I would appreciate suggestions for hotels in Milan:

- 1 night upon arrival in Milan, before railing to Venice the next morning. For convenience, do you suggest an accommodation near the central rail station, or closer to the Duomo? I am looking for a 3 star hotel.

- 1 night near Malpensa A/P after drop-off of rental car. Again a 3 star would be fine.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! My only experience with Milan has been to fly in and out, so your insight is very appreciated.

The Duomo and Centrale station are very close and conencted by subway line 3, so either location would be fine.

We were in Milan for one night as well 2 weeks ago and we stayed at Gran Duca Di york which is a 5 minute walk to the Duomo. The hotel was great and we paid 98 Euro which was a really great deal considering the quality and location of this hotel. From Malpensa you take the Malpensa Express which is a 40 min train ride that ends at Cadorna station. YOu then go underground and take the Metro where you can eitehr stop at Duomo or Cordusio. Its a 5 min walk to the hotel. We went to the Last Supper, Duomo, shops by the Duomo, Teatro La Scala. Shopping is great in Milan by the way. The next day we headed to Venice.

If you can, I suggest you stay in Varese (just north of the airport) the night you leave, and stay at the Hotel Bologna. Be sure to eat there for dinner. It's owned by a Bolognese family and the food is the best in town ... it's also very reasonable. I found it the last night of my last trip (March 2006) by asking the staff of a (coffee) bar where they would stay. After being told the Bologna, the barrista went on and on about the restaurant and the quility of the food. They have a car park (free), but you would be charged for the extra day for the car. They also have a happening (coffee) bar attached to the restaurant.

Rooms were relatively large, and my bathroom was huge.

They're about 20 minutes from Malpensa. I would say it would be worth the extra money for the car to experience the service and the food.

Click HERE for hotel reviews sent in by Slow Travelers for Milan and the Malpensa airport area.

We also stayed at the Gran Duca Di York, in November 2005, and can recommend it and its location highly.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I love the Gran Duca di York, but it is unfortunately not available for the date I need. I will definitely keep it in mind for future requests though.

Please let me know if my thinking is correct: if one is hung up on staying right near Centrale Stazione for convenience, doesn't it make sense that most recommended hotels would involve a short walk or cab ride anyway, and why not just take a taxi to the historic center and stay right near the sights? Are we talking about a 10 minute taxi ride anyway? Also, is the area around Centrale Stazione even a recommended one?

And finally, how long is the walk between Santa Maria della Grazie and the Duomo?

Thanks again!

The taxi ride may be longer than that, given the traffic conditions of Milano. I suggest using the subway not only for reasons of economy but also because it's hugely faster. besides, the subway stops in Milano are extremely frequent, especially in the center: some area (literally) just a few hundred meters apart. That is really the best way to move around the area. Again, since Centrale is just 5 subway stops from the Duomo (and 7 or 8 from Cadorna, where you will arrive by train from Malpensa), I still suggest staying in the center and taking the subway to Centrale.

Regarding the Centrale area, that's where I have my office. The square immediately prospicient the station can get unpleasant at night, but as you walk a few meters from it, the area is pretty normal.

Santa Maria delle grazie is about 15-20 minutes from the Duomo, but again you can take the subway to it: line 1 to Cadorna (5 stops), change to line 2 for about 3 more stops and you are in Sant'Agostino, from there it's a short walk. Even faster is tram number 16 (4 stops).