Milan is the second largest city in Italy. Milan is the main industrial, commercial and financial centre of Italy, host to the Italian Stock Exchange and the headquarters of the largest banks and companies.
Milan is also a sporting, fashion and cultural centre, with world famous attractions such as La Scala Opera, Milan Fashion Week, two football teams, Inter and AC, as well as the Monza F1 race track.
Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion – fashionistas, supermodels and paparazzi arrive into the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs. Its also the home to La Scala, one of the greatest opera houses in the world, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the glamorous shopping arcade, the Brera art gallery, with some of the finest art works in Europe, the Pirelli tower, a living example 1960s modernist architecture.
Milan is bustling, busy, business capital – and feels in stark contrast to other Italian cities. Visit Via Montenapoleone to high fashion in action. It contains many of the biggest names in fashion, and some of the trendiest and famous stores in the world. Via Dante is a beautiful pedestrian avenue which goes from the Piazzale Cordusio, all the way to the Largo Cairoli and is full of restaurant and cafe tables.
View my top tips for planning the best trip possible to this stylish Italian city.
How to Get From Milan Airport
Milan has two airports – Bergamo and Milan Malpensa which is 48 kilometres from Milan city centre.
The Malpensa Aeroporto railway station (Terminal 1, basement level) has a service called the Malpensa Express service connects with the centre of Milan over 130 trains a day, between 4.28 and 0.28 a.m. Journey time is 29-36 minutes.
The Milan suburban railway service has 10 lines and, when travelling through the city, there is full transferability to the Milan Metro.
Taxis from Milan Malpensa
Taxis are available at gate 6 in front of Terminal 1. Taxis from Malpensa to the city centre are expensive: €90 (fixed fee for a City-Airport trip, without further stops). Only taxis registered in Milan use the fixed fee agreement – taxis from outlying cities have not, and will use the meter.
Motorway to Milan
The airport can be reached by car using the A8 motorway, coming from Milan or north or east of the airport, or the A4 motorway, coming from the west or south.
Where to Stay in Milan
Milan has plenty of accommodation; however, as the engine room of Italy’s economy, it is not driven by tourism, unlike Rome or Venice. Stylish but cheap accommodation can be hard to find.
Milan Central station area is where many of the decent budget hotels are located, as well as international hotel chains. South of the station is the business and local government area.
The best places to stay in Milan are near Piazza del Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Via Montenapoleone and the Castello Sforzesco, and Teatro alla Scala.
For something differen, try the Ariston Hotel. It is is centrally located in Milan, close to La Scala Theatre. The hotel was created on ecological principles with herbal tea made with purified water, organic breakfast, natural filled mattresses, soaps and shampoos made with natural ingredients, and even freely loaned bicycle at the door. All rooms feature air conditioning, a satellite TV, and a minibar.
Also recommended is Antica Locanda Solferino, a two star hotel with a difference, attracting a more bohemian type. It has 11 understated rooms and decorated in a bygone style. It is set in Milan’s artistic Brera district, there are a number of art galleries and museums in the neighbourhood, as well as theatres, clubs and restaurants.
Sightseeing & Attractions
There are a lot of things to see in Milan – fine cathedrals, palaces, museums, world class opera houses, striking buildings, and lovely streets and squares. However, not all of them are right in the city centre – some of the most can be found near the outskirts or even outside of Milan.
The largest and most important example of Gothic architecture in Italy is the Duomo, Milan’s Cathedral, and, as Milan’s number one attraction, it should be visited early to avoid the queues. The cathedral reflects the city’s creativity and ambition.
It was started in 1387 and finished nearly 600 years later, with its 135 spires and 3200 statues, and huge interior punctuated by the largest stained glass windows. Canals had to be dug to bring the marble to the city and new technologies were invented to cater the colossal scale of the cathedral.
Many of Milan’s cathedrals and churches are free to visit: aside from the Duomo, others include the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, the Chiesa di San Maurizio and the Chiesa di San Marco (from to 1254).
The city is home to some of the most famous paintings in the world: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, Caravaggio’s ‘Basket of Fruit’ (Pinacoteca Ambrosiana), and his ‘Supper at Emmaus’ (Pinacoteca Brera).
Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ is hidden away on a wall adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie. Viewing time limited to 15 minutes, and English-language guided tours take place at 9.30am and 3.30pm – make sure you book ahead.
Shopping
For shopping, there is the ‘Golden Quarter’ (Quadrilatero D’Oro), made up of Via Monte Napoleone, Via Sant’ Andrea, Via della Spiga and Via Alessandro Manzoni, has the most ornate stores and upmarket shopping area in the city.
Famous buildings include the Palazzo Belgiojoso, former residence of Napoleon, the Porta Sempione (Sempione Gate), and the Palazzo del Governo. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a passage covered by an arching glass and cast iron roof, connects Piazza del Duomo to the square at La Scala opera house. It has a stunning mosaic floor, and a glass roof and cupola.
Teatro alla Scala is somewhere you should add to your sightseeing tour, this building was built in 1776-8 by Giuseppe Piermarini. This opera house owes its name to the fact that it stands on the site of Santa Maria della Scala, a church built in 1381 for Regina della Scala, Bernadro Visconti’s wife.
The theater opened in 1778 but it was bombed in 1943 and rebuilt 3 years later. After an extensive restoration programme that saw the addition of a new stage tower designed by Mario Botta, La Scala opened again in 2004.
For industrial scale shopping, try the Terravalle Scrivia, Via della Moda, off the Milan – Genoa autostrada. It’s one biggest shopping outlets in Europe with 180 stores, and has names, such as Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Cavalli, Ferragamo, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Geox, Swatch, Bulgari, Swarovski, and at bargain prices)!
Food & Drink
Milan lies in Lombardy, a region with rich culinary fare, with meat a big feature. Make sure you try the local dishes at informal, often family-run trattoria where the authentic flavours truly come to life.
There are trattorias, enoteche (wine bars) and restaurants everywhere that offer traditional Milanese and Italian dishes to eat. This city’s traditional cooking is based on dishes like osso buco (veal shanks) and risotto alla Milanese (risotto with saffron).
Rice plays an important part in Lombardy, but in winter polenta is served, often accompanied by hearty stews. Mondeghili are Milan meatballs introduced to Milanese cuisine in the 16th century by the Spaniards, made of sausage, salami with bread soaked in milk, egg and cheese and fried till golden appearance.
Lunch generally served between 12:30pm and 2:30pm and dinner from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. With so many eateries, it hard to pin down where to start. Try it Osteria dell’Acquabella La Dogana del Buongusto offers hearty traditional Milanese dishes in a laid-back informal setting.
For real Milanese cheap food, go to Luini near Galleria Vittorio Emanuele for a Panzerotti just on Via San Radegonda. For breakfast, do as the locals do, and have a café espresso, cappuccino and a brioche for as little as €2.
Lombardy is also one of Italy’s largest cheese-making regions: try Gorgonzola, creamy mascarpone and parmesan-like Grana Padano. The Osteria dei Formaggi on the Grand Canal serves excellent cheese dishes in a dining room heavily decorated with cows!
Sport
Milan has two world-famous Serie A football clubs: A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale who both play at the San Siro Stadium, one of Europe’s largest stadiums. Monza Formula One circuit is located near the city, in a suburban park, with capacity over 113,000, generally full of Ferrari F1 fanatics, called ‘tifosi’.
Best Day Trips and Places to Visit Near to Milan
Milan has excellent transport connections with trains and buses with daily departures to places nearby.
Hiring a car gives you a lot of freedom, having a skeleton itinerary in mind is still a good idea – and remember, you can always deviate from it along the way if you have a real change of heart.
There are several fantastic cities you can drive to from here.
Lake Como
Explore the fashionable lakeside town of Como with its stunning scenery on a day trip from Milan, just an hours drive away. The lake is surrounded by snowcapped mountains and picturesque villas. If you can, take along the lake and stop Bellagio or take the funicular up to Brunate for a panorama of the lake below. See if you can post George Clooney along the way!
Parma
Parma is under a two-hour drive away and is packed with brilliant attractions – especially for culture vultures. Highlights you need to make sure you don’t miss include the Ducal Palace, which dates back to the 16th century, the imposing cathedral and the Teatro Regio – one of the best-loved theatres in Italy. And of course, Parma is famous for its food (especially Parma ham), so this is definitely one place where it’s worth indulging in the odd meal out.
Turin
The city of Turin is another great option, and should take around an hour and 40 minutes to reach from Milan. A must-visit for movie lovers, this city was the first place to see moving images (back in 1914) and it’s known for its high concentration of cinemas, as well as its film museum.
Outside of the world of film, Turin has a reputation for its stunning baroque palaces, which date back to its 18th century heyday. Make sure you check out the corona di delizie (that’s ‘crown of delights’ to you and me), which is a ring of spectacular old homes, including the Reggia di Venaria Reale.
Swiss Alps
Take a ride on the Bernina Express, the train journey takes you along a UNESCO World Heritage Site – through the Bernina Pass to St Moritz in Switzerland. The Bernina Express bright red rail car, passes through towering peaks of the Swiss Alps climbing up to 7,330-foot (2,235-meter) high. Some coach tours leave Milan at 7am and bring you to Tirano where you board the train to St Moritz enjoying eye-popping vistas of stunning scenery from your seat.