Rome, Florence, and Venice make up the classic “whistle-stop” trifecta of an Italian tour, don’t they? For most first-time visitors to Italy, Milan seems to get left out of the itinerary, and like many people, it may have popped up as “maybe next time, if time permits” but if it’s held on to as “maybe next time” then the time for rethinking the travel map has finally arrived.
Milan has always been associated with wealth and fashion, but infinite shops and glimmering displays of jewelry make it almost impossible not to want to add a little more bling to your wardrobe. But there is nothing superficial about this city, which was once capital of the Western Roman Empire and has been a touch point of many of the most significant events in European history. “Milan is an energetic, vibrant city with the international feel of Berlin, Paris, and New York,” says Nicole Bono, luxury travel and event planner at Bono Events International. “It’s not at all like the other cities in Italy, but it also relent on never one iota of style and never one inch of authenticity.”
Milan’s got that old-world charm with ancient ruins and big old churches hanging around everywhere you look. Fancy museums packed with art too. But it’s also where you’ll find all the modern stuff Italy’s got going on. New art stuff nobody’s seen before, wild fashion that keeps changing every week, hotel spots opening left and right these days. Twenty Michelin-starred places if you’re into that kind of thing anyway. Our folks who know the city best picked out their top spots here. They’re proof. If you miss Milan, you’re really missing out.
Best Things to Do in Milan
Milan Cathedral (Duomo)
Piazza del Duomo in Milan. That’s where you’ll find the big cathedral everyone talks about. People started building this place way back in the 1300s. Took until like the 1900s to finally wrap it up. The architecture will blow your mind – all those baroque details on the front, mosaics everywhere, paintings that pull you in. Check out the Cathedral Museum if you want the backstory on how they pulled this off over six hundred years. And don’t skip the rooftop. You get wild views of Milan from up there, plus you can eyeball those crazy spiky pinnacles up close. Look up “Milan Duomo” for details or grab tickets ahead for roof access. Trust me, you want those terrace views sorted before showing up.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
People still talk about the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It’s basically the oldest covered shopping arcade in Italy. You know, the one with that fancy glass ceiling everyone photographs. Good spot for grabbing branded stuff or random souvenirs. Clothes, accessories, books. Even some art pieces if that’s your thing.
Hungry. There’s a fancy hotel inside where you can crash overnight. Or just grab lunch upstairs between shopping rounds. Oh, and the top floor has these views over Milan. You can spot all the big landmarks from there. They call it Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in case you need to look it up.
La Scala Theater
This neoclassical theater offers guided tours and evening performances like opera or ballet. Velvet red chairs everywhere. Gold trim on every surface. A massive chandelier right in the center. The guided tours are worth checking out. They include access to the attached museum with historical costumes and set designs. Old paintings and musical instruments line the walls too. For opening hours or ticket availability, hit up their website directly. Just type in your planned visit date to see what’s running.
I Navigli district
Head to Navigli district for those iconic canals lined with cozy spots to eat and drink. It kinda feels like sitting right on an actual canal when you’re there. Lots of small shops pop up where local artists and designers sell their own stuff directly from their studios.
If you’re into vintage finds, swing by Porta Genova’s used goods market on the last Sunday each month. People dig through antiques and random treasures there pretty often. For something different, try that canal boat tour where they serve drinks and snacks while you float around. Don’t miss Vicolo dei Lavandai alley either. That place gives you the lowdown on how the neighborhood used to operate back in the day. More details pop up if you look into Navigli’s specific history stuff anyway.
Best Hotels in Milan
Portrait Milano
Gary Portuesi at Authentic Explorations still talks up this Lungarno Collection hotel as “one of the best new hotels we have seen open up in Italy (in 2023).” You can find it right in Piazza del Quadrilatero’s historic fashion district area. Clean modern design without being flashy about it. Portuesi mentions they’re pretty much becoming everyone’s first choice spot these days.
Hotel Principe di Savoia
People still talk about the Principe di Savoia in that city full of fancy spots. It’s got that old-world glam thing going on pretty hard. Nicole Trilivas writes about travel stuff over in London. She called their Presidential Suite over-the-top. They’ve got this private indoor pool situation going on. Like some duke’s crazy penthouse from way back when, you know. Working fireplaces everywhere. Swirling frescoes on the ceilings. Mahogany and marble all over. Even if you’ve seen every luxury spot out there, this place kind of hits different.
Casa Baglioni
Portuesi mentions this new Baglioni hotel kind of nails that 1960s Milan vibe. Just 30 rooms and suites total here. Lots look out over Brera district, which feels pretty inviting honestly. The place keeps things cozy but still super stylish overall. That rooftop bar though. Gives you a full 360 view of the city apparently. Portuesi straight up calls it spectacular.
Best Restaurants in Milan
Trattoria Trippa
Bono likes this place in Porta Romana. They’ve got that old-school vibe going on. The kind of spot where you just feel comfortable right away. He keeps coming back because they always treat him like a regular. They serve all the classics from around here. Think ossobuco, risotto alla Milanese, those kinds of dishes. That’s what she mentioned about it anyway.
Ronin
Ronin sits in Milan’s Chinatown. That area’s one of Europe’s biggest Chinese communities. But the place goes all-in on Japanese vibes anyway. They’ve got an izakaya bar setup and some private karaoke rooms thrown in there too, which people seem to dig. Portuesi and his crew keep talking about their thing with putting an Italian spin on sushi dishes there, you know. Said it hits different compared to regular spots apparently.
Osteria Brunello
Portuesi says this modern osteria near Porta Garibaldi leans slightly upscale but makes up for it. Solid wine selection there. Their cotoletta Milanese hits just right, you know. Also do these mondo meatballs called mondeghili fried in butter, total Milan classic thing. Place gets busy but doesn’t feel stuffy somehow.
Best Time to Visit Milan
Milan’s packed with trade fairs and conferences all year. Hotel rooms disappear fast during big events. You’d need to plan around that chaos. Portuesi tells people to aim for May or October when the weather’s nice. Avoid February and September fashion weeks completely. Same with April’s furniture fair thing they do every year.
Summers get brutal there even though it’s up north. July and August are sweltering and packed with tourists anyway. Winter from December through March brings cheaper hotels and fewer crowds if you can handle the cold rain and foggy days. Just skip Christmas week obviously.
How to Get to Milan
A lot of Bono’s people start or finish their Italy trips at Milan Malpensa Airport. It’s the main international spot up north. Some flights from Europe or the UK might go through Linate instead. That one’s closer to downtown Milan. There’s also Orio al Serio near Bergamo if that works better for them.
From Malpensa, you can grab the Malpensa Express train into the city center for 13 euros. Taxis run higher, around 110 euros for a car that fits four people. The big train hub is Milano Centrale. You get connections all over Italy from there. Plus France and Switzerland if you’re heading further out.
How to Get Around Milan
Milano Centrale station connects you to trams, buses, and subways across the city. Milan’s flat terrain helps for walking or biking. Thing is, places can be miles apart. Taxis from Centrale to the Duomo cost around 8 to 10 euros. Remember you can’t flag cabs down here like other cities. They wait at specific stands near busy spots.
Driving a rental car in central Milan’s a bad idea. You’ll get stuck in endless traffic jams. Or circling blocks hunting parking spots missing pedestrians and bike lanes anyway . Trams rattle past constantly making it worse . If you need wheels for longer trips , grab them early morning when everyone’s commuting inward . Just get out fast before gridlock hits .
