Hotel Charly

Rooms and decor

Rooms are decorated in a clean, tasteful Italian-classic style — nothing flashy, but with a care in the details that reflects an owner who pays attention. Each comes with free Wi-Fi, air-con, a TV and a private bathroom, and reviews praise the cleanliness and tidiness throughout. A few guests note that the beds run firm and that some bathrooms are very tight, a familiar limitation of older European buildings, so it is worth looking at the room photos before you book. The rooms that face the garden draw the warmest reviews and are the ones to ask for.

Food and amenities

The garden is what sets Hotel Charly apart from everything else in this part of town — shaded, well kept, and furnished with chairs and tables for sitting out with a coffee in genuine quiet, which is rare a few minutes from a major station. Breakfast runs both ways: sweet options like croissants with marmellata, and savoury ones such as eggs, cheese and cold cuts, served with a smile and praised in reviews as good quality. There is no dinner restaurant or bar on site, but the surrounding blocks hold plenty of local places within a short walk.

Location and getting there

You are about 500 metres from Milano Centrale, roughly an 8-minute walk — further out than the others on this list, but that is precisely what keeps the streets around the hotel quieter and more residential. Lima station on the M1 (red) metro line is a 3-minute walk and runs straight to the Duomo in 3 stops, with easy connections on toward Arco della Pace. Local restaurants, cafes and shops sit within walking distance, and Malpensa airport is about 50 minutes on the Malpensa Express from Centrale.

Things to know before booking

The big trade-off is distance — at 500 metres and an 8-minute walk, the station is a haul with heavy bags, so plan on a taxi or the M1 at Lima if you are loaded down. Some reviewers find the beds firm, which comes down to personal taste, and the bathrooms in some rooms are genuinely small, so check the photos for the layout you are getting. There is no on-site dinner or bar, and the hotel is small, so do not expect chain-scale facilities — what you get instead is the garden and a personal touch.

Our take

Hotel Charly is the pick for couples and solo travellers who want a quiet, private base near the station rather than a slick station-front hotel. If you will trade an 8-minute walk for a pretty garden, a calm residential street and a breakfast made with care, it is genuinely good value — rooms start around $57 a night and still land an 8.6/10 guest score. Come for the family-run feel and the garden coffee; do not come expecting space or polish.