Discover and book the best of Milan with the local destination experts
The city of Milan is Italy's business capital, home to a booming fashion and design industry. As well as a great place for shopping and people-watching, where you will be able to spot some the latest style trends, the city of Milan knows how to play. From some of the greatest restaurants in a country already well-known for its gastronomy to theatres, stadiums, museums and stunning monuments, there is something for everyone in Milan.
Its surroundings are equally beautiful. The glamorous and picturesque Italian Lakes - Maggiore, Como, Lugano, Iseo, Orta and Garda - are only within an hour and a half drive from Milan. The Alps are also close to Italy's second city, from which you can catch a glimpse of the snowy peaks glistening in the distance.
The city is divided into different neighbourhoods, each of them with their own personality and vibe. The most visited is the historic centre, around which the town has been built over the centuries. Its beating heart is the Duomo, a 600-year-old cathedral. Everything about this area is grand - the Piazza, the beautiful buildings including the Palazzo Reale and the modern twin buildings of the Arengario, the Teatro alla Scala and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping arcade - dedicated to the first King of Italy. The key streets giving this area its character include the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via G. Mazzini and Via Orefici.
The art and fashion district is located in the east and south-east part of Milan. This is the city's most exclusive neighbourhood, featuring high-end private art collections in San Babila. It is also home to Milan's fashion district, known as the Quadrilatero della Moda. Boutiques representing many of the world's major fashion houses line the sides of this Quadrilatero d'Oro (Golden Rectangle) made up of Via Montenapoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia. This is an intriguing area for people watching and window shopping.
Arguably, the most authentic, lively Milan can be found in the north-east. This artsy, bohemian district, which includes the Brera area, is a lively mix of upper class and blue collar. Situated just north of the Duomo and city centre, it is made up of narrow alleys filled with chic antique stores, galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants. It is also home to the Pinacoteca di Brera - one of Europe's finest art collections and the renowned fine arts academy. The narrow streets around the Brera Academy and the Corriere della Sera headquarters abound with intriguing boutiques, quirky exhibition spaces and trendy bars.
Art-enthusiasts must visit the Sant' Ambrogio district, in the north-west of Milan, named after its church dedicated to Saint Ambrose, the city's patron saint, and as a result the Milanese church most important to locals. The area is also home to one of the city's biggest tourist attractions - Leonardo da Vinci's painting of "The Last Supper". These are not, however, the only interesting features in this area, which is steeped in ancient history, distributed in a maze of alleys south of the district's main thoroughfare, Corso Magenta. It is also great for bargain shopping and chic bars.
Finally, the south-west is home to the romantic Navigli district, part of historic Milan and once linked by a network of canals ('navigli') similar to Venice. Dating back to the 13th century, the canals, partially designed by Leonardo da Vinci, allowed a network of trade routes to develop which helped establish the city as an important economic hub and, though landlocked, as a major port. Now only two major canals remain - Naviglio Pavese and Naviglio Grande, as well as a smaller canal, Darsena. They can be explored on foot or by boat, in an artsy neighbourhood dotted with art studios and mini-galleries, cafes and restaurants.
But the south-west is best known for its vibrant nightlife, especially at the square where the Colonne di San Lorenzo - among the best-preserved ruins in Milan - are located. This piazza is one of the vital places of the so-called Milanese 'movida' or nightlife. Here you will also find the Ticinese area, which attracts a youthful, exuberant crowd with pavements and trendy shops packed out during evenings and Saturday afternoons. The Porta Ticinese, which gives its name to the district, is a former city gate of Milan created using the Spanish walls of the city in the 16th century, though the gates were later replaced when the walls were pulled down.
Set against the foothills of the Alps, the Italian Lakes have something to offer anyone with an appreciation of nature and the fine things in life. The smaller of the lakes, Lake Iseo and Lake Orta, are almost forgotten in the touristic fame of the 'Big Three' - Lake Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore - and Lake Lugano is considered mostly Swiss.
Lake Garda, the largest of the Italian lakes, located on the eastern edge of Lombardy, has the most Mediterranean climate and is well set up for family holidays. Lago d'Iseo is a great destination for escaping the crowds. Easily accessible for day trips, Lake Como is the closest to Milan. It is known as the most romantic of the lakes, its shores fringed by elegant villas and Romanesque villages with a backdrop of rugged limestone mountains. Lake Maggiore, the westernmost lake, and protruding largely into Switzerland, offers year round activities and is especially popular with outdoor enthusiasts. It is worth visiting the Borromean Archipelago off Maggiore's shores, islands known for their stately palazzos, lavish gardens and quaint fishing villages. Polezza, at the far eastern tip of Lake Lugano, is an intimate medieval town with a distinctly Italian flavour on a mostly Swiss Lake and is worth a stop off.
A rich cultural history has left many remarkable sights to explore with castles & ruins, cathedrals & monasteries, grand manor houses & gardens and a host of art galleries and museums. Milan is definitely a must-visit for all the culture vultures out there!
There is a wide range of hotels to choose from in Milan, from glitzy 5 stars to budget chain 3 stars and comfy B&Bs. Design aficionados, especially, will find everything they are looking for in Milan, as some of the best interior designers and architects in the world have made their mark in the city renovating historic buildings to turn them into glamorous hotels.
The city of Milan is located in northern Italy, close to the French and Swiss borders. Its location means it is no more than a two-hour flight from most European capitals, making it easily accessible for those in search of some high-quality cultural visits and shopping.
