My Guide to Milan, Lombardy, Italy
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Lonely Planet video, freely available on Youtube.
The art and culture of the past blend seamlessly with the creative design of the future for this prosperous, classy and open minded city, where everybody exudes confidence, style and creativity. Milan is the safest city in Italy!
I have visited most major Italian cities, but Milan is different. It is a very liveable city, enthusiastic, intelligent, and well run with a great metro and train network. A great place to live and visit. My daughter lived and worked there for a year teaching English and absolutely loved it!! I enjoyed visiting her too. There are plenty of jobs in banking, finance (The Italian Stock Exchange is based here), Education including great schools and universities and of course it is the fashion and design capital of the world!
It is the second most populous city in Italy, after Rome, with the largest metropolitan area in Italy. It has the third largest economy of all European cities and is the wealthiest non capital city in Europe. Located in the Po valley it is in the foothills of the Alps and just over an hour's drive to beautiful Lake Como if you want a break from city life.
The art and culture of the past blend seamlessly with the creative design of the future for this prosperous, classy and open minded city, where everybody exudes confidence, style and creativity. Milan is the safest city in Italy!
I have visited most major Italian cities, but Milan is different. It is a very liveable city, enthusiastic, intelligent, and well run with a great metro and train network. A great place to live and visit. My daughter lived and worked there for a year teaching English and absolutely loved it!! I enjoyed visiting her too. There are plenty of jobs in banking, finance (The Italian Stock Exchange is based here), Education including great schools and universities and of course it is the fashion and design capital of the world!
It is the second most populous city in Italy, after Rome, with the largest metropolitan area in Italy. It has the third largest economy of all European cities and is the wealthiest non capital city in Europe. Located in the Po valley it is in the foothills of the Alps and just over an hour's drive to beautiful Lake Como if you want a break from city life.
Weather
The Weather in Milan is seasonal, with hot and humid summers and cold winters. There isn't a great deal of snow or rain though. Apart from this winter 2018! Temperatures usually range from around 0C to 35C.
FOOD
Italian food is very regional, but in Milan you can find food from all over Italy and all over the world very easily. Rice is more common here than pasta with risotto being a popular Milanese dish. Food such as Cotoletta alla Milanese is well known here, a breaded Veal dish. A saffron risotto is another local speciality with saffron being used in many dishes. Cassoela (stewed Pork rib chops, sausage and cabbage is another popular dish.) My favourite dessert from Milan is the Italian Christmas cake panettone. You can find many different varieties of this classic cake here.
Aperitivo is a must in Milan. In the early evening, usually straight from work, friends and colleagues meet for a drink and snack. My daughter seemed to settle into this tradition very easily and willingly! It is usually a small buffet with just a few plates of snacks and a drink included. Most restaurants and bars offer this with a set price for the one drink and unlimited snacks from the few plates on the bar. Dinner then follows after this from around 1930-2100 the average time to start heading out for dinner. With over 15 Michelin star restaurants in Milan, you can be sure to find some good restaurants. we did also find some cheap ones away from the tourist areas! Below is a picture of the risotto in the EATALY store in Porto Garibaldi. I love that place and can guarantee you will not walk out empty handed if you visit. We loved all these risottos below that we tried. I recommend this place and area for a decent casual pizza
O Peperino e Milano, which does gluten free Pizzas too in the swanky Porto Garibaldi area, just off Corso Como. There are also lots of restaurants in the Navigli area of Milan, along the riverside. For cocktails B Free is a nice place to go with friends, according to my daughter. Other popular restaurants include: - Marea Seafood & Beverage - Mabuhay Restaurant, Phiippine - Cesarino, Italian -PitBeef Milano, Italian & Steakhouse -Kebabbar Star Zagros, Turkish - Yokohama Flavour Journey Cuisine, Japanese -Tram, Italian fast food. -DOT-Chianti Street Food, Mediterranean Street Food -Viaggi Nel Gusto, Italian -Al Bacio, Italian Places to visit from Milan
1) The number one day trip from Milan has to be Bellagio on Lake Como. It is breathtakingly beautiful and just over an hour's drive from Milan. Pictured below.
2) A train trip to the city of Bologna. This can be reached by train in just under 2 hours. See my page on Bologna.
3) The coastal area of Cinque Terre. Every photographer knows this coastline with it's beautiful colourful houses perched on the rugged cliffs. It is the area between Genoa and La Spezia and easily reachable by train in under two hours from Milan.
4) Florence is only just over two hours on the train train. This is a must see city!
5) Parma is also under two hours by car, an hour by train, if you are a fan of Parma ham!
6) Sirmione Castle, Lake Garda. 80 miles from Milan, and just beautiful! |
Must see places to visit in Milan
1) La Scala Opera - The most prestigious Opera house in the world! Book your tickets well in advance. 2) The Duomo (Milan Cathedral, the biggest in Europe.) You can climb up it to get a great panoramic view! 3) Santa Maria della Grazie, The church that houses Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper. You do need to book for this though. 4) Galleria Vittorio Emanuel 11 This beautiful building is the world's oldest active shopping mall. Pictured below. 5) Chieso di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore This is beautiful inside and a free attraction! The picture below shows the inside. 6) Navigli District. We loved this youthful, lively neighbourhood which is set alongside a canal. It is a great place to go for lunch or dinner. Below is a photo of this area. 7) Leonardo 3 Museum. A museum of Leonardo da vinci. It is just the other side of the Galleria than the Duomo. 8) Castello Sforzesco, a beautiful castle and park, just walking distance from the Duomo, which you can visit for free on the outside and if you want to go inside it houses works by Michelangelo and Leonardo da vinci. Pictured below. 9) Porto Garibaldi and the Corso Como area. A great restaurant area. Just pop into this place, whilst passing by too 10 Corso Como
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Transport
Public transport is cheap and efficient in Milan. There are two airports, Malpensa in the north which is good for Lake Como and skiiing, for Monza and the Grand Prix etc. Linate is the nearest to the city centre. You can get a train from Malpensa into the city centre, but only a bus from Linate, however the bus is very easy. Just follow the signs on arrivals to buses there is a machine at the bus stop to buy a ticket which in June 2018 was 5 Euros to the city centre.
The metro is very good to get around Milan go for the urban 48 hr ticket if you are there for a weekend break it was under 9 euros in June 2018 for unlimited use within a 48 hr limit, available from ticket machines at the larger metro stations. It also includes trains within Milan as well as the metro.
If you want to hire a car we used a company called Do you Italy. They were very cheap even with full insurance and we got a nice new car. You will need a car to visit Lake Como, which is an easy drive,but you can get a train to Bologna, Florence, Genoa etc very cheaply and it is a good service.
The metro is very good to get around Milan go for the urban 48 hr ticket if you are there for a weekend break it was under 9 euros in June 2018 for unlimited use within a 48 hr limit, available from ticket machines at the larger metro stations. It also includes trains within Milan as well as the metro.
If you want to hire a car we used a company called Do you Italy. They were very cheap even with full insurance and we got a nice new car. You will need a car to visit Lake Como, which is an easy drive,but you can get a train to Bologna, Florence, Genoa etc very cheaply and it is a good service.
Above, the edge of the Navigli district, my favourite restaurant area.
Where to stay
Where to stay
The Duomo area is the main tourist area, but hotels will be pricey there. I would suggest the Navigli area or Porto Garibaldi or anywhere near a metro station on the red line. We got a good deal by staying further north at the Ramada Plaza, a 10 minute walk to the metro station on the red line, so easy to get around, but there isn't really much there in that area.
Crime
Milan is a fairly safe city, with pick pockets in the main tourist areas being the main problem, as with any city really. Violent crime is in fact quite rare. It is a city safe for women travelling alone and many do stay in the hostels without incidence. The main risk here as with most of Italy is the risk of an earthquake, although the risk is thought to be low.
For more information on Milan see the Milan Tourism information.
Pictured below Corso Como,Porto Garibaldi, Milan. I love this area!!