Travel Destinations A-Z This City Is Italy’s Capital of Fashion and Finance — What to See, Eat, and Do Here’s how to plan the perfect trip to Milan. By Elizabeth Heath Elizabeth Heath Elizabeth Heath is a writer and editor living on a hill in Umbria, from where she writes about travel in Italy, the rest of Europe, and farther afield. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 25, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Best Hotels Best Things to Do Best Shopping Best Nightlife Best Restaurants Best Time to Visit How to Get There How to Get Around Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Laura La Monaca/Travel + Leisure Rome, Florence, Venice: They’re the classic trifecta of an Italian whistle-stop tour, right? Somehow, Milan manages to fall off the itinerary, especially for a lot of first-time visitors to Italy. But if you’ve been keeping this most cosmopolitan European city in the “maybe next time, if we have a few more days” category, it’s time to redraw your travel map. Italy’s capital of fashion and finance, Milan is rightly associated with wealth and style — its sharply dressed residents may make you want to accessorize just a wee bit more thoughtfully. But there’s nothing superficial about this city, which was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire and has been a touchpoint of some of the most important events in European history. “Milan is an invigorating, bustling metropolis that resembles Berlin, Paris, and New York in its international elements,” says Nicole Bono, luxury travel and events planner with Bono Events International. “It’s very different from other cities in Italy, yet doesn’t compromise on any of its Italian style and authenticity.” With one foot proudly fixed in an illustrious past that includes ancient ruins, majestic cathedrals, and art-filled museums, Milan is also the best place to experience anything and everything that’s modern in Italy, from innovative art and fashion to exciting new hotel openings and 20 Michelin-starred restaurants. Here are some of our experts’ favorite places and experiences in the city — proof that if you miss Milan, you’re truly missing out. Top 5 Can’t Miss Walk the roof of the Duomo. The rooftop terraces tour of the Duomo of Milan offers an up-close look at this architectural marvel and a bird’s-eye view of the city below. Shop (or just gawk) along Via Monte Napoleone. Even if you can’t afford to make a purchase on one of Europe’s priciest streets, it’s fun to window-shop at Gucci, Fendi, Versace, and a host of others. Eat classic Milanese cuisine. Breaded veal cutlets fried in butter, ossobuco, and risotto with saffron are some Milanese mainstays, and they taste best at a traditional eatery like Trattoria Trippa. Bar-hop along the Navigli. Milan’s much-loved nightlife corridor is popular for a reason. It’s still one of the best areas — in Milan or anywhere — for bar-crawling and people-watching. Sleep in a stylish new hotel. A crop of new hotels, each sleeker than the next, opened in 2023 or are on tap for 2024, including one of our favorites, Casa Baglioni. They only add to Milan's collection of top-rated luxury accommodations, Related: 29 Most Beautiful Places in Italy Courtesy of Portrait Milano Best Hotels Portrait Milano Gary Portuesi, a T+L A-list travel advisor with Authentic Explorations, says this Lungarno Collection property is “one of the best new hotels we have seen open up in Italy (in 2023).” Effortlessly contemporary and design-forward, the fashion district hotel is located in the historic Piazza del Quadrilatero, and, per Portuesi, is quickly becoming “the place to be.” Hotel Principe di Savoia The grandest dame in a city full of them, the Principe di Savoia evokes Belle Epoque glamor. London-based luxury travel writer Nicole Trilivas calls the hotel’s Presidential Suite, with its private indoor pool, “outrageous. It’s like the ancestral penthouse of a duke with a taste for the theatrical, with working fireplaces, swirling frescoes, and mahogany and marble galore. Even the most jaded jet-setter will be impressed.” Casa Baglioni Portuesi says this newest Baglioni hotel “captures the highly stylized Milan of the 1960s.” With just 30 rooms and suites, many with views over the inviting Brera district, the hotel retains a homey, albeit very stylish feel. “We also love the spectacular 360 view over the city from its rooftop bar,” says Portuesi. Related: 22 Amazing Family-run Hotels in Italy — From Mountain Inns to Seafront Palaces Laura La Monaca/Travel + Leisure Best Things to Do Architecture Tour The modern Milan skyline towers over other Italian cities, and an architect-led tour is the best way to appreciate its daring and innovative skyscrapers and urban projects. Try Guiding Architects for a private tour, which can be customized to your interests. Terraces of the Duomo Whether you get there by stairs or elevator (the latter costs a few euros more), walking among the rooftop spires of the largest church in Italy is a singular experience and a humbling lesson in engineering and ingenuity. Book an early time slot to beat the crowds, and don’t miss the Gothic, stained-glass illuminated cathedral interiors. You can buy tickets on the Duomo website. Teatro alla Scala La Scala is synonymous with performing arts in Milan, and even if you can’t take in a ballet, opera, or orchestral performance here, it’s still a thrill to see the theater interiors on a tour. Bono says a guided tour of the theatre and museum is “a must for music lovers.” QC Termemilano Take a spa break in a remarkable setting — a bubbling thermal pool built amid the ruins of 6th-century brick walls. In the busy urban setting of Porta Romana, the QC day spa is a tranquil haven of water, heat, and steam. In the most Milan of manners, there’s even a sauna built into a vintage old tram car. Laura La Monaca/Travel + Leisure Best Shopping Via Monte Napoleone It’s a shame to visit Milan and not pay your respects at its temples of high fashion, most of which can be worshiped on Via Monte Napoleone. If you don’t scratch your fashion itch on this very expensive stretch of retail real estate, try Corso Buenos Aires, Via Torino, or Via Dante. Fornasetti “Every time I go to Milan,” says Trilivas, “I visit the flagship Fornasetti atelier, which showcases art and home goods based on the artwork of post-war Milanese artist Piero Fornasetti. It’s a whimsical dream.” A suite at the Mandarin Oriental Milan is dedicated to the artist. Velasca A pair of handmade Italian leather shoes is the best souvenir you can bring home from Italy, and this is a hill I’ll die on. Find them, along with exquisite accessories, at this gorgeous bottega for women’s items. There are also Velasca menswear locations in the city. Laura La Monaca/Travel + Leisure Best Nightlife Bar Basso Sip your negroni sbagliato at this old-school bar where it was invented. Bar Basso may be resting on its historic laurels a bit and service can be indifferent, but it’s still a classic Milan watering hole for a heady cocktail or two. Bar Luce Located within the Fondazione Prada cultural complex, this cheerful bar and cafe was designed by director Wes Anderson and evokes his delightful brand of quirkiness. “It’s a must-stop after visiting the museum,” says Portuesi, “and the panini are really good!” Be sure to play a round of pinball on a vintage machine. Navigli The two remaining canals among a former network of important commercial waterways, Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese are today lined with bars and restaurants and offer Milan’s best aperitivo scene. Grande is jumping on both banks and is the more colorful of the two, while Pavese is a quieter scene. Best Restaurants Trattoria Trippa Bono heads to this Porta Romana stalwart for its warm, vintage vibe and to be welcomed like a local. “The menu is filled with all the classic dishes you can enjoy in this city, such as ossobuco, risotto alla Milanese, cotoletta alla Milanese, and more,” she says. Ronin It may be set in Milan’s busy Chinatown, one of the largest Chinese communities in Europe, but Ronin is all about Japanese cuisine and subculture, with an izakaya bar, a Japanese grill, and private karaoke rooms. Portuesi and his team are fans of Ronin’s “Italian spin on sushi.” Osteria Brunello According to Portuesi, this casual, modern osteria in the buzzy Porta Garibaldi area is a wee bit upscale but worth seeking out for its “excellent wine list and amazing cotoletta Milanese and mondeghili,” a Milanese specialty of meatballs fried in butter. Laura La Monaca/Travel + Leisure Best Time to Visit Because there are so many trade fairs and conferences in Milan, you may have to plan your trip based on hotel availability, which will be scarce when there’s a big event in town. Portuesi recommends his clients visit in May and October when the weather is pleasant, and that they avoid the Milan Fashion Weeks in February and September, as well as the Salone del Mobile (furniture fair) in April. Despite its northern location, Milan's summers can be sweltering, especially in July and August, when the city is also very crowded. If you can abide by cold, often rainy, foggy weather, the months of December to March (apart from Christmas and Fashion Week) will see the thinnest crowds and lowest hotel prices. Related: The Best and Worst Times to Visit Italy How to Get There Bono’s clients often begin or end their trips to Italy at Milan Malpensa Airport, the largest international hub in northern Italy. Flights from within Europe or the U.K. may also use Linate Airport, which is closer to the city center, or Orio al Serio International Airport near Bergamo. From Malpensa, the Malpensa Express train connects to points in the city center and costs €13. Taxis from Malpensa to the center will cost about €110 for up to four people. Milano Centrale is the city’s largest railway station, with trains heading to and from the rest of Italy, as well as France and Switzerland. querbeet/Getty Images How to Get Around From Milano Centrale station, you can access the comprehensive public transportation network of trams, buses, and subway lines that serve the city. Milan is flat and well-suited to walking or biking, but it’s big, and distances from one point of interest to another can be several miles. Taxis within the center, for example from Milano Centrale to the Duomo, run about €8-€10. As in other Italian cities, taxis in Milan cannot be hailed on the street. Instead, they wait at taxi stands, or ranks, which are generally located near tourist areas. We strongly recommend against driving a rental car in Milan’s congested center, where you’ll be either sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, looking for scarce parking spaces, or dodging pedestrians, bicyclists, and rumbling trams. If you pick up a car in Milan for a longer tour in Italy, plan to head out of the city in the morning, when everyone else is headed in.