What to do in Milan?
Be clear about your purpose in Milan and focus on it. Milan is a large city and it is impossible to cover everything it offers in one visit.
Visit the Duomo, including the rooftop terraces
If you want some exercise, buy a ticket for the stairs. If not, take the elevator, which is slightly more expensive. Tickets can be bought online or on site.
Important: When visiting churches in Italy, women are required to cover their shoulders and legs. Bring your own scarf to cover up.
At the Duomo ticket center there are vending machines selling disposable skirts or tunics for 3 euros. Use them once and discard them. Do not buy from street vendors. They often resell used ones taken from trash bins.
Near the Duomo, also visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
If shopping is your goal, discounts in the stores there are not significant. Plan a visit to Serravalle instead.
https://www.tiktok.com/@placescases/video/7591162020930555158
Shopping is better in Serravalle
If you are going shopping, visit the Serravalle Outlet, about an hour from Milan. There are bus transfers from Milan. If you travel by car, consider staying overnight near the outlet.
Serravalle remains one of the best stocked outlets with very good prices. It still offers one of the widest brand selections, from top luxury designers to mid range brands.
We stayed at the small family run Capriccio Boutique Hotel. The rooms are pleasant and the restaurant food is very good. Service is a bit slow and not very friendly, but acceptable for one night.
Go to a concert or opera at La Scala
Plan this experience well in advance, at least a few months earlier. Read more in the article At the Opera at La Scala.
@placescases 🎭 Ла Скала – най-легендарната оперна сцена в света. Сцена на Мария Калас, Павароти и великите български гласове Гена Димитрова и Борис Христов. Съвети за посещение – в пътеписа за Милано в placescases.com ✨🎶 #LaScala #OperaLovers #Milano #КласическаМузика
♬ Bellini: Norma: Sinfonia – London Symphony Orchestra & Richard Bonynge
Visit Leonardo 3, especially if you are with children
The Leonardo da Vinci museum is very engaging for children because it is interactive. You can see many of his inventions recreated from sketches in his notebooks.
Interesting fact: Leonardo wrote in mirror script. Many of his inventions were impractical or never realized, but they inspired later inventors who created groundbreaking innovations.
Important: Children and students are entitled to reduced admission fees. Bring a document to prove age or student status.
Enjoy Italian cuisine freely
Eat pizza, try Milanese schnitzel, drink ristretto, but also try affogato. Have an Aperol Spritz, but explore other cocktails as well.
Tip: In Italy, “frappe” does not mean the Greek Nescafe drink. It refers to a milkshake.
If a bartender at Pasticceria Marchesi asks whether you want a frappe and you say no while thinking of the Greek version, you may get a frustrated response.
Try local wine
Taste Ribolla Gialla in Slovenia, then in Italy, and compare. Enjoy the sparkling version of Ribolla Gialla by Kesser.
Visit hidden gems such as:
- Fondazione Prada, and also check what is on at Prada Observatory, located inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II above the Prada store. The entrance is to the right, near the Marchesi entrance.
One ticket is valid for both locations.
https://www.tiktok.com/@placescases/video/7588226805262208278
During our visit, Prada Observatory hosted an exhibition of storyboards from iconic films. It showed how characters from Disney films, Hitchcock movies, Star Wars, and others were originally conceived.
@placescases If you’re in Milan, don’t miss Prada Observatory too 👀🎨 It’s inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, right above the Prada store. ☕️📍 Good to know: one ticket works for both Prada Observatory *and* Fondazione Prada 🎟️✅ When we visited, there was an exhibition of iconic movie storyboards 🎬✨ We saw early character sketches and scenes from Disney, Hitchcock, Star Wars, and more 🌟🖍️ #PradaObservatory #FondazionePrada #Milan #Milano #GalleriaVittorioEmanuele
- If you are with children, visit the Museum of Senses– great fun for kids and adults.
@placescases Museum of Senses в Милано е място, което провокира сетивата и буди любопитството 👀👂⚖️ Тук нищо не е такова, каквото изглежда – зрението, слухът и балансът минават през куп забавни „тестове“ 😄✨ Подходящо е за малки и големи 🧒👨👩👧👦 и е супер вариант, ако сте с деца – гарантирани 1–2 часа смях и забавление 🎉 Любопитен факт: в тоалетната има червен бутон с надпис „Не натискай“… но ако го натиснеш, започва истинска дискотека с музика и светлини 🟥🕺💃🎶✨ #MuseumOfSenses #Милано #Италия #СДеца #СемейноПътуване
If you visit the Museum of Senses, nearby you will find several interesting modern buildings: Bosco Verticale, Torre Unipol, UniCredit Tower, and Torre Solaria.
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- MEET, a digital experimental space with a room where 3D mapping is projected on the walls. Stories are generated based on visitor input and created by artificial intelligence as visuals and narratives.
There was an exhibition by Jean Michel Jarre, who now experiments with visual art supported by AI in addition to music. The space also has a small bar serving drinks and sandwiches.
If you stay near the two bedroom apartment at Porta Venezia at which we stayed, this place is just a few meters away.
In the Porta Venezia area, I also recommend:
Ristorante da Ilia dal 1946
Excellent cuisine, a great wine list, and outstanding service. Attentive, warm, and genuinely focused on giving guests a great experience.
https://www.tiktok.com/@placescases/video/7591903647018126614
Sui Generis Bar- great cocktails, good music, LGBTQ friendly. Smoking is allowed outside.
Unes supermarket- convenient for shopping and even has parking.
Fradiavolo Pizzeria- well known and highly regarded, although we unfortunately did not manage to visit it.
How to book your stay in Milan?
I recommend booking your stay directly here. For your convenience, I’ve added a map widget that shows available rooms in hotels, apartments, and other types of accommodation. You support the blog at no extra cost to you and still benefit from all your Genius and other discounts!
How to get to all the places mentioned above, follow the pins on my map.
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