steppie

Arriving in Milan on Saturday Oct. 1st and dealing with an unexpected foot problem, although can still do short walks. I am staying at the Excelsior Gallia which offers complementary car service, however it is limited and offers only one way. Can any one recommend a driver for a few hours for a couple of days? I am aware of Uber and of course, taxis, however, my concerns are coming back to hotel. Appreciate advice for mature (very) woman traveling solo.
THANKS! Grandma Steppe

Also, going on to London's Park Tower Hotel , may need recommendation there. Very frustrated as I am so use to being independent !

Perche

What is the concern about finding a cab back to the hotel? Where are you going in Milan and at what hours where there would be no taxi stand nearby?

Forstbetrieb

Let me see your problem...

The driver at the Gallia will take you even back from the street between Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele and the Park Hyatt. It is a shuttle service...

Where and when do you need a driver? And where do you want to go?!

steppie

thanks for the reply.
I am coming to Milan for the Fondazione Prada and will spend the other two days going to some art galleries that are in a few different directions .

In London I will be going to the Frieze Art Fair and some art collections, taxis are very difficult to get because it is a major event. For the theatre in London, i will use public transportation. Also, I think I am a little anxious because so much of this trip will be walking thru galleries and museums . In the past I always took public transport !. THX!

ckendall

With taxis you should be fine; if you have a smartphone download the IT-Taxi app
(https://www.ittaxi.it/app for a link to android and iPhone)
and you can call a taxi that will come and get you anywhere in Milan.

The Gallia can call you a cab to go wherever you're going and you should be fine.

KLouis

Since a few years they no longer allow either busses or the tube inside museums!

steppie

very cute sense of humor!

of course I mean saving my energy to walk thru museums and galleries. Yikes, getting older is no fun!!

AmandaRed

Hi Steppie,

I would suggest you what in Italian is called NCC service. It is a service similar to the taxi one but instead of paying on time/distance basis you agree upon a price (and a path) with the NCC driver. In this case you don't have to worry about traffic jams (so more euros) or similar issues.

Personally, I have used ROS NCC from malpensa to milan city center. It was timely and the price was good enough.

Have a nice trip.

Perche

Let me just clarify. Noleggio auto Con Conducente (NCC) just means hire a car with a chauffeur.

All car services in Italy, even Uber, is an NCC. Regular Uber as known in the USA is banned in all of Italy, with the exception of Uber Black. Regular Uber that is used in the USA was called Uber Pop, but it is banned in Italy and other parts of Uber because the drivers didn't have a chauffeur's license. Now there is only Uber Black, the high-end Uber that comes with an actual chauffeur, which is why Uber in Italy is much more expensive than a taxi.

Hiring an NCC service just means to hire a car with a driver, which means any car service. There are many car services in Italy, and some incorporate the initials into the name, for example, Grupo NCC Italia, Servicio NCC Roma, Roma NCC Frezza, Milanodriver NCC, etc. ROS NCC is called ROS Black Taxi, and it is another car service. In their case, about half an hour outside of Milan.

Remember, these companies don't have a fleet of cars. There are independent chauffeurs who own a qualified Mercedes. The companies link up with them. That's why a company in Milan can get you a car in Sicily. Most drivers link up with several companies in order to stay busy. NCC just means car driven by a licensed chauffeur.