Milan Travel Guide

Italy’s second largest city, Milan is a delight for tourists. This elegant and efficient location has an excellent public transport system, impressive architecture, world-famous works of art and more designer boutiques than almost any city in the world, including Wolford Boutique Milano and Excelsior.

Milan offers an infinite variety of experiences. Attend Milan Fashion Week in February to discover new trends and world-class designers in action.

Watch a football match at the San Siro Stadium with your kids, admire Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, fall in love with Michelangelo’s statues or stroll along the canals of Navigli. Milan has it all, including some of the most important museums in Italy.

Top 5 reasons to visit Milan

Art and architecture

Milan’s beautiful sites include the facade of the Duomo and its beautiful mosaic floor, the masterpieces of the Pinacoteca di Brera and, of course, the churches full of paintings, including Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

The seat of European fashion

Milan is a prestigious centre of fashion and design. Home to firms such as Gucci and Armani, it is full of luxury boutiques and is the focus of the sector in February, when Milan Fashion Week attracts stars from all over the world.

World’s elite football

Sports are an obsession for the people of Milan, and none is more popular than football. Milan’s two main teams, Inter and AC, play at the San Siro Stadium and often compete in the UEFA Champions League and Serie A.

Delicious cocktails

At night your Milanese cocktail glass is a real art. Try them at the Giacomo Arengario Bar, Corso Como Café Food Bar, Shu Club and the lush Just Cavalli Milano.

Impressive food

Milan is one of the best gastronomic destinations in Italy, with restaurants for all budgets. Get to know the local food in family trattorie like Antica Osteria della Briosca, or treat yourself to gourmet menus in restaurants like Chandelier. If you love pasta, you’ll find Milan a paradise.

What to do in Milan

Visit the Cathedral of Milan

This Gothic cathedral is the second largest in the world, combining sacred art, spiritual atmosphere and unforgettable views of the city and the Alps.

Walk through one of the deans of the shopping malls

One of the oldest shopping centres, the Vittorio Emanuele II, is in Milan. Luxury shops, elegant cafés and VIP restaurants are distributed throughout this four-storey building. Under the impressive iron and glass dome you will find the emblem of the bull in the form of a mosaic: find out how to get a dose of good luck with it.

Tour the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

This church houses the most famous work of art in Milan: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Painted on its walls, from 1495 to 1947, it has perfectly resisted the test of time.

Getting to know La Scala

The Teatro alla Scala is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, having hosted some of the best artists and performances in history. It now hosts a wider variety of genres, and incorporates an adjacent museum with luxurious costumes on display.

Admire the Sforzesco Castle

This enormous fortress that combines design elements from the 15th to the 17th century became one of the largest citadels in Europe. It now houses numerous museums incorporating ancient art, Italian, Egyptian, furniture, engravings and musical instruments.

When to visit Milan

It’s never a bad time to visit Milan. Even at Christmas, when temperatures are usually around 0°C, the main square becomes a festive and spectacular market. In spring and autumn you can find good accommodation offers and less crowds, but the best weather is between July and August, when temperatures are around 20 and 30 ºC.

How to get to Milan

By plane

Milan’s main airport is in Malpensa, about 30 kilometres to the west. To get to the city from there, use the Express train from terminal 1, which takes 40 minutes, leaves every half hour and costs 12 EUR. Buses take about an hour and cost 10 EUR, while there is a fixed taxi fare of 90 EUR.

By train

Trains arrive in Milan from Rome and Florence, as well as from Paris, London and other northern European cities. The main terminal is Milano Centrale. Once here, the best way to get to the centre is through the underground lines 2 or 3. A journey from Rome to Milan, which takes seven hours, costs about 83 EUR.

By car

If you’re driving through Italy or southern Europe, getting to Milan by car is easy. Take the A4 from the west or east, or the E35 from Bologna, Florence or Rome. The E35 also links from Switzerland, connecting Milan with Germany and Austria to the north.

By bus

Bus companies serving Milan include FlixBus, Baltour and Ouibus, which operates buses from Paris. You will find the main bus terminal in Lampugnano, through which the metro line 1 passes. The bus journey from Rome, which takes about eight hours, costs EUR 40.

Airports near Milan

MXP Milan-Malpensa
LIN Milan-Linate
BGY Milan Bergamo-Orio al Serio

Where to stay in Milan

Milan offers a wide variety of accommodation options. Among the most exclusive proposals is Park Hyatt Milano, from 700 EUR a night, although there are also economic accommodations such as Ibis Milano Centro, for 64.50 EUR. Find the best hotels in Milan here.

Interesting neighborhoods in Milan

Brera, the artistic center of Milan, is located north of the Duomo. It is home to the Pinacoteca di Brera, one of the best collections of Renaissance art in the world, as well as small galleries displaying the work of very attractive local artists.

Navigli has elegant canals and a vibrant culture. It includes chic cafes such as Taglio, the largest antique market in Milan and historical attractions such as the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

Piazza del Duomo is the religious and social centre of Milan, from where most of its visitors depart. It houses the cathedral, the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie and many cafes and bars, such as Signorvino and Terrazza Aperol.

How to get around Milan

Public Transport

Milan’s excellent public mobility system combines buses, trams, light rail and metro. Standard return tickets cost EUR 1.50, daily passes EUR 4.50 and weekly passes for travel in Lombardy EUR 40.

Taxi

Taxis in Milan are expensive, but when the metro and buses are not running they are a good alternative. Most charge a fare of 5 EUR, plus 2.30 EUR for every 1.6 km. Uber is also a practical option: their cheaper vehicles have a basic rate of 3 EUR plus 2.50 EUR for every additional 1.6 kilometres.

Car

Having a car allows you to explore the surroundings of Milan. You can rent them from Avis, Sixt and Europcar branches, but driving around the centre can become a nightmare, due to lack of parking and excessive traffic. In addition, you will have to pay a congestion charge of between 2 and 10 EUR for vehicles arriving in the centre.

Find car rentals in Milan

Cost of living in Milan

Shopping streets

Milan is one of the best fashion shopping destinations in the world. If you’re looking for the latest designs from brands like Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana, head to avenues like Corso Venezia, which are packed with incredible boutiques. The Cuadrilátero de la Moda, in the centre of the city, is also full of famous shops such as Prada and Armani. To find lesser-known designers and boutiques, try Brera, and Navigli for antiques and decorations.

Groceries and others

Milan has many supermarkets, including Carrefour and Pam. If you feel like buying fresh local products and trying their cuisine, head for places like the Mercato di Viale Papiniano. As a guideline, a 0.5-litre bottle of domestic beer will cost you on average EUR 1.30, while an imported 0.33-litre beer will cost around EUR 2.20.

Where to eat in Milan

Eating is one of the biggest attractions in Milan, thanks to legendary elite restaurants such as Ristorante Savini and Chandelier. You can also eat well for a lot less in traditional establishments such as Antica Osteria della Briosca in Navigli and Trattoria da Tomaso near the Garibaldi metro station. For an authentic Milanese meal, visit Osteria Mamma Rosa in Piazza Cincinnato. Meal prices range from 10 to over 40 EUR per person.