Duomo at sunrise, Milan, Europe.

For the sensible, there hasn’t been a travel opportunity quite as fascinating as the present since the Second World War, particularly in Europe. Cities which struggled to cope with over tourism just a year ago are ghost towns, and cafes eager to turn your table over before you finished your last bite, are now like an afternoon at grandma’s house, with the hospitality to match.

Basically, every place you’ve ever dreamed of visiting, but put off visiting because you didn’t want to queue for hours with hordes of tourists is now dreamier, and more worthwhile to see than ever. The problem is, so few are doing it, many cities face near ruin as the summer season sets. Just look at Venice…

To lure travelers back in, Milan is appealing not only to travellers collective love of Italian food, wine, history and architecture, but directly to their wallets too. When you book an airline ticket to Milan, you’ll get a free third night of hotel added onto your trip, courtesy of the city. It’s a buy two, get one free, in the simplest form.

Naturally, you’ve got questions.

Duomo at sunrise, Milan, Europe.

Milan’s Buy Two Get One Offer

According to the official ‘Yes Milan’ Tourism website, the ‘buy two, get one’ promotion is on offer until January 31st, 2021, with just one week of blackout dates from September 21-28th, 2020. Potential guests can even choose between using the free third night on their initial trip, or to use it for a subsequent, later trip, provided the later trip happens before January 31st.


Basically, if you’ve only got two nights, you could come back at a later date and have a free night waiting for you.


There are a few things to know, before you rush off to book the first thing you can find. And before you do, a full list of participating hotels is yet to be released, but should be shortly. The offer applies as follows…

By showing a plane ticket with Milano Malpensa (MXP) or Linate (LIN) as the final destination and the same date of arrival as your first night in the hotel, you are eligible for a free night in one of the participating hotels. The promotion is valid only for reservations of at least two consecutive nights.

The promotion page continues, noting that you should contact the hotel directly to setup the free night, once the list of participating hotels is released. The guest will still need to pay the city tax on the third night, which typically costs €3-5 per person, per night.

a large round bed in a room with a large window
Hotel Viu, Milan

Milan is replete with fantastic hotels at all price points, and with any hope, hotels in each price point will participate. The only thing better than a five star hotel is a free night in a five star hotel. Milan aside, a variety of hotel loyalty programs are also offering promotions with buy one, get one offers in other cities too.

For sensible travellers, there may never be a better time than the present to experience European capitals without millions of tourists, and score hard to get restaurant reservations in the process.

HT: No Mas Coach

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *