Travel

Milan in 40°C: Two Countries, One Heatwave, and Far Too Many Millionaires

Posted by Niranjan on

4 min read…

Sometimes Ryanair accidentally does us a favour.

Booking an evening flight is usually a luxury reserved for people who don’t begin every holiday by setting alarms for 3 a.m. and questioning their life choices. We are firm believers in the Church of Cheap Flights, so we usually do as Ryanair commands.

But this time, the stars aligned.

No sleep debt. No airport breakfasts masquerading as meals. No stumbling through a city half-conscious. Just a relaxed evening flight from Dublin to Milan Bergamo, a quick FlixBus ride to Milano Centrale, and an easy taxi ride to our Airbnb in the heart of Chinatown.

And what a choice that turned out to be.

Chinatown was constantly buzzing. Restaurants everywhere. People out late. Families dining, friends chatting, scooters zipping by. It already felt festive before our trip had properly begun.

Little did we know we’d spend the next three days alternating between being mesmerized by breathtaking scenery and being slowly roasted alive by a 40°C heatwave.

Day 1: Milan, But Make It Slow

The only thing we’d booked in advance was the Duomo Cathedral and Rooftop Terraces.

Normally we’d pack a city day with museums, churches and ambitious walking plans. But when the weather feels like someone has parked the sun directly above your head, survival becomes the itinerary.

Thankfully, Milan makes that easy.

The city’s tram network is excellent, and when we needed a break from the heat, FreeNow taxis were surprisingly affordable and consistently reliable. Whether it was early morning or late at night, they always showed up.

Duomo Rooftop

Worth visiting?

Absolutely.

Life-changing?

Not quite.

But as they say, when you’re in Milan…

The rooftop offers fantastic views over the city and a chance to appreciate just how insane the cathedral’s architecture really is.

Afterwards, Kavi spotted a street performer entertaining the crowd and decided to join in for a quick dance.

Because, again…

When you’re in Milan.

The Most Expensive Window-Shopping Experience of Our Lives

Next stop was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

A genuine question:

Does anybody actually buy anything here?

From our observations, 99% of visitors were doing exactly what we were doing:

  • Looking up at the architecture
  • Taking photos
  • Pretending they belonged there

The luxury boutiques were beautiful, but so was the free air moving through the building.

Lunch Worth Writing About

One thing Milan absolutely nailed was food.

Lunch at Bravo Café & Bistro was outstanding.

We ordered pasta and their famous Risotto alla Milanese.

Now I’m sure Italians will disagree with me.

But that saffron risotto tasted suspiciously like a distant Italian cousin of an Indian dish.

Delicious though.

The staff were fantastic and the service matched the food.

For dessert:

The rest of the afternoon disappeared into the charming streets of Brera and along the canals of Navigli before we retreated to our air-conditioned sanctuary.

The next two days would require energy.

And sunscreen.

Lots of sunscreen.

Day 2: Switzerland, You Beautiful Show-Off

If Day 1 was about surviving the heat, Day 2 was about escaping it.

We booked a guided excursion from Milan to St. Moritz via the Bernina Red Train, organized by Milano Art Discovery.

And honestly?

One of the best guided day trips we’ve ever done.

No hidden costs.

Great guide.

Great driver.

Excellent organization.

The Bernina Reality Check

Let’s address the elephant in the room.

No. With this excursion, you don’t get the famous panoramic train with giant glass windows you’ve probably seen splashed across Instagram.

You travel on the regular Bernina train.

But honestly?

We didn’t care after about five minutes.

Because the scenery was ridiculous.

How Can 2.5 Hours Be This Beautiful?

Every few minutes something new appeared outside the window:

  • Lakes
  • Waterfalls
  • Alpine villages
  • Mountains
  • Hikers
  • Cyclists
  • Forests
  • Snow-capped peaks
  • Tiny caravans in impossibly pretty locations

Switzerland has a way of making you believe someone accidentally turned reality’s graphics settings to maximum.

The train’s open windows were perfect for photos and videos, and the entire journey felt like sitting inside a moving postcard.

Small Tip

If you’re travelling:

St. Moritz → Tirano

  • Sit on the right side.

Tirano → St. Moritz

  • Sit on the left.

You’re welcome.

St. Moritz

St. Moritz itself was gorgeous.

The temperature dropped from Milan’s furnace-like 40°C to a wonderful 20-25°C.

Within minutes of arriving, I was already looking up flights and wondering how we could return for a proper 2-3 day Swiss getaway.

The lakes.

The mountains.

The atmosphere.

Everything felt perfectly arranged.

This was our complete nature day, and it ended up becoming the highlight of the trip.

Day 3: Millionaires, Mansions and Lake Como

The following morning we were back at Milano Centrale for another guided excursion.

This time:

Como → Bellagio → Lugano

And this is where things got funny.

Lake Como’s Identity Crisis

We expected to hear about:

  • The lake
  • The villages
  • Local history
  • Nature

Instead we got:

  • Millionaires
  • Billionaires
  • George Clooney
  • Taylor Swift
  • Luxury villas
  • Helicopters
  • Private islands
  • Five-star hotels
  • Property prices that could buy several Irish villages

At some point we weren’t sure whether we were on a sightseeing tour or attending a very expensive real estate seminar.

To be fair, there was plenty of genuine information about Como and Bellagio too.

But the wealth concentration in this region is truly astonishing.

Bellagio

Thankfully Bellagio is stunning enough to justify the hype.

Getting there by private boat was easily worth the extra cost.

Given the crowds and temperatures, waiting for public ferries in 40°C heat sounded like a punishment designed by ancient Romans.

Lunch at Vecchio Borgo turned out to be another winner.

Best pasta of the trip.

Brilliant lasagne.

A great host.

Lugano

Lugano was beautiful.

But, also extremely hot.

Our sightseeing strategy quickly evolved into:

  1. Buy milkshake.
  2. Find shade.
  3. Refuse to move.

We eventually found refuge overlooking the lake, watching private boats and kayaks drift across the water.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Como Town

We finished in Como itself.

By this point, we’d spent nearly ten hours slow-cooking under the Italian sun.

Our energy levels were somewhere between “slightly tired” and “rotisserie chicken.”

We wandered through the streets, admired what we could, and waited patiently for the sweet embrace of the air-conditioned coach.

And somehow, despite being completely roasted…

we loved every minute.

Final Thoughts

Three days.

Two countries.

One heatwave.

A surprising amount of gelato.

Milan exceeded expectations.

The city itself is elegant, easy to navigate, affordable, and wonderfully relaxed.

But what really makes Milan special is what lies beyond it.

The Swiss Alps of St. Moritz.

The glamour of Lake Como.

The charm of Bellagio.

Being bordered by Switzerland is one of Milan’s greatest gifts.

We returned home via FlixBus to Bergamo Airport, slightly darker in complexion, significantly wealthier in memories, and already planning our next trip.

As for the heat?

Let’s just say Milan tried its absolute best to melt us.

Fortunately, Switzerland and Lake Como had other plans. ☀️🇮🇹🇨🇭

Trip Highlights

✅ Stay in Milan Chinatown
✅ Duomo Rooftop
✅ Brera & Navigli Districts
✅ Bernina Red Train
✅ St. Moritz
✅ Bellagio by private boat
✅ Lake Como scenery
✅ Way too much gelato
✅ Surviving 40°C and somehow enjoying it anyway

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