There are two types of people in this world. Those who get excited about a day trip to Italy and feel a surge of excitement – for just over £100 – and those who immediately need a lie down at the thought.
I, regrettably, am in the first group. So, when I spotted cheap flights to Milan, I did what any sensible adult would do and roped my equally chaotic friend into flying to Italy for the day.
The plan was simple. Leave London before sunrise, eat pizza in Milan, be back home before bedtime.
The total cost would come in at less than a return train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly. Naturally, we booked it immediately.
Our Ryanair flights from Stansted cost £30.48 return. Even saying that out loud feels faintly ridiculous. Airport parking added £26.44 each after I found a meet and greet deal online. I’m not counting petrol because my tank was already full, which is exactly the sort of creative accounting this kind of adventure requires.
My alarm went off at 2.45am. No one should ever see that time unless they work in healthcare or are making terrible decisions. By 3am we bundled into my car, running on adrenaline and the promise of carbohydrates.
One unexpected challenge with flying to a warm country for the day is the wardrobe situation. We had dressed for 27 degrees sunshine in Milan, not a freezing April dawn in Essex. So, there we were, shivering at Stansted in vest tops and skirts, looking like we’d either lost our coats or our minds. Probably both.
Once through security, civilisation resumed in the form of Pret. I bought my beloved apple and cinnamon granola pot for £4.10 and a bottle of vitamin water for £3, which became breakfast somewhere over Europe while everyone around me attempted to sleep upright.
Cost breakdown
Flights = £30.48
Parking at London Stansted airport = £26.44
Breakfast at airport = £7.10
Food and drink = £22.49
Transport to and from airport in Milan = £20.78
Activities = £8.65
Total cost of trip was £115.94. An open return train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on a Saturday is typically £116.
We landed at Bergamo airport to mild chaos. Passport control queues were swollen thanks to the new Entry Exit System (EES) being rolled out across Europe, and precious Milan hours ticked away while we shuffled slowly forward.
Eventually freed, we made a beeline for the first coach heading into the city centre. At £10.39 each way, the bus wasn’t glamorous, but neither were we by this point. It was cool, comfortable and, crucially, moving in the right direction.
By the time we arrived, we were starving. The night before, we had spent an embarrassing amount of time on TikTok researching two things Italy takes very seriously – pizza and gelato.
We ended up at Gino’s, right by the famous Duomo, which was perhaps not the most budget-conscious choice but absolutely the correct one.
I ordered a vegetarian pizza piled with aubergine, mushroom, courgette and peppers, plus a Diet Coke. The total cost was £16.46. In London, that might get you something lukewarm in a chain restaurant and a side of regret – if you’re lucky. This was fresh, glorious and eaten with a view of one of the most beautiful city centres in Europe.
It also felt deeply smug to be having lunch in Milan while some people were probably still waiting for their train platform at Euston.
After lunch, we decided to commemorate our little trip with permanent bracelets. We’d wanted them for ages, but in the UK, they can easily cost around £100. In Milan, we found a tiny shop called Amanita and each got a delicate silver bracelet with interlinking hearts welded on for £8.65.
At that price, I briefly considered getting one for every limb.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exactly as city breaks should be. We wandered around the cathedral, took photos, lounged in the park, browsed gift shops and repeatedly said things like “I can’t believe we’re actually here”.
There is something uniquely thrilling about knowing you are somewhere for only a few hours. Every street feels cinematic and every bench in the sunshine feels like a wise investment of limited time.
Eventually, reality loomed and we made our way back towards the coach station. But not before gelato.
I chose crème caramel for £3.03.
It was superb. Thick, creamy, cold and exactly what was needed in the afternoon heat. Some of the best gelato I’ve had.
At around 3.30pm, we reluctantly boarded the coach back to Bergamo. Security queues were long again, but we still had time to grab a final airport drink – a bottle of Pepsi Max for £3.
We landed back at Stansted at 7.45pm, earlier than expected. In a miracle no one could explain, there was no queue at the e-gates. We sailed through passport control, called the parking company, collected the car and were home by around 9.30pm.
Late enough to feel dramatic but early enough for dinner. And yes, we slept like the dead.
So, was it worth it? Absolutely. It was silly, exhausting, slightly unhinged and genuinely brilliant. For less than the cost of a Saturday open return to Manchester, I flew to Italy, ate exceptional pizza, sat in the sun, got jewellery welded onto my wrist and was back in my own bed the same night.
Could we have done it cheaper? Definitely. We could have packed breakfast, skipped the bracelets, eaten slices on the go and shaved even more off the total.
But that misses the point. The joy of an extreme day trip is not efficiency, it is the sheer absurd pleasure of deciding, on a random Saturday, that lunch should happen in Milan.
And perhaps the most priceless part of all was waking up on Sunday morning with the whole day left to recover.
Total cost = £115.94