Bergamo

Bergamo is a beautiful walled city located 37 miles (60 km) from Milan. Its short distance from the capital of Lombardy makes it the ideal one day. You can even make the most of your Ryanair flight to this city, to explore it before heading to Milan. The upper town is a maze of narrow alleyways packed with charming stores.

Things to do in Bergamo

Bergamo is divided into two parts; the Upper Town (Città Alta), which is surrounded by Venetian walls, is magnificently preserved with pretty stoned streets and magnificent medieval buildings. The Lower Town (Città Bassa) is the modern part of Bergamo and is less interesting for visitors. The two parts of town are connected by a funicular railway.

The charming alleyways in the medieval part of town house several treasures. The following are not to be missed:

Piazza Vecchia: The old square of Bergamo is the city’s political and administrative centre. The square is surrounded by several buildings like Palazzo del Podesta, el Palazzo del Comune, el Palazzo della Ragione and the Torre Civica.
Torre Civica: Symbol of medieval Bergamo, the Torre Civica stands 170 ft (52 m) tall and is a great place for a panoramic view of Bergamo.
Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore: The monumental basilica can compete both in size and beauty with the Bergamo Cathedral. One of the building’s highlights is the Colleoni chapel.
Bergamo Cathedral: Bergamo Cathedral is an imposing temple dedicated to the city’s patron saint, Alexander of Bergamo.
Venetian walls: The inhabitants of Bergamo built a wall to surround the city as they were terrified of being attacked by the Spanish troops. Although the wall measured nearly 4 miles (6 km), it only had four gates.

Getting to Bergamo

There are three ways of getting to Bergamo from Milan:

By car

The easiest and fastest way of travelling to Bergamo is by car. By hiring a car, you will be able to visit Bergamo and other close destinations like Lake Iseo.

If you land in Bergamo Airport – Orio al Serio why not visit Bergamo before heading to Milan? Or else, on your way back.

You can hire a car on the following page:

Rent a car in Milan

By train

If you do not want to rent a car, you can get to Bergamo by train from Milan. You can either get a train from Milano Centrale or from Milano Porta Garibaldi. The journey takes one hour and costs between € 4.80 (US$ 5.10) and € 14.50 (US$ 15.50).

You can book the train tickets online at the following website:

Trenitalia

Day trips from Milan

Although it's not the fastest way of getting to Bergamo, booking a one-day excursion to this city has many advantages like not having to worry about getting lost or having to worry about parking. A one-day excursion from Milan costs € 55 (US$ 58.80) and you can reserve it at the following link: