Tips for visiting the Expo - transportation and accommodations

Transportation

Air China operates direct flights to Milan departing from Beijing and Shanghai. You can also try Italian airline Alitalia's new nonstop service between Shanghai and the Expo host city.

Photo dated back to October, 2014 shows the Expo Plane 330 of Italian airline Alitalia at Malpensa International Airport in Milan. Alitalia unveiled nonstop flight from Shanghai to Milan to meet the increasing travel demand during the Milan Expo, which opened on May 1 and runs through October 31. [Photo/IC]

Milan has three main air getaways, Malpensa Airport, Linate airport and Il Caravaggio International Airport. Malpensa is the major international airport, while Linate is a smaller airport serving domestic and European flights. Il Caravaggio International Airport, near Bergamo, also serves domestic and European airlines.

Accommodations

Officials are expecting an influx of more than 20 million during the six-month event. The local chamber of commerce has set up a monitor to ensure that hotel prices aren't boosted excessively; tourists still need to take precaution by booking accommodations as early as they can.

A picture shows the logo of online lodging service Airbnb displayed on a computer screen in the Airbnb offices in Paris, April 21, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

For those backpackers who make their decisions on a whim by skipping early planning, our advice is to first follow market rules and then follow your heart.

Tourists can also try their luck on online lodging service Airbnb, which has more than doubled available properties in Milan in the last year to nearly 8,000, but competition remains intense.