35 min
50 min
M2 · M3
12.8 / km²
1
5
1,159
City average
Counted from OpenStreetMap and Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0)
Mixed after dark
The station forecourt, Piazza Duca d'Aosta and the streets immediately east of the tracks are where Milan's pickpocketing and hustling warnings apply. Book towards Repubblica, and take the metro rather than walking the last stretch after midnight.
Staying in Centrale
The district runs from Piazza della Repubblica up to and past Milano Centrale, and it is really two places. The southern end, around Repubblica and Via Turati, is grand hotels, offices and the Giardini; the northern end, on Via Napo Torriani, Via Vitruvio and Via Scarlatti, is the cheap hotel belt, dozens of two- and three-star places within 400 m of the platforms.
The case for booking here is transport and nothing else, but it is a strong case. Every high-speed train in Italy stops at Centrale, the Malpensa Express leaves from it, M2 and M3 cross underneath, and the coach from Bergamo arrives outside. If Milan is one stop on a longer trip, or you are in and out on business, that is worth real money.
The case against is the ground you cross to reach it. The forecourt and the streets immediately around the station are the specific place Milan's safety warnings are about, and the business blocks south of it empty out completely at night. The rooms themselves are ordinary and safe; it is the walk back at 01:00 that is not, so book near Repubblica if the budget allows, and use the metro rather than walking the last stretch late.
What works
- Every high-speed train in Italy, plus the Malpensa Express, from the district
- M2 and M3 cross under it; the Duomo is nine minutes on M3
- The cheapest hotel supply in central Milan, and a lot of it
- The Repubblica end has the city's grand hotels at business rates
What does not
- Thirty-five minutes on foot to the Duomo, further than the map suggests
- The station forecourt and the blocks east of it are what the warnings mean
- The office blocks south of the station are dead after about 20:00
- Hotels near the platforms are ordinary rooms priced by their address
In the area just south of the Central railway station you can find a dense concentration of hotels. This is a rather shabby part of the city where you can run into dubious individuals especially at nighttime. On the other hand, the hotels are clean and safe, for the most part streets are lit and the metro station isn't far away.At night, parts of the Central Station become a sleeping area for vagrants. Usually around the station there are children aggressively targeting tourists for pickpocketing, so pay attention to your bag.In general, the area south of the station (characterised by a few skyscrapers) is a business and local government centre, pretty active during working hours but almost deserted at night.