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Fast Facts
American Express-- The office is just north of La Scala and near the Pinacoteca di Brera at Via Brera 3, on the corner with Via dell'Orso (tel. 02-876-674), and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Metro: Cairoli). Card members can arrange cash advances, receive mail (the postal code is 20121), and wire money.
Bookstores-- Milan has two English-language bookshops. The American Bookstore, between the Duomo and Castello Sforzesco at Via Camperio 16 at the corner with Via Dante (tel. 02-878-920), is open Monday 1 to 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 7pm (Metro: Cardusio). The English Bookshop, Via Ariosto at Via Mascheroni 12 (tel. 02-469-4468), is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm. Rizzoli, the glamorous outlet of one of Italy's leading publishers, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (tel. 02-8646-1071), also has some English-language titles, as well as a sumptuous collection of art and photo books; open daily 8am to 8pm. For English-language newspapers and magazines, check out the newsstands in Stazione Centrale and around Piazza del Duomo.
Consulates-- The U.S. Consulate is at Via Principe Amadeo 2/10 (tel. 02-290-351); it's open Monday through Friday from 9 to 11am and 2 to 4pm (Metro: Turati). The Canadian Consulate at Via Pisani 19 (tel. 02-675-81) is open Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:15 to 5:30pm (Metro: F.S. Centrale or Repubblica); the British Consulate, Via San Paolo 7 (tel. 02-230-01), is open Monday to Friday from 9:15am to 12:15pm and 2:30 to 4:30pm (Metro: Duomo); the Australian Consulate at Via Borgogna 2 (tel. 02-777-041), is open Monday to Thursday 9am to noon and 2 to 4pm (Metro: San Babila); and the New Zealand Consulate at Via Arezzo 6 (tel. 02-4801-2544), is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 11am (Metro: Pagano).
Crime-- For police emergencies dial tel. 113 (a free call); you can reach the English-speaking staff of the tourist police at tel. 02-863-701. There is a police station in Stazione Centrale and the main station, the Questura, is just west of the Giardini Pubblici at Via Fatebenefratelli 11, tel. 02-622-61 (Metro: Turati). Milan is generally safe, with some exceptions, especially at night, including the public gardens, Parco Sempione, and the area to the west of Stazione Centrale. The train station has the occasional pickpocket, and be vigilant on public transportation and at street markets, though crime there is rather rare.
Drugstores-- Pharmacies rotate 24-hr. shifts; dial tel. 192 to find pharmacies that are open around the clock on a given day or look for signs posted in most pharmacies announcing which shop is keeping a 24-hr. schedule. The Farmacia Stazione Centrale (tel. 02-669-0935), in the train station, is open 24 hours daily and some of the staff speaks English.
Emergencies-- The general number for emergencies is tel. 113. For the police, call tel. 112; for first aid or an ambulance, dial tel. 118. All are free calls.
Hospitals-- The Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, tel. 02-556-812, is centrally located a 5-minute walk southeast of the Duomo at Via Francesco Sforza 35 (Metro: Duomo or Missori). Some of the medical personnel here speak English.
Internet-- In August 2003, easyInternetCafé (www.easyinternetcafe.it) opened a shop with 60 PCs next to the Virgin Megastore, bang in the center of town, at Piazza Duomo 8. It's open daily from 10am to midnight.
Laundry-- A handy place to have your clothes laundered is Minola, south of the Duomo at Via San Vito 5 (follow Via Torino from the Piazza del Duomo for about 5 blocks where it intersects with Via San Vito; tel. 02-5811-1271; Metro: Missori). The staff will do your laundry (wash and dry) for 10€ ($13) per 11 lb. (5kg) and dry cleaning for 12€ ($15) per 11 lb. (5kg). Open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to noon.
Lost Property-- The lost baggage number for Aeroporto della Malpensa is tel. 02-7485-4215. For Aeroporto Linate the number is tel. 02-7010-2094. The English-speaking staff at these offices handle luggage that has gone astray on most airlines serving the airports, though a few airlines maintain their own lost baggage services. The lost and found at Stazione Centrale (located in the same office as the luggage storage) is open daily from 7am to 1pm and 2 to 8pm (tel. 6371-2667). The city-run lost-and-found office is just south of Piazza del Duomo at Via Friuli 30 (tel. 02-551 6141), and is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:45pm and 2:15 to 5pm (Metro: Duomo or Missori).
Luggage Storage-- The luggage storage office in Stazione Central is open daily from 5am to 4am; the fee is 2.60€ ($3.25) per piece of baggage for each 12-hour period.
Post Office-- The main post office, Poste e Telecommunicazioni, is just west of Piazza del Duomo at Via Cordusio 4, tel. 02-805-6812 (Metro: Cardusio). Windows are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 8:30am to 1:50pm. Most branch offices are open Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 1:30pm. There is a post office in Stazione Centrale, open Monday through Friday 8:15am to 5:30pm and Saturday 8:15am to 3:30pm.
Taxis-- To find a taxi in Milan, walk to the nearest taxi stand, usually located near major piazzas and major metro stops. In the center, there are taxi stands at Piazza Duomo and Piazza della Scala. Or, call a radio taxi at tel. 02-4040, 02-6767, 02-8585, 02-5353, or 02-8383 (the desk staff at many hotels will be happy to do this for you, even if you are not a guest). Cab meters start at 3.10€ ($3.90), and add a nighttime surcharge of 3.10€ ($3.90) and a Sunday surcharge of 1.55€ ($1.95).
Telephones-- You'll find public telephones throughout Milan. Local calls cost .10€ (13¢), and the phones accept coins or phone cards (carta telefonica), which you can purchase at tobacco shops in denominations of 5€ ($6.25). You can also make calls from the SIP/Telecom offices in Stazione Centrale and in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, both open daily from 8am to 9:30pm. Some phones in these offices also accept major credit cards, and you can buy Italian phone cards on the premises. The area code for Milan is tel. 02.
Travel Services-- For budget travel options, including low-cost flights, contact CIS, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (tel. 02-863-701), open Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm. Students and those younger than 25 should try CTS (Centro Turistico Studentesco), Via S. Antonio 2 (tel. 02-5830-4121), open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 1pm and 2 to 6pm (no lunchtime closing June-Aug) and Saturday from 9:30am to noon.
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Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Northern Italy, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.
