Milan essentials

From contactless fares to STIBM zones, to the night network and the Passante Ferroviario: the complete guide to getting around the city.

Contactless Payment

It is the fastest solution for most travelers: it requires no advance purchase or app downloads.

How it works: tap your credit card, debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch (Apple Pay/Google Pay) on the contactless readers at metro turnstiles or on board buses, trams, and trolleybuses.
Best fare calculation: the system recognizes your daily trips and automatically applies the most cost-effective fare. If you make 4 or more trips in the same day, the cost is converted directly into that of a daily ticket.
Golden rule: always use the same device or card both when entering and exiting (and when transferring between vehicles). If you enter using your smartphone, you must exit using the same smartphone.

ATM Milano Official App

Ideal if you prefer to manage travel tickets digitally or buy tickets for multiple people at the same time:
Allows you to buy single tickets, daily tickets, or multi-journey passes (carnet).Generates a QR code on the screen to scan at the turnstiles to enter and exit the subway.

Rechargeable physical ticket (RicaricaMI)

For those who prefer a traditional format:available for purchase at automatic ticket machines in stations, newsstands, and tobacconists.
Consists of a rigid paper card that can be recharged multiple times with new tickets.

Urban tickets cover the city of Milan and the first ring of neighboring municipalities:

Single ticket (€2.20): valid for 90 minutes from first validation. Allows unlimited travel on buses, trams, and the metro (including re-entry into the metro within 90 minutes).
24-hour ticket (€7.60): offers unlimited travel for 24 hours from the exact moment of validation.
3-day ticket (€15.50): unlimited travel valid for 3 consecutive days (until the end of service on the third day).
10-ticket carnet (€19.50): Suitable for occasional travel.
Note: the carnet is strictly personal and cannot be shared among multiple passengers at the same time.

Family discounts: Minors under 14 travel for free across the entire network. For other group members, it is possible to purchase and display multiple tickets from a single profile on the ATM app.

The STIBM system (Integrated Fare System of the Mobility Basin) divides the territory of Milan and its province into 9 concentric zones:

Mi1 – Mi3
Unified urban zone (Milan + 21 first-ring municipalities)
Central Milan, Rho Fieramilano, San Donato, Sesto San Giovanni, Rozzano, Pero, Assago, Linate Airport

Mi4
First outer hinterland
Monza, Cinisello Balsamo, Pioltello, Bollate

Mi5
Second metropolitan ring
Legnano, Gorgonzola, Vignate, Carugate

Mi6
Outer band and interchange hubs
Gessate, Magenta, Abbiategrasso, Pavia (north)

Mi7 – Mi9
Distant municipalities and adjacent provinces
Saronno, Busto Arsizio, Lodi, border areas

Minimum fare (Mi1-Mi3): for Milan and the first ring, single-zone tickets do not exist. The base ticket (€2.20) covers zones Mi1, Mi2, and Mi3 together.
Outbound travel: traveling from Milan requires purchasing an integrated ticket that covers from Mi1 up to the destination zone (e.g., Mi1-Mi4 for Monza, Mi1-Mi6 for Gessate).
Travel between suburban municipalities: those traveling solely between municipalities outside Milan (e.g., from Monza Mi4 to Arcore Mi5) purchase a ticket limited only to the crossed zones (e.g., 2 zones: Mi4-Mi5).

STIBM travel tickets allow integrated use of the surface transport network, the subway, and the local rail network (Trenord and Passante Ferroviario).

Transport included: trams, buses, trolleybuses, ATM metro, suburban bus lines, regional trains, and Trenord suburban lines (S) within the limits of the purchased zones.
Passante Ferroviario stations in Milan (Zones Mi1-Mi3): with the standard €2.20 urban ticket, you can travel freely between the city's railway stations: Bovisa, Lancetti, Porta Garibaldi, Repubblica, Porta Venezia, Dateo, Porta Vittoria, Rogoredo, Romolo, San Cristoforo, Villapizzone, Certosa, Greco Pirelli.
Freedom of transfer within 90 minutes: within the ticket validity period, you can combine multiple modes of transport. For example, you can take an ATM bus, get off to continue on the subway, and finally take the Passante Ferroviario to cross the city quickly, all with the same ticket.

Subway: as a rule, lines M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 open at 5:30 AM and close around 12:30 AM (on Saturdays, some lines extend service until approximately 1:30 AM–2:00 AM).
Night buses (Night Network): when the subway closes, replacement buses (lines N1, N2, N3, N4, N5) and other night routes operate, covering the city's main routes all night during weekends and public holidays. Regular STIBM tickets are also valid on the night network.

Traditional bicycles: transport on the subway is free of charge. However, to avoid obstructing crowd flow during peak times, bikes are not allowed during weekday rush hours (approximately 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM).
Folding bikes and e-scooters: folding bicycles (folded) and electric scooters (folded) always travel for free and without any time restrictions across all vehicles in the network (metro, bus, and tram).

Just tap your credit card, debit card, or smartphone (Apple/Google Pay) directly at the turnstiles or on the buses. No app to download, no printed tickets.
The only ironclad rule? Always use the exact same device or card both when entering and exiting, even when transferring!

No, the system handles that for you. It automatically tracks how many trips you make in a single day: on your fourth ride, the magic kicks in and the total cost is capped at the price of a daily pass (€7.60).

It depends! The ATM app is perfect if you need to buy tickets for multiple people at once or don't want to risk losing your physical ticket. The rechargeable paper ticket (RicaricaMI) is ideal if you prefer not to use your smartphone, and it can be reused infinitely.

You have 90 minutes of total freedom from the moment of validation to take as many rides as you like on buses, trams, and the metro (you can even re-enter the subway after exiting, as long as it's within the time limit).

Unfortunately not. The carnet is strictly personal: it is valid for only one person at a time and cannot be validated simultaneously for two passengers.

Children under 14 ride completely free across the entire network! And for accompanying adults, you can conveniently buy multiple tickets from a single account on the ATM app.

For Assago (Mi3) and Rho Fiera (Mi3), the standard ticket works just fine. However, if you need to go further out to Monza (Mi4) or Gessate (Mi6), the fare changes: you will need to select an integrated ticket that covers all the zones from your origin to your destination.

It's Milan's secret shortcut: an underground railway line that cuts across the city from east to west. The best news? With the same €2.20 urban ticket, you can hop on these trains to zip between stations like Bovisa, Garibaldi, Repubblica, Porta Venezia, and Rogoredo in a flash.

No need to panic: when the trains go to sleep (around 0:30 AM, or 2:00 AM on weekends), night buses (lines N1, N2, N3, etc.) come to life above ground. They cover the same routes as the metro lines and don't require special tickets, standard ones are perfectly valid.