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Everything you need to know about driving in Milan

In this guide we will cover everything about traffic and driving in Milan. It is always exciting to drive in new countries. As you will find people might drive in odd driving styles and unfamiliar environments. So it is convenient to know upfront what you can expect. If you are wondering about how Italians drive, which requirements you need to meet before you can drive in Italy and what the traffic rules are then the following driving information will surely help you out.

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Driving in Milan

Italians have a passion for cars and motorcycles. So, it is no wonder that many car brands like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia, Maserati and motorcycle brands like Aprilia, Benelli, Ducati, Gilera, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio have been founded in Italy. Due to their passion for cars, Italians are on average quite confident, competitive, skilful and fast drivers. A famous saying in Italy is: “You watch your front, let everyone else watch your back”. And this summarizes their driving style.

Horn-honking and flashing their lights is just a way of communication in Milan. It can mean anything from ‘watch out’ and ‘get out of the way’ to ‘hello’ and ‘the light has turned green’. So you shouldn’t get nervous when an Italian driver starts using his horn or starts flashing his lights. It’s dangerous to let others hurry you, so be a confident driver, just like the Italians, and trust in your own ability and make your own decisions.

Although Milan is a compact city with relatively good public transportation to its main attractions, it can be convenient to drive yourself around within this great city of fashion and business. Fortunately driving in a city like Milan is not really that different from driving in other major cities. When you are an alert and confident driver, that has some experience with driving in another city, there is no need to avoid driving in Milan.

Car rental in Milan

If you don’t want the annoyance of packed group tours or public transportation, and want to do some sightseeing in Milan and its surroundings on your own terms, then renting a car is an excellent option to consider.

Hiring a car in Milan is straightforward as the well-known agencies are widespread and all the usual driving rules and regulations apply. Having a GPS system is advised, as it will help you navigate in the city, so you can concentrate on driving. And just like several other countries in the European Union, Italy does require an insurance coverage for liability, theft, and accidents. As a result, most rental companies also offer the required insurances. If a friend or family member also wants to drive the rental car, do make sure that he or she is also approved and authorized at the rental car office. This will prevent any issues regarding insurance coverage if anything happens.

Most car rentals in Italy allow that you pick up your car in one place and drop it off in another place in Italy without any additional fee. Which means you can go on a city trip, without having to worry about in which city you have to drop the car off. If you want to drop the car off in a different country then they do might charge an additional fee. If you want to rent a car, then you can find the best deals when you make use of a car rental comparison website as this will show you where you can get your favorite car at the best price and terms possible.

Booking well in advance via a car rental comparison website is also a big time saver as you don’t have to compare all the different car rental companies by yourself. You can directly pick-up the keys on arrival, your car will be ready to hit the road when you arrive at the pick-up location and you can pre-select the most suitable car for your journey. This way you don’t have to choose between the cars that are left over at that specific car rental location. Especially during holiday season and important fashion-, design- and furniture fairs the most popular cars tend to be unavailable for people who haven’t booked in advance.

Who is allowed to drive

In Italy all drivers must be over the age of 18. In the European Union driving licenses which are issued by a member state are valid throughout all EU countries, including Italy.

If you have a driving license that is not issued by a member state of the European Union, then you need to have an international driving permit. You don’t need it in order to get a rental car, but you must be able to show it to the police if they ask for it.

Be aware that an international driving permit is not a substitution for your actual driver’s license, so you still need to have your own driver’s license with you. This is because the international driving permit is only meant as an internationally accepted document that certifies the validity of your home country driver’s license.

Traffic rules in Italy

Are you from a country where driving on the right side is the norm? In that case the driving laws in Italy will be quite similar to the driving laws from your home country. The cars drive on the right side on the road and the left lanes are only for passing other cars. Vehicles approaching from the right have right of way at intersections and crossings. But do note that vehicles on rails always have right of way, unless road signs indicate otherwise.

The road signs show the maximum legal speed limits and range between 50 km/h (31 mi/h) on urban roads and 130 km/h (81 mi/h) on motorways, although on certain motorways the speed limit has been raised to 150 km/h (93 mi/h). When it rains or snows the maximum legal speed limit is lowered to 90 km/h (56 mi/h) on main extra-urban roads and 110 km/h (68 mi/h) on motorways.

Drivers in Italy are required by law to have their driving licence, car documents, insurance papers, a warning triangle and a reflective safety vest with them. The use of seatbelts is obligatory for the driver as well as the passengers. Children up to age 4 have to be in a child safety seat and children under age 12 have to be in the back seat of the car. It is not allowed to use a mobile cellular phone while driving unless a hands-free system is used.

In Italy it is tempting to enjoy their tasty alcoholic beverages, but be aware that drinking and driving is never a safe choice. This is why in Italy the legal limit alcohol in the blood is 0.05% for drivers. In practice a woman will reach this limit after one glass of wine and a man after two glasses of wine, depending on their length and body weight.

The infrastructure of Milan

Italy was the first country in the world to build a motorway, which was the Milano-Laghi motorway from 1921. Nowadays Italy has about 7,000 km (4,350 mi) of motorway with many service stations alongside it, offering a wide range of facilities like fuel pumps, restaurants, hotels and shops. Just like in most countries Italy has a wide variety of roads, from big multi-lane motorways to small winding gravel roads. The Italian motorways (called autostrade) and the roads in Italian cities like Milan tend to be of a very good quality.

You have to keep in mind that the roads become quite different from the rest of the city when you enter the historical center of Milan. The streets in the historical center are more narrow, it becomes more difficult to find a parking spot and the center is a designated traffic restricted zone or ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato). In this area a congestion charge is applicable, which I shall explain in the next paragraph. The ZTL covering the center of Milan is also a Congestion Charge zone (Area C) and has 43 access points that are electronically monitored by surveillance cameras.

On set times you need to have an entrance ticket to enter the historical center by car, which costs €5,- (2018) and is valid for one day. You need to have this entrance ticket on weekdays from 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM, except on Thursday when it’s from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. During other times there is free admission for cars wanting to enter the congestion charge zone.

Entrance tickets can be purchased at ATM points of Intesa Sanpaolo, the Milan Transport Company (called ATM), tobacconists, newsstands, participating garages and parking meters. After purchase, these tickets need to be activated no later than at midnight of the next day after entering Area C (and tickets purchased in garages must be activated by midnight of the same day). The easiest ways to activate the ticket are:

– SMS a message to +39.339.994.0437 with the text “PIN.plate”
– Via call center: +39.02.48684001
– At the Italian website about Area C
– At Via Friuli 30, Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Employees of the hotels and vendors at the tobacconists and newsstands are very willing to help you with the purchase or activation of the entrance tickets, as it is actually very easy. If you do not want to purchase an entrance ticket to drive in the center of Milan, you could park your car just out of the congestion charge zone. Then you can make use of public transportation or walk to your destination as the historical center of Milan is very compact.

When you drive away from Milan to a motorway, chances are high that you will come across a motorway toll system. The toll can be paid by cash or with Eurocard, Mastercard or a Visa card. Motorway A1 will bring you from Milan to Florence and Rome, while motorway A4 goes to Verona and Venice.

Quick Info

Milan

Perfect destination for: Fashion shopping! Enjoying sunny terraces and great food. Discovering Italian art museums, ancient monuments and churches.

Location: Milan lies in the north of Italy. Which is located in South Europe, right below Switzerland and Austria.

Nearby: Cities such as Venice and Verona can be found nearby Milan, within driving distance.

Large events: Milan Fashion Week and Milan Design Week!

Where to stay: We have made a list of the best hotels in Milan. For the business travel we also made a list of the best airport hotels.

Currency: The Euro.

Famous for: Being trendsetters with fashion brands, such Prada, Armani and Versace. Amazing cars, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo. Italian food, from pizza and spaghetti to ice cream! Renaissance painters and sculptures. Roman-era monuments.