We were pleasantly surprised by Milan. Milan had never been high on my bucket list, but it’s a major city with a great international airport and it’s a short drive to a lot of destinations we did really want to visit. And since we were flying into Milan, we decided to spend a few days here exploring and adjusting to the time change.
Milan is very walkable and if we found ourselves flying through Milan again, we would plan to spend 2-3 days here again. It has nice food, great shopping and pretty architecture. It’s a city worth visiting, but I personally wouldn’t spend more than a few days here- mostly because there are so many other cities in Italy that I adore! I did TONS of research leading up to our trip, so here are my tips on what to do in Milan!
Itinerary
- We mapped out the attractions we wanted to visit and just walked around the city. We knew we would have jet lag, so we were very casual with our plans. We ate and shopped our way through Milan! And of course, hit the important stops along the way!
Airport/Train Stations
- Milan Airport (MXP)
- Milano Centrale Train Station Guide
Hotel
- HomeAway
- Airbnb :: I truly loved our airbnb. It was very spacious, perfectly located and perfect for jet lag. We rented the night before our arrival knowing we would arrive at 9 AM and wanted a place to crash. My parents, brother, and my little family all fit for our quick morning cat-nap upon arriving. My brother and parents later checked into their airbnb when it was ready {they had an amazing apartment too- but no AC}. And being American, we loved the AC in our space even though it wasn’t really ‘hot’ outside. And I knew I wanted each of the boys to have their own bedroom since I had no idea how the time change would effect them- I didn’t want them waking each other up. The beds weren’t super cozy & you could hear the street noise a bit- but the boys sleep with sound machines and we could hear them through the audio monitors we brought so it wasn’t a big problem. But the location was great, the apartment was very clean. We would definitely rent there again!
Restaurants
- Breakfast
- We picked up food from local bakeries!
- Lunch/Dinner
We often choose where to eat based on atmosphere thanks to having kids, so we don’t always look up reviews in advance- which I prefer. We go in to a restaurant with no premeditated ideas of what to expect. And we’ve found you get what you look for! If you look for the good, you will find it. If you look for the bad, you will find it! And staff often treat you how you treat them!- Hosteria della Musica :: Their truffle risotto was genuinely DIVINE! I literally still dream of it- it was so good. Their pizzas were also nice. And they were SO accommodating and playful with Cayson {our 3 year old}. I would 100% go back here in a heartbeat!
- Quattro Mori :: We ran in here in the midst of a rain storm. If the weather was nice we would have loved to sit outside- the exterior was really cute! The food was good, but not outstanding. But they took wonderful care of us and were very accommodating! If we could sit outside or if we were hungry while nearby we might eat here again, but it wouldn’t necessarily be at the top of my list.
Transportation
- We walked everywhere
Recommendations
- Must See Attractions
- Arco di Porta Ticinese :: Navigli neighborhood is a trendy place along the canals with restaurants serving authentic Milanese cuisine, cafes, and art galleries .
- Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio :: The Basilica Of Sant’Ambrogio is the ancient church the city was built around. Constructed in 379AD-386AD, Saint Ambrogio’s basilica is 1700 years old. Saint Ambrogio is the patron saint of Milan, so he’s very important to the city.
- Brera Neighborhood :: Authentic, Italian neighborhood that is artsy & cute. Home to “the most famous theater in the entire world”
- Duomo di Milano :: Castle & huge Medieval-Renaissance fortress with historical museums & art by da Vinci and Michelangelo.
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II : Mall housed in a glass-covered 19th-century arcade with luxury clothing brands & upscale dining.
- Piazza Della Scala :: Pretty Piazza
- Quadrilatero della moda :: High end shopping
- Santa Maria delle Grazie :: Home to Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. *Book your tickets in advance- learn from my mistake!
- Sempione Park :: Gorgeous park! Inside you will find:
- Sforzesco Castle :: castle & Huge Medieval-Renaissance fortress with historical museums & art by da Vinci and Michelangelo.
- Arco della Pace :: One of Milan’s greatest examples of neoclassical architecture, was built by Luigi Cagnola between 1807–1838
- Eat & shop your way through the city! We visited the sites above & ate/shopped the rest of the time!
- Look for local markets :: We stumbled upon a few street markets and bought local Italian cashmere sweaters and fresh fruit! We stumbled our way through speaking Italian and they were so kind to us!
Did I miss anything?
What would you add to the list or what would you like to know more about?
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Your photos are gorgeous! I haven’t been to Milan yet but it’s definitely on my wish list of places to visit.
This made me so nostalgic for mine and my husband (then boyfriend)’s first ever trip away in our early 20s. I really want to go back with our 3 kids now. Beautiful – and practical! Thank you x
This looks like such a fun trip! I’m loving all of your photos. I bet the food was amazing!
I’ve always wanted to visit Milan. It’s such a gorgeous placed will with so much history. I love the photos you took!
I like a list of activities and guide. Milan is one of my favourite places ever, I do feel at home when I am around.