Although not the most visited city in Italy, Milan still proudly stands as a hub for both Italian culture and industry. Stays in luxury serviced apartments make seeing it all for yourself that much easier.
Luxury serviced apartments in Milan offer an unparalleled level of comfort and independent living that can’t be matched by standard hotel rooms.
Whether corporates travellers are looking for either Milan short term rentals or long term apartments, Situ has a great range of high-quality options that are ideally suited and catered to support business trips. This ‘serviced kind’ of Milan apartments come with fully equipped kitchens, fully furnished living and dining areas, accessible washing facilities and access to free Wi-Fi connection. Corporate guests can also choose to pick properties that come with additional features. This could include gardens, en-suite bathrooms or even on-site gyms or restaurants.
Ultimately, serviced apartments in Milan enable guests to live comfortably, freely and how they choose in a property that is suited to cater to the lives of busy business travellers.
With a city proper population of under 1.5 million people, Milan is Italy’s second most populous city, behind the capital Rome. Milan is also the capital of Lombardy, an administrative region based in northern Italy, and the Milano province, which is populated by over 3 million people.
The city is one of the most visited destinations worldwide. Each year, on average, around 10 million people visit Milan, knowing that they are travelling to a central location in northern Italy. We say that because in all directions there are major cities not too far from Milan. For instance, around 90 miles southwest of Milan is Turin. A similar distance to the south is Genoa and its Ligurian Sea coastline, and almost 140 miles to the southeast is Bologna. The Swiss border is under 35 miles to the north of Milan too.
Being centrally located in northern Italy, it is no surprise that getting into Milan is rather straightforward. The inner Milan ring road allows national ‘Autostradas’, such as the A7, A8, A50, A51 and E64 to easily link up with each other, the city centre and other towns and city outside of Milan. Undoubtedly though, it is the nearby international airports that make the city most accessible. Collectively, Milan Bergamo, Malpensa and Linate support the travel of around 50 million passengers every year. Ideally for corporate visitors, there is plenty of self catering accommodation in Milan near each of these airports.
Corporate expats in Milan should be aware of the city’s economic size, especially concerning GDP. After Paris, Milan has the second largest economy in the EU in terms of GDP. Around 10% of the national GDP is generated by Milan, establishing the city’s position as the financial, economic and industrial heart of Italy. After all, the city sits in a region that produced over 90% of the country’s exports.
Moreover, Milan businesses make up almost 10% of all businesses in Italy. Amongst these businesses are the headquarters of major multinational companies. This includes Samsung, Panasonic, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Bank of America and Allianz. It is these companies that are based in either the CityLife or Porta Nuova districts. The latter is the richest district within any city in Europe.
But why exactly should a corporate invest in Milan? Well, ultimately, the city attracts business value. One-third of all foreign invested businesses in Italy are based in Milan already and with tourism becoming more important for the city’s economy, there might not be a better time to do business in Milan. To find out in more detail about the benefits of being an expat in Milan take a look at this document created by Visit Lombardy. For more information about how corporate serviced accommodation in Milan can support expat business travel, get in touch with a member of the Situ team.
Although Milan is spoilt with a long, rich history, the city is also not living in the past. In fact, in amongst the classical architecture is a very modern city, in some aspects. For instance, the city continues to be a world-leading marketplace and exhibitor of fashion and creativity as a whole. Creative types such as photographers, artists and designers love what the city has to offer. This is perhaps why more and more expats are making business trips to Milan.
As a city that is so ‘fashion focused’, it is no surprise that Milan generally boasts a unique elegance. Throughout the streets of the city, whether it be in restaurants, shops, cafes or boutiques, much of the city is beautifully designed. It is as if there is a point to prove; that Milan is a truly high-end landmark of Italian culture. There are some great sightseeing spots that corporates can enjoy in their free time too. Arguably the most visited attraction is the Duomo di Milano. This medieval cathedral church was first worked on in 1386 before being finally confirmed as finished in 1965.
The surrounding Piazza del Duomo is an attraction in itself too. It represents the city’s ‘centre’ and includes some of Milan’s most important buildings and symbols of local culture. In reality, there’s so much to see and it is well worth corporates seeing it for themselves. Perhaps long stay apartments in Milan offer the best way for visitors to the city to do this?
By plane, Milan is accessible via three different international airports. Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo, ordered from largest to smallest, enable travellers from destinations across the globe to travel to and from Milan. With such great aviation facilities, Milan is often dubbed the international gateway into Italy.
Linate is easily the closest to the Milan city centre, just half an hour away by car. Malpensa and Bergamo, on the other hand, are north-west and northeast of the city centre respectively. Both are sure to be no more than forty miles away from centrally located Milan studio apartments.
Larger than the metro system in Rome, the Milan Metro is Italy’s longest and described as Europe’s most modern. However, the network is only operated by 4 lines and travel between 111 different stations.
Work is underway to create a fifth line (blue), but four lines already in operation can be distinguished as; Line M1 (Red), Line M2 (Green), Line M3 (Yellow) and Line M5 (Purple). Metro maps can be found on either the Introducing Milan or Wanted in Milan websites.
Throughout Milan, there are 18 different tram line 80 local bus routes. There are also a few trolleybus services too. With metro services being slightly limited, buses and trams perhaps offer the best transport alternative. They run all day and night and across weekends.
To take advantage of the extensive bus and tram networks make sure to buy tickets (ideally day passes for avid public transport users) from metro stations or kiosks.
Travel Management Companies