Milan

If Italy is your main destination, apply at the Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (ICC Tower, 14th floor). Book the appointment by registering on prenotami.esteri.it; appointments run Mon–Fri 9:30–13:30. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45, under 6 free), with no third-party service fee. A decision usually comes within 15 days.

Tip: Prenot@Mi slots fill fast — start 2–3 months before your trip.

Attach medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid across Schengen, a return ticket, hotel bookings, bank statements and an employment letter; you cannot apply more than 6 months ahead. On first entry to Schengen the EES system records your fingerprints and face.

Tickets for Leonardo's Last Supper are released several months at a time and go within days — buy on cenacolovinciano.org as soon as you have your visa. Book the Duomo rooftop on ticket.duomomilano.it. During Design Week (April) and the fashion weeks, hotels fill very early.

Tip: If sold out, look for official guided-slot tickets or the free first-Sunday tickets (online from 12:00 the Wednesday before).

The Malpensa Express leaves from the station below the terminal for Cadorna (~45 min) and Centrale (~55 min). An adult one-way ticket is €15, ages 4–13 €7.50; there is a family ticket. Buy in the Trenord app or at a machine and validate before boarding.

Tip: Cheaper buses also run to Centrale, but traffic makes them slow.

From Linate the blue M4 metro reaches San Babila in about 12 minutes on a standard €2.20 city ticket. From San Babila walk to the Duomo or change to M1.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave: it works as soon as you land in Istanbul, Frankfurt or Milan. Pick a Europe-wide plan and it works in your connecting city too.

Tip: Download Milan and Lake Como in Google Maps and Italian in Google Translate for offline use.

Buy a SIM at a TIM, Vodafone or WindTre store with your passport — registration is required by law. TIM has a tourist plan. Iliad needs an Italian tax code, so it does not suit tourists.

An ATM city ticket is €2.20 and valid 90 minutes; a 24-hour ticket is €7.60 and a 3-day ticket €15.50. You can tap a bank card straight on the metro gates — the system caps you at the cheapest daily fare. The vintage yellow tram line 1 runs through the centre.

Cameras log plates entering the central Area C zone daily 7:30–19:30; the day ticket is €7.50, €22.50 if paid late, and unpaid entries come back as fines via the rental company. The historic centres of Como and Bergamo are ZTL zones. If you rent a car, pick it up at the airport and park it in the city.

Tip: The train to Lake Como and Bergamo is faster than driving and saves the parking hunt.

Trenord trains from Centrale reach Varenna in about an hour and Bergamo in around 50 minutes; trains to Como town leave from Cadorna or Centrale. A central-lake ferry day pass is €15.20 — it pays for itself after three crossings between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio.

Milan takes cards and phone payments almost everywhere, but small lakeside cafés and markets need cash. Withdraw euros from bank ATMs (Bancomat); independent ATMs at tourist spots charge high fees. A 'coperto' (bread and cover charge) on the bill is normal, and tipping is optional.

Tip: If the ATM offers to charge you in tögrög, say no — choose euros.

From 1 April 2026 Milan charges a per-person, per-night tax: 1-star €3, 2-star €4, 3-star €7, 4-star €10, 5-star €12, short-term rentals and B&Bs €9.50 — for up to 14 consecutive nights. Hotels usually collect it separately.

Non-EU visitors who spend more than €70.01 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT — worthwhile in Milan's fashion stores. Show your passport in the shop to get a Tax Free receipt and validate it at the airport where you leave the EU.

Risotto alla milanese — yellow saffron risotto; ossobuco — braised veal shank; cotoletta alla milanese — a bone-in fried veal cutlet. Panzerotti and the Christmas panettone cake come from Milan. Children love pizza and gelato.

Tip: Luini's panzerotti near the Duomo are the most famous — the queue moves quickly.

After work the Milanese go for aperitivo — a drink with snacks or a full buffet (apericena) — in the Navigli, Brera and Isola. Dinner is eaten late. Coffee drunk standing at the bar (al banco) is cheaper than at a table.

Buy groceries at Esselunga, Carrefour, Coop and Conad. Mercato Centrale (next to Centrale station) and Eataly Smeraldo offer many kinds of food under one roof. Many small restaurants close in mid-August, so check ahead.

In Lombardy police, ambulance and fire all answer on 112 — free, 24 hours, with multilingual interpreting. The Where Are U app sends your location automatically. The emergency department is 'Pronto Soccorso'; the children's hospital is Buzzi.

Gangs work Piazza del Duomo, the Galleria, Centrale station, metro lines M1 and M2 and the evening crowds on the Navigli. On the square, people tie 'gift' bracelets on wrists or press pigeon feed into your hand and then demand money — decline politely and walk on. Don't leave your phone on the table.

Report a lost passport to the police (Carabinieri or Polizia), get the report, and contact the Embassy of Mongolia in Rome. Keep copies of your passport and visa on your phone.

The Duomo, other churches and the Last Supper convent may refuse entry with bare shoulders or knees — carry a light scarf in summer. Be quiet inside and don't photograph during services.

The Milanese dress well — look neat for restaurants and the theatre in the evening. La Scala does not admit sportswear or shorts. Queuing outside luxury boutiques is normal; ask staff before handling goods.

Say 'Buongiorno' (or 'Buonasera' in the evening) entering a shop or restaurant and 'Grazie, arrivederci' when leaving. Ask for the bill yourself — 'Il conto, per favore'. On metro escalators stand on the right and leave the left free.

ATM Milano app — metro and tram tickets and routes. Trenord app — Malpensa Express and trains to Como and Bergamo. Trenitalia and Italo — high-speed trains to Venice, Florence and Rome. Take taxis from a rank or book with appTaxi.

Bookmark the official sites: ticket.duomomilano.it, cenacolovinciano.org, teatroallascala.org. Google Translate's camera mode translates Italian menus on the spot.

The Malpensa Express takes ~45 minutes from Cadorna and ~55 from Centrale — check whether you fly from Terminal 1 or 2. For Linate, take the M4 metro. Be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight: EES, Tax Free and security can be slow.

Leave the Schengen area no later than the date on your visa — EES records your exit day automatically, and an overstay will hurt your next application. Carry Tax Free goods in your hand luggage and validate them before check-in. If you connect via Frankfurt, you exit Schengen there.