Milan has two faces: the fashion capital rushing to work, and an Italian city where bambini are welcomed everywhere like heroes. With a historic French lycée, family-friendly trattorias and the lakes under an hour away, expat life here tastes of dolce vita.
Currency
Euro (€)
Language
Italian
Time vs Paris
None
Emergencies
112
FIAFE network
The Accueil for French-speaking families
In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.
Milan Accueil
Since 1979
Since 1979, Milan Accueil has brought together the French speakers of Milan: welcome coffees, Bol d'air outings to the lakes, language and cooking workshops, and the TamTam, the association's magazine.
Where to meet them
Wednesdays 9am to 12pm at the association's office (Viale Ranzoni 17, De Angeli metro), outside Lycée Stendhal school holidays.
The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.
CCI France International
CCI France Italie
The Franco-Italian chamber, headquartered in Milan, is the leading business network between the two countries: events, introductions and practical help to find a job or set up in Italy.
To follow local life in French: news, what's on, good addresses and, often, a directory of French-speaking professionals.
lepetitjournal.com Milan
MediaIn French
The Milan edition of the online daily for French expatriates, opened in 2006: northern Italy news, practical life (housing, health, settling in, education), outings and community calendar, portraits, and the regularly updated list of French-speaking doctors in Milan.
The edition's expat directory: useful addresses and French-speaking professionals (health, including a bilingual paediatrician and psychologists, education, services); professionals list themselves.
The website and magazine of Milan's English-speaking community since 1999: bureaucracy, family, health, housing and transport sections, an international school guide with an open-day calendar, events and community life. A useful complement to French sources for the city's international life.
Directory of services and classified ads in English: schools, childcare, housing, lessons and providers for the international community.
Before you even land in Milan, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.
Very active Public In English
Expats Living in Italy
203,000 members · ≈ 153 posts/week
Expats Living in Italy is powered by @Expats Living in Rome (#RomeExpats).
This group is for Expats/foreigners living in Italy and those looking to relocate. The focus of the group is to help one another with information and share real experiences.
Our goal is to be informative as much as possible, have a positive space online, encourage and inspire one another. Help those overcome obstacles that come with living in another country. Members who do not support this will be removed.
If you have any questions regarding Italy such as: how to get a visa, retiring, networking, startups,, learning Italian, Italian lease contracts, buying or renting a home, how to pay taxes, investing, looking/offering work this is the place for you.
If you are new to the group we ask you NOT TO POST so quickly as your questions have been already answered many times! PLEASE go through the posts first and it's faster to do a search or look at topics. Once you belong to the group for a while you will appreciate not seeing the same post everyday.
If you feel you need a consultation, you can contact us directly at [email protected] for a free 20 minute consultation. We also have a directory of trusted sponsors, services to help you get direct help from our experts. Visit our ENGLISH SPEAK DIRECTORY HERE https://www.expatslivinginrome.com/directory
We also send out a weekly newsletter that also includes what important posts/topics missed on our Facebook groups. It also provides any updated information that is important to expats, obviously interesting things, job offers, events and more! It's FREE to subscribe! http://eepurl.com/djnjUr
Website: https://www.expatslivinginrome.com/directory/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/expats.living.in.rome/
Thank you
#RomeExpats Team
This group is for people living in Milan or planning to live here. Feel free to ask questions, share information, job offers or to create events.
The aim...
A place for expats living in the Milano area.
On this group you can describe your experiences regarding the various aspects of your move to Italy and in...
This group is for foreigners, Italians, or any international people living in Milan or thinking of moving there. Language exchange, share your advice, tips, thoughts, recommendations, and knowledge with others. All posts should be made in English or in another language with an English translation. Be respectful and keep the conversations polite and helpful, so that we can all benefit from this group.
Group is for Expats and Potential Expats too.
Our aim is to build a group which is friendly, useful and informative.
Want to be a moderator, let me know!
REALLY REALLY REALLY NO SPAM, THANKS
Milan international group - expats & students & travelers
22,500 members · ≈ 42 posts/week
This group is for people living or visiting in Milan or planning to live here. Feel free to ask questions, share information, job offers or to create...
This group is for foreigners living in Milan who want to meet new italian friends and Italians who want to have international friends.
Only posts in English will be approved.
Official Telegram group to be able to organize to go out:
https://t.me/joinchat/rQs4Y9QOFSlhMWU0
No link, No adv, No spam
Milano Expats is a community for internationals living in, moving to, or exploring Milan. Here you can ask and share practical advice about housing,...
Ce groupe a pour but d'aider tout les Français/es et Francophones qui viennent vivre ou juste passer du bon temps à Milan . Partageons donc les bonnes...
Bienvenue sur ce groupe dédié aux italiens et aux français expatriés ou de passage dans nos magnifiques pays que sont l'Italie et la France ! 🇫🇷️🇮🇹️...
Benvenuti!
Échanger, communiquer, tisser des liens, poser des questions, trouver des solutions, obtenir des réponses sur l'expatriation en Italie.
Ce...
Bonjour! Vous aussi êtes français expatrié et résidez en Italie… alors rejoignez vite ce groupe ! Partagez dès maintenant avec nous les bons plans et les expériences de tous les français expatriés d'Italie. Et comme on dit chez nous plus on est de fous, plus on rit !, alors n'hésitez pas à faire connaître ce groupe à vos amis ;o)
Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.
AEFE network
Accredited French schools
Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.
Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr
Tutoring and private lessons
To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.
Axiom Academic
Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.
The Lycée Stendhal, directly managed by the AEFE in the San Siro district, is Milan's only homologated French school: 1,200 pupils from nursery to final year. Around it, free Italian state school and a dense international offer.
Good to know
Stendhal is the only accredited French lycée in northern Italy: apply as soon as the move is confirmed.
Italian state school is free and takes children from age 3 at the scuola dell'infanzia: gentle immersion for little ones.
At primary level, the tempo pieno (full day until 4:30pm, lunch included) makes life easier for working parents.
Milan is full of international schools (IB, English-speaking): real alternatives, at a significant budget.
French-speaking community
Milan's French community gravitates around San Siro and De Angeli, in the wake of the Lycée Stendhal. Milan Accueil has animated it since 1979, supported by UFE Italie du Nord and Français du monde Lombardie.
Good to know
Milan Accueil (FIAFE network) holds its weekly drop-in on Wednesday mornings, steps from the lycée.
San Siro, De Angeli and Wagner concentrate the French families, a scooter ride from the Stendhal.
The Institut français in Milan, at Palazzo delle Stelline, keeps the cultural link alive: cinema, library, classes.
Paris is a 1h30 flight away, and a direct train links the two cities: grandparents visit often.
A place has closed, something has changed?
The arrival reflex
The apps to download when you land
Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in Milan uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.
Getting around
ATM Milano
The official Milan transit app (metro, tram, bus): live schedules, buy tickets and passes, and scan your QR code straight at the turnstile.
What mums ask when they arrive in Milan, in short, sourced answers.
Italian school or Lycée Stendhal: where do we start?
Italian state school is free and takes children from age 3 at the scuola dell'infanzia, with the tempo pieno until 4:30pm in primary: gentle immersion and real integration into the neighbourhood. The Lycée Stendhal, in San Siro, is Milan's only AEFE-accredited school, from nursery to final year; it charges fees and is in high demand, apply as soon as the move is confirmed. Our Schools and School fees pages detail both systems: /en/cities/milan/school-fees/.
Source ↗Do we need a visa or residence permit to settle in Milan?
Not for a European family: free movement applies. Beyond three months, you must register with the Comune di Milano's anagrafe (iscrizione anagrafica), which checks that you work, have resources or are the family of the person who works, and issues the attestazione di soggiorno. Before that, apply for everyone's codice fiscale: it opens every door. Details on /en/cities/milan/settling-in/.
In order: a codice fiscale for each family member at the Agenzia delle Entrate (or the Italian consulate before leaving), the registered lease, the residence declaration at the Comune within 20 days, then the tessera sanitaria and choice of paediatrician at the Scelta e Revoca counter, the bank account, and finally registration with the consulate's French register, free and valid 5 years. It is all explained on /en/cities/milan/settling-in/.
Source ↗How do we get a paediatrician for our children?
Once registered with the health service (SSN), each child is entitled to a pediatra di libera scelta, a free contracted paediatrician who follows them until age 14. The first choice is made in person at the ASST's Scelta e Revoca counter with the codice fiscale and a self-certification of residence; the ATS's Trova Medico tool shows which local paediatricians have places. After that, changes are made online on the Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico. Our Health page details the steps: /en/cities/milan/health/.
Source ↗Where can I find a French-speaking doctor or therapist?
The French consulate general in Milan publishes a medical list, updated on 30 January 2026: French-speaking GPs, dentists, a paediatrician, psychologists, physios and specialists, mostly private. lepetitjournal.com Milan keeps a complementary list and a directory. We reproduce the practitioners most useful to families on /en/cities/milan/health/.
Source ↗Which number do I call if my child is ill at night?
112 only for a life-threatening emergency. For everything else, 116117: an out-of-hours doctor answers from 8pm to 8am on weekdays and 24/7 at weekends and on public holidays, advises, sees you in an on-call clinic or makes a home visit, and can prescribe treatment for 48 to 72 hours; on Saturdays from 8am to 6pm a dedicated paediatric line answers for ages 0 to 13. For a real emergency, the Buzzi children's hospital and several big hospitals have 24/7 children's A&E.
Source ↗Which neighbourhood should we settle in with children?
French families follow the Lycée Stendhal: San Siro, De Angeli and Wagner, where large flats go fast, then Pagano and Magenta towards the centre, CityLife and Portello for new builds and parks, Porta Romana for quality of life, Città Studi and Lambrate for international schools and gentler rents. The closer you stay to the red metro line, the simpler the school run. Our Settling in page reviews the neighbourhoods: /en/cities/milan/settling-in/.
No: until age 14, children travel free on the whole ATM network and in the municipalities of the integrated fare system, suburban trains included, simply by showing an ID; a free, optional Under 11 or Under 14 card is requested online by a parent. Across Lombardy, the Io viaggio in famiglia scheme also makes under-14s free when travelling with an adult family member holding a ticket.
Source ↗Nursery, nanny, babysitter: how do you get a little one looked after?
The Comune's municipal nurseries (nidi d'infanzia, from a few months to 3 years) and spring sections (sezioni primavera, ages 2 to 3) take online enrolments in spring for September, with fees based on family income (ISEE) and waiting lists; the Geoschool service shows the nearest centre. Alongside, licensed private nurseries, tagesmutter (childminders) and babysitters, often found by word of mouth through Milan Accueil and parents' groups. From age 3, the state scuola dell'infanzia is free.
Source ↗My child does not speak Italian: how will they cope at school?
Very well, and faster than you: Italian schools welcome foreign children warmly, and little ones become bilingual within months. The real challenge then becomes keeping French: children's and teenagers' courses, DELF Prim and the children's médiathèque at the Institut français Milano, original-version films at CinéMagenta63, and the community of the Lycée Stendhal and Milan Accueil. Our addresses are on /en/cities/milan/family-outings/.
Source ↗Are my children's vaccines enough for Italian school?
Ten vaccinations are compulsory in Italy from 0 to 16, including chickenpox, which is not in the French schedule: without them, no enrolment in nursery or nursery school, and a fine for 6 to 16-year-olds. Bring the French carnet de santé to the ASST vaccination centre, which records the doses received and completes what is missing free of charge. The full schedule is on /en/cities/milan/health/.
Source ↗Is Milan really that expensive for a family?
For housing, yes: Milan is Italy's most expensive city, and large flats near the Lycée Stendhal are scarce. The rest balances out: free state school, free public paediatrician and hospital, free transport for under-14s, free parks, Castello courtyards and Triennale, coffee and pizzeria cheaper than Paris. Our Settling in page details the budget line by line: /en/cities/milan/settling-in/.
Source ↗Where can I meet other French-speaking mums?
Milan Accueil holds a drop-in on Wednesday mornings at its office on viale Ranzoni, steps from the Lycée Stendhal, and organises coffee mornings, workshops and Bol d'air outings to the lakes. The school gates of the Stendhal, the Institut français courses and médiathèque, Facebook groups of French-speaking parents and lepetitjournal.com Milan's events calendar do the rest.
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