Why You Should Visit Milan

“Why would you want to visit Milan Italy”?

“There is nothing to see in Milan“.

Those are the comments we received from travellers when we mentioned we were going to start our Italian Journey in Milan. Those comments actually made us want to visit Milan more to understand why travellers thought that way and to prove them wrong.

We guess they did not see this drone video of Milan (thanks to Expedia on Youtube).  The drone footage is one of the best we have seen that really captures the essence of Milan City.

(Editor updated June 2018)

So now we say “Why you should visit Milan”.

Milan Italy Map

Milan Italy Map

Milan City Map

Milan City Map

Where is Milan

Milan is located in the Lombardy region of Italy.  It is Italy’s second largest city after Rome.  Milan is known as the fashion capital of the world and the design capital of the world.  Two of the world’s largest fairs Milan Fashion Week and Milan Furniture Fair are held every year in the capital.

Things to Do in Milan

Wondering what to do in Milan? There are many Milan attractions some that you can pre-purchase such as the:

•  Milan Duomo and Terraces Fast Track Entrance Tickets
•  Da Vinci’s Last Supper Skip the Line and Guided Tour Ticket

which we highly recommend doing especially if you are visiting Milan in the summer or over public holidays. We highly recommend a pair of good walking shoes and plenty of water, as Milan is really an easy city to navigate.

Visit Sforza Castle

Visit Rondanini Pieta in Milan

Did you know that you can see a statue created by Michelangelo in 1564 “Rondanini Pieta” in the Sforza Castle? It was the last sculpture that he worked on before his death.  The marble sculpture was purchased by the City of Milan from Conte Sanseverino in 1952 for 125 million lire. It stands 77 inches high.

If you are visiting the “Rondanini Pieta” you will already be in Sforza Castle.  The Castle was built in the 15th Century by Francesco Sforza Duce Milan and it houses the city’s most important museums and art collections.  There are a total of 12 museums, art collections and displays in the Castle and you can easily spend a whole day wandering around or you can even take a castle virtual reality tour.

There is free entrance to the Castle, tickets need to be purchased for the Museum, purchase your ticket here

Simplon Gate

The Main Park of Milan houses the Simplon Gate (Porta Sempione Gate) with its Arch of Peace.  Built in the 19th Century it stands proud in Piazza Sempione (Simplon Square).  It is a lovely walk from the Castle down to the Gate, past a cafe where elderly men are enjoying the afternoon playing cards with their friends and children playing whilst their mothers are enjoying a coffee. The Hop on Hop off Bus tour includes Simplon Gate and it is a great way to navigate the sights of Milan City.

Inside Santa Maria delle Grazie you will find on the end wall of the dining hall the “Last Supper” painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1495 and 1498. You will need to book in advance for viewing click here for booking and more information.  We turned up on the day hoping that we could visit or that there may be a cancellation, but no such luck.

Milan’s Impressive Cathedral

Milan’s skyline is dominated by its Gothic Cathedral that took over 6 centuries to build starting in 1386 and finally completed in 1965.  It is the 5th largest church in the world and Italy’s largest.

Milan’s Premier Shopping Centre – Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Entrance to Galleria in Milan

Milan is a shopping mecca offering the shopper the world’s oldest shopping Mall – Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II built between 1865 – 1877.

Inside the Galleria in Milan

Admire the mosaic marble floors and the domed roof whilst enjoying a coffee.

Milan has canals.

Canals in Milan? Who would have thought that Milan had canals as well as Venice?  Of course, we had to pay a visit and we headed down there for dinner.  To our surprise, there were canals and restaurants opened along the banks.  For 7 euros per person, we had the ‘happy hour dinner’ – a large beer and a selection of pasta, chicken, potatoes and vegetables and you get to sit by the canal watching the tourist boats glide past.

Enjoy an Evening Drink at Cafe Sforzesco

A visit to Cafe Sforzesco is a fun experience.  A large beer at the end of the day served with complimentary potato chips was what we needed.  It is situated in the upmarket shopping precinct Via Dante.

There is nothing better than an Italian Gelato at Shockolat

Where can you find the best gelato in Milan? Look no further than Shockolat situated at Via Boccaccio #9 Milano.

Here you will find artisanal gelato made since 2002 by highly experienced and sought after Italian gelato chefs.

More Milan Attractions:

5 Star Milan Hotels

One of the top 5 star hotels in Milan Italy is the Mandarin Oriental located at Via Andegari 9, Brera, Milan, it is rated at 9.4.

A 5 star alternative to the Mandarin Oriental is the Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa Milano 

located at Corso Di Porta Nuova 1, Brera, Milan and rate at 9.3.

4 Star Milan Hotels

The Square Milano Duomo is located at Via Alberico Albricci, 2-4, Centro Storico, Milan and rated 9.2.

Berna Hotel Milan located at Via Napo Torriani 18, Stazione Centrale, Milan and rated a 9.

3 Star Milan Hotels

Hotel Gran Duca di York located at Centro Storico – Sant’Ambrogio, Milan and rated 9.1.

Lancaster Hotel Milan located at Via Abbondio Sangiorgio 16, Milan rated at 9.

2 Star Milan Hotels

Libeccio Bed & Breakfast Milano located at Via Bartolomeo Eustachi 12, Milan and rated 10.

B & B Milano Bella located at Via Lazzaro Spallanzani, 16, Milan and rated 9.

For more hotels in Milan Italy:

Best Restaurants in Milan

We researched Tripadvisor Milan to bring you the latest best restaurants in Milan.

POMET by Pasquale Pometto: Angolo Via Torino Via Valpetrosa 1, 20123 Milan

Ristorante Enrico Bartolini: Via Tortona 56, Museo delle Culture, 20144 Milan

Sapori Solari: Via Sofonisba Anguissola 54, 20146 Milan

For more restaurants in Milan:

Milan Airport

Malpensa is Milan’s Airport and it is located 65 km from the city.

You can pre-book your own private transfer from Malpensa Airport to Milan City.

If you are flying into Linate Airport you can organise transfers to and from Milan City.

For the latest airfare deals to Milan we  recommend you check out Skyscanner

Train Travel to Milan

Rail travel in Italy is so easy. There are many fare options from regional train fares to Eurail passes.

Car Rental in Milan

Car rental is easy to organise either when you arrive at the airport or from city locations.  For the latest prices, information and availability click here.

Day Trips from Milan

If you base yourself in Milan there are several day trips that you can make:

1.  Day Trip from Milan to Como
2.  Day Trip to Venice
3.  Day Trip to Lake Maggiore
4.  Day Trip to Verona and Lake Garda

You may want to click here if you want to consider pre-purchasing your Milan 48 Hour City Pass.

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Thanks for stopping by and welcome to To Travel Too – Australia’s top Baby Boomer lifestyle and travel blog, with an international worldwide audience in mind, run by the married couple, freelance writers and full-time travellers Jane and Duncan Dempster-Smith. Come with us as we explore the world. Our two mantras that we live by are ‘chase time not money’ and ‘age is no barrier when it comes to travel’.

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