When planning my trip to Milan this summer, it just so happened that Expo Milan 2015 coincided with my travel schedule. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know how much time to buffer into my itinerary. Luckily my BFF visited the Expo 2015 a month before my visit and with the Official Map she gave me, I was able to draft a previsionary plan.
I would sum up the Expo as a giant Disney Epcot Centre for adults. Epcot Centre has always been my favourite Disney theme park. Anything to do with countries and cultures will always intrigue me. If you want to see the current successes of countries in the realm of food and sustainability as well as sample foods from around the world, I would highly recommend a visit. After all, the Expo only happens quinquennially.
What to Expect at EXPO Milan 2015
Each country highlights the best they have to offer in the advancement of food, sustainability and energy – keeping in line with the Expo’s theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. Though it was refreshing to learn about smaller countries on showcase, it was rather disappointing that my home country, Canada, did not participate due to budget constraints. Canada is represented, though, through ALLAVITA!, the Cirque du Soleil show performed at the Open Air Theater.
Another huge draw is the stunning architecture of each country’s pavilion. The design of each building is inspired by its country’s traditions and values and its aim to stay within the Expo’s theme. Each structure is a prominent symbol of the country which it represents.
To prepare for visiting Expo Milano 2015, here are some helpful things you need to know:
1. Best Time to Visit
There are only a few months left of Expo 2015 before its final day on October 31st. The temperature between the end of summer and early fall should be very ideal. When I visited the Expo in the dead of summer, Milan was experiencing unseasonably hot temperatures upwards of 38C during the day. Although the main avenue of the Expo was covered by an awning, lineups into the individual pavilions were wide open to the sky, and the glaring sun with it.
I would suggest visiting the Expo on a weekday. Due to my tight travel schedule, I was only able to visit on a weekend when throngs of people all descended on the Expo. The admission price is 39€ during the day and only 5€ after 6pm. However, beware of massive crowds at night! There was no lineup whatsoever when I went in the morning on a Saturday; by night, the lineup stretched beyond what the eye could see. Decide if saving the extra money is worth contending with the mob (at the ticket kiosks and at security check).
2. What You Should Bring
Carry as little as possible! Bring an empty water bottle, which can be filled at the many filtered water stations dotted throughout the Expo. Both flat and carbonated water is available and is provided by the Expo’s official partner, San Pellegrino.
For smartphone users, there is free wifi at the Expo. The connectivity was excellent – even better than what I had at my airbnb apartment!
Although many of the pavilions are indoors and the main walkway is under a tent, there may be times when you have to lineup to enter individual pavilions where there is no shade. Sunglasses, a hat and sunblock may come in handy.
3. Wear Comfortable Shoes
The main walkway running the entire course of the Expo is 1500 meters long and is intersected by 32 avenues. The entire area of the Expo would be larger than that, considering the walk from the Metro station to the main gates takes a good 10 minutes.
Another reason for wearing comfortable shoes is to traverse the tensile net structure at the Brazil pavilion. The netting was wobbly and I found certain parts of the framework precarious even though I was wearing sturdy sandals. Children with small feet were falling through the spaces in the netting!
Take advantage of the free shuttle buses, with bus stops located throughout the perimeter of the Expo, whenever you want to fast forward to another cluster or to double back to the main entrance to head in the direction of the Metro.
4. Be Prepared for Security Checks & Lineups
At the entrance of the Expo, be prepared for security checks performed according to the standards of international airports. This may cause delays during peak times.
At more popular pavilions, such as China and Japan, be prepared to lineup. In the summer months, these lines can stretch from 20 minutes long to over an hour. The lineup for the Japan pavilion was an hour and a half in July – I did not wait for this one. Pavilions that have a guided presentation or have technological presentations (Kuwait and Korea for example) also cultivate long lines outside.
5. Get an Expo Passport
To really bring out the kid in you, buy an official Expo passport at the main gates. I was convinced by friends to purchase one of these little books for 5€ and I’m glad I did! At every pavilion you visit, look for an attendant to stamp your passport with that country’s “passport” stamp. I was able to collect a book full of stamps!
Apparently the passport booth wasn’t visible at the gates as many Expo visitors asked me where I had purchased the passport. All who asked me were adults!
Read my highlights from Expo Milan 2015 here.
If you can’t make it out to Expo Milan 2015, there is Expo 2020 to look forward to in Dubai!
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Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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