Milan is as flat as it gets, and it is too big to be walked around (if you want to see more than just the very centre) but just compact enough to be biked through. The roads are wide, so it’s easy to find your place in traffic, and road users usually know how to deal with the presence of cyclists. Still, Milanese traffic can be quite aggressive, and very few streets are equipped with proper bike lanes, so prudence is always necessary. In case you are scared, avoiding the main vehicular traffic arteries will grant you a safe and relaxing cruise and can get you anywhere in town.

BikeMi is Milan’s bike sharing system. It’s the easiest and best way to visit the city throughout all seasons (unless it’s pouring). It’s cheap, it works reasonably well, and it even gives you the option to use an electric bike. BikeMi allows you to withdraw a bicycle at a bike stall and give it back at any other stall of the network. BikeMi has stalls everywhere in the area within the second ring road of Milan, and in some cases even beyond that (a map is on the website): most locations will be at reach. You need to subscribe (it’s best to do it on the website) and pay 4.50€ for a daily subscription or 9€ for a weekly subscription. You need a credit card: debit is not supposed to work, although you can give it a try as it is sometimes accepted anyway. Yearly subscriptions are also available. After the subscription you will receive some codes that you can use at the stall in order to unlock a bike. Each time you withdraw a bike you can choose between a regular bike and an electric one. Regular bikes are free for the first 30 minutes, while electric bikes come with a 25 cent fee for the first half an hour. An official App is also available for iOS.

If you don’t want to be tied to the time limits of bike sharing, there are options to rent them too. A good one (and reasonably priced) is Rossignoli, Corso Garibaldi 65/71 (metro Lanza or Moscova).