Taxis in Milan aren’t cheap but neither are they anywhere else in Italy. More economic and perfectly practical options exist, such as catching a bus or hopping on the metro. An important thing to remember is that the last metro departs shortly after midnight while the buses run until around 2:00 in the morning - leaving you with little other late night option but to hail a taxi. Night buses exist but are less frequent and sometimes less safe.

It can be very difficult hailing taxis from the street, they rarely stop! This is because it is illegal for them to do so. It is better to head for the nearest taxi rank or phone one; however they don’t tend to respond to telephone bookings made from public telephones. Note however, that the meter begins when the taxi leaves to come and get you, meaning that your fare can be pretty high before you even get in. Your best bet of catching a cab is going to the taxi rank at the central train station, Stazione Centrale or the Cadorna northern train station. There are other smaller taxi ranks on Corso Buenas Aires and near Piazza del Duomo.

Be aware of unscrupulous taxi drivers who are only to keen to take advantage of naïve new arrivals and charge extra. When you book a taxi there is an obligatory booking charge consisting of the time the taxi takes to reach you. The starting fee for a taxi during the day starts from around €3 and €6 in the evening.

A little tip: remember that many taxi dispatchers don’t speak fluent English so try and learn a few important words and practice your pronunciation beforehand! Of course, some dispatchers do speak English but it’s always nice to make an effort.