. You can find accommodation from local people almost anywhere in the world, and it is often cheaper than a hotel in the same city. You can find unusual places to stay (there are yachts and treehouses on there); some options include breakfast, but for the most part you will have to cook for yourself or eat in cafés and restaurants.
There are also reviews under each listing from people who have already rented the property, so you can find out all the possible drawbacks and advantages of a particular option in advance. It is also worth comparing apartments in Milan and checking prices for your dates.
Initially I was choosing between a room closer to the centre and this apartment (the cost was the same), but in the end I wanted more independence, so I chose the apartment. The reviews were mostly good, there really were a lot of them (321 reviews) and the average rating was 4.5 out of 5.
I booked this apartment through Airbnb in November 2018.
The apartment is a studio room with its own entrance, located on the first floor of the owner’s house. The owner, Fabio, lives on the ground floor with his family and works in the neighbouring house. Throughout my stay I only crossed paths with him twice; all communication was via WhatsApp, which was very convenient.
1.1. Location
The apartment is in the San Siro district, so you will need public transport to get to the sights either way. On the plus side, it is not far from the metro, so you can reach the centre in half an hour.
Address: Milan, Via Privata Bernabò Visconti, 13
Location on the map:
1.2. Cost
The cost depended heavily on the season: in the low season (autumn–winter) a night was much cheaper, while in summer the price went up considerably (2018 prices).
Also, when renting an apartment, do not forget that a booking service fee and a cleaning fee may be added on top of the price, so it is better value to rent for at least 3 nights. Italy also has a special tourist tax — you have to pay it in both hotels and apartments, and it depends on the number of nights.
In the end, I recommend first checking what the final price will be with all these charges, and only then deciding where you want to stay and what offers the best value for money.
All in, my four nights in November 2018, including all fees, were pretty good value for Milan.
1.3. The building and local amenities
Interestingly, in Italy many people live not in blocks of flats but in their own separate spaces. From the street you only see a big iron gate, behind which there may be several small houses, an inner courtyard, a garage, a workshop and other outbuildings — and all of it belongs to one family.
The inner courtyard:
It was the same with this property. Thanks to this seclusion, street noise barely gets through, and the apartment is very quiet.
At the same time, there are cafés and shops in the neighbouring houses, and a huge Esselunga supermarket 10 minutes away.
There is a bus stop 3 minutes from the apartment, so you do not necessarily have to take the metro (though the metro is still more convenient).
2. Photos of the apartment
Now let’s take a look at the photos of the apartment.
The view from the apartment door:
Looking the other way, there is the inner courtyard and the half-open door to Fabio’s workshop:
Now let’s go inside. The room is really small, there is no hallway at all — the bed is straight in front of you. Clean towels and toiletries (soap, shampoo and shower gel):
To the left of the bed is the entrance to the bathroom and a chest of drawers with warm blankets:
To the right of the chest of drawers is the kitchen area:
There is also a little cabinet here with all sorts of useful information — guidebooks, public transport route maps and much more:
If you look from the room towards the front door, it looks like this:
As you can see, the door is right next to the bed, which is really inconvenient — there is nowhere to put your shoes, the sleeping area starts straight away. The window is not very well placed either — you would not keep the window above the bed open, so the room ends up being constantly dark.
In autumn the apartment is cool (even too cool), and the floor is cold too, so slippers are essential (there are none in the apartment, so bring your own).
The bathroom door is hard to close:
3. What the apartment has
As you can see, the furnishings are more than modest; at the summer rate I would not have stayed there, whereas the low-season price felt more reasonable.
Everything the apartment has is described in detail on Airbnb; here I will mention a few particular features:
- internet worked brilliantly — photos uploaded quite quickly and Skype worked well
- the only socket is above the table, which is very inconvenient (you cannot leave your phone charging next to the bed)
- there is no proper fridge, and the mini-fridge only cools slightly
- the room was generally not cosy — cold, dark and in places not very clean
- there is no proper wardrobe for clothes and belongings.
3.1. Mini-kitchen
The mini-kitchen is only suitable for reheating some food in the microwave or making tea. Proper cooking is out of the question, although you can have breakfast. I, for example, bought yoghurts, cereal with milk and fruit for breakfast, and had tea with biscuits.
The small kitchen:
3.2. Bathroom
The bathroom has everything you need — plenty of cabinets, a mirror, a hairdryer:
On the downside — the bathroom was dirty (everything was covered in limescale; apparently nobody had lived here for a long time), the shower head does not attach to anything and the toilet does not flush very well:
3.3. Sleeping area
The bed is big, but for some reason uncomfortable (the mattress is too soft):
Two people could of course stay in this apartment if they wanted, but to me it feels more like a studio for one person. Somewhere to come back to in the evening after tiring walks around the city, have a rest and head out again in the morning. Simply spending time in the room is neither interesting nor comfortable.
The whole room:
4. Pros
As this article has shown, the apartment has plenty of downsides. But there are definitely upsides too:
- the main thing is, of course, the price! In 2018 even a bed in a hostel room in Milan cost me more than a night here, and a night in a one-star hotel was more expensive still, so the price for a completely private space of my own was very attractive indeed.
- convenient location (metro, supermarket and cafés all nearby)
- a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood
- good internet
- a friendly host.
5. Conclusions and general impressions
I would not want to stay here a second time — aesthetics matter to me too, and this apartment clearly needs updating.
Maybe it is better here in summer, but in autumn (and probably in winter too) it is very cold and gloomy. In the Airbnb photos the apartment looks bright and colourful, but in reality it is rather drab.
Nevertheless, if you are simply looking for budget accommodation where you will only sleep, spending the day sightseeing and shopping, then it is better to stay in this apartment than in a hostel. Here you can at least get a proper night’s sleep and rest well, which is not always possible in a hostel. And sometimes you just want to be on your own. In short, you will not find similar accommodation for that kind of money, so if you are a budget traveller, take note!
Do share your impressions of the apartment in the comments! Would you stay here? And what kind of accommodation do you prefer — a hotel, an apartment, or do you love the buzz of hostels? Share the article with friends and don’t forget to leave a comment!
If you are planning to stay in a hotel after all, I recommend looking at a hotel search engine, where you can see available hotels and apartments with prices for your dates.
