A cultural guide to Milan
Elegant, history-rich Milan is Italy’s most forward-facing city—a financial powerhouse where life is all about dressing, dining and drinking fabulously
Your essential guide to the best things to see and do in Milan. Find more travel inspiration for more amazing cities here.
Ancient yet future-focused, glamorous yet no-nonsense, wealthy yet gritty… Milan is the most three-dimensional of Italian cities. It’s certainly the one that most Italians prefer to live in, and there’s a pleasing sense that this is a city built for its 1.4 million citizens, not its summertime visitors. Despite being significantly less touristy than Rome, Florence, and Venice, Milan offers majestic architecture, cultural riches, superlative shopping, and divine northern Italian cuisine, all in close proximity (under an hour by rail or road) to the dream destination of Lake Como.
Art & architecture
Heavily bombed during World War II, Milan’s constant resilience and regeneration only make it more multifaceted than other Italian cities, particularly those dominated by one particular architectural epoch. Modern-day Milan showcases exemplary architecture spanning many movements, from Renaissance and neoclassical to the large-scale redevelopment projects built ahead of Expo 2015, as well as the fiercely deconstructivist and multi-award-winning Fondazione Prada.
Grab a gelato and get your bearings with a passeggiata (stroll) around Piazza Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II before venturing further into the beautiful streets of Brera. Don’t miss Pinacoteca di Brera, a former 14th-century monastery that now houses one of the most significant collections of Italian paintings dating from the 13th–20th centuries. Meanwhile, the beautiful terracotta church of Santa Maria delle Grazie houses Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper, and the wildly ornate 18th-century La Scala Theatre provides a spectacular backdrop for opera, ballet, and classical music.
Expert tips
The essentials
While Milan is served by three airports, Malpensa (MXP) is the largest and the principal point of entry for transatlantic arrivals. If arriving from other European cities, Linate (LIN) is the closest airport to the city center. Milan is also easily accessible by train from many major European cities, with the majority of routes arriving at the impressive Milano Centrale station. A 50-minute train journey connects both Malpensa and Bergamo with central Milan, while a range of bus companies offer a cheaper (if slower) alternative.
Accessibility
Lines 3 and 5 of the metro are fully accessible by wheelchair but other lines are still playing catch-up, so check your destination ahead of travel. Many of Milan’s attractions, including the Duomo and Pinacoteca di Brera, offer wheelchair access.
Getting around
While the center is easily explorable on foot, Milan’s fast, efficient metro takes you further. Buy tickets at the station and retain for both entry and exit. A staple in the city since the 1800s, Milan’s extensive tram network runs later than its metro, offering a nostalgic alternative to going underground. Recent investment has made Milan a cycle-friendly city and a range of bike-sharing options provides visitors with smartphone-accessible rides.
LGBTQ+
This most stylish of cities has an extensive LGBTQ+ scene centered in Porta Venezia, with Via Lecco home to a broad choice of bars and venues.
Family travel
Milan is perhaps the easiest of the great Italian cities to visit with kids. For an afternoon indoors, MUBA—Milan’s dedicated children’s museum—has plenty of interactive installations, and although Milan is not short of parks, neoclassical palace Villa Reale will hold fickle attention spans the longest. Staying in Brera makes the city easily navigable on foot, but the canal-side streets of Navigli also have a family-friendly vibe.
Food & drink
Fashion is one fervent Milanese passion; food is another. This is a city of hearty, buttery dishes built on the best of Lombardy produce: polenta, braised veal shanks (osso buco), veal with fish sauce (vitello tonnato), minestrone soup (served hot in winter, cold in summer), breaded veal cutlets (cotoletta), saffron-hued risottos, hefty slices of gorgonzola, and flatbreads (piadina).
Aperitivo hour kicks off around 6:30 p.m., when young professionals throng the sidewalk cafés and bars of boho-chic Brera (book a table at Nabucco, a Milanese classic since 1970), artsy Porta Romana (where Trippa puts a modern spin on the old-school trattoria), and canal-side Navigli (for contemporary bistros like Nebbia). Virtually every stroll involves a scoop of gelato; most locals agree that Pavé Gelati makes some of the best in town.
Shopping
With Milan Design Week, Milan Furniture Fair, and the two Milan Fashion Weeks, there’s no disputing this city’s superstar status as a fashion and design capital. Via Monte Napoleone and Via della Spiga in the Quadrilatero d’Oro are two streets dedicated to designer labels, and Milanese brands Prada, Armani, Bottega Veneta and Versace all have flagships here. La Double J nearby is a maximalist paradise showcasing some of the best Italian design and home decor around.
As you’d expect, consignment stores and street markets have rich pickings for vintage fans and designer bargain-hunters; the prettiest of the pack is Navigli Vintage Market on the last Sunday of each month. If you prefer your shopping edible, make for Peck, a landmark delicatessen near the Duomo.
Sports
Milan is one of the most football-obsessed cities on the planet, with the two biggest clubs in Italy, Inter Milan and AC Milan, sharing the 80,000-capacity San Siro Stadium. Passions run high on a match day; for visiting soccer fans, touring the stadium—or, better still, catching a game—is an unforgettable experience.
Flights, camera, action: Set-jetting in Italy
Staying in central Milan can be a smart choice, putting you within walking distance of everything. If you want to be right in the heart of the action, on intimate terms with the Gothic cathedral, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Prada, book into The Square Milano Duomo, or treat yourself to the serene oasis of the Mandarin Oriental, moments from the Scala Theatre.
Brera used to be the city’s bohemian neighborhood, and although it’s been thoroughly gentrified, this largely pedestrianized area remains one of the most picturesque parts of town, adjacent to the busy fashion center. Pop into the legendary Jamaica bar or classy cocktail joint Cinc and treat yourself to an indulgent spa experience at Palazzo Parigi or in the branded luxury of Bulgari Hotel Milano.
Naviglio Grande canal is where local families and young creatives flock to enjoy aperitivo hour while watching the sun set over the glassy water. Vintage stores, cafés, and restaurants line the canal and the side streets. Jump on a boat trip to get your bearings, and stay at the five-star Magna Pars L’Hotel à Parfum, housed in a former perfume factory, or the simpler Art Hotel Navigli.
Anna Hart is a culture writer specializing in adventure travel and positive-impact tourism. Her work has appeared in Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and she is the author of the travel memoir Departures.
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