Milan, Italy is the capital of the Lombardy region. The population of the city proper is 1.3 million, while its urban area (that stretches beyond the boundaries of its metropolitan province) has population estimated to be about 5.5 million. Milan is the main industrial and financial centre of Italy and one of global significance. If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Milan, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.
Milan is not a great running city — traffic, poor air, some cobblestoned streets, and lots of industrial areas. But there are some great parks near the center that make for some great runs. Our ‘tourist run’ features a nice jaunt around the scenic buildings, bustling plazas and beautiful churches. There are also numerous parks that offer an escape from the busy streets as well as paths along the canals that offer an uniquely Italian running experience. The Duomo is a good place to start for many of Milan’s runs. One treat is Runbase, located in Sempione Park, which offers showers and lockers near some of Milan’s best central running routes. We should point out that the air quality can be a particular issue in Milan because of fine particulate pollution.
Milan has excellent public transportation. The Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) operates within the metropolitan area, managing a public transport network consisting of an underground rapid transit network and tram, trolley-bus and bus lines. Milan Metro, consisting of four lines is one of the largest in Europe. The recently opened M5 line is undergoing further expansion and the construction of the M4 line has been approved. Further, Milan has a suburban railway service comprised of 10 lines that connects the metropolitan area with the city centre through the Milan Passerby underground railway. There is also an extensive tram system (along tracks) and an extensive buses. ATM also manages bike sharing and car sharing systems.
