Oh, Milan. I can't even describe how much I loved this trip. Everything about it was just perfect and I honestly had the most magical time there. I've pretty much been ranting and raving to everyone since I got back about how beautiful the city is and how everyone needs to visit it one day. So, I thought I'd put together a little guide to spending a weekend there, with a few recommendations and tips that may help you if you ever decide to visit in the future...
To Visit
Of course, the Duomo is the main attraction in Milan, and you may have already read my blog post about our visit onto the roof of the cathedral. It had to be my favourite location in Milan, simply because of how beautiful it was! To get our photos with less people in we got up super early, so if you're one for getting those Instagrammable shots, I'd definitely recommend heading there around 6-7am.
We didn't head into the cathedral because you had to have your shoulders covered and at the time I didn't have a top with sleeves, but the tickets are pretty reasonable. You can get a pass that lets you onto the roof and into the Duomo and its museums for €16,50, but we just went for the terraces which was €13. It's definitely worth doing, simply because of how stunning it is.
Closest Metro Station: Duomo (M1)
Located right next to the Duomo is this legendary shopping centre. It's absolutely beautiful and filled with all the luxury shops you could want, as well as some lovely cafes and restaurants. Again, it's worth the stroll through even if you don't plan on buying anything. It's also air conditioned so if you're sweating it out like we were it's a nice place to cool off.
Closest Metro Station: Duomo (M1)
This was my boyfriend's only request for our Milan holiday as he's such a huge football fan, but I was more than happy to accompany him to San Siro. We went on an off match day and the place was absolutely dead, so it's worth hopping on the metro to get there. The stadium is absolutely massive and super cool to see, so if you're a football fan I think you'd love it. I found it pretty cool myself (although my boyfriend has got me into football recently...not gonna lie).
Closest Metro Station: San Siro Stadio (M5)
Another one of my favourite spots was definitely the Navigli District. It gave me so many Copenhagen vibes with its colourful houses and canals. The whole place is essentially restaurants and cafes so is the place to go if you fancy a good dinner spot. It gets super busy in the evenings, especially the later it gets but we got there around 7 and it was ok. By the time we left the restaurant it was difficult to move, so I think getting there earlier is the better plan. It's such a gorgeous area and also a good place to pick up any foodie souvenirs you may want to take back with you.
Closest Metro Station: P.ta Genova (M2)
Getting Around
Everything in the centre of Milan is relatively close together and you'll find that walking from place to place doesn't take that long, however if you fancy a quicker (and cooler) alternative then the Metro is absolutely fantastic. You can buy Metro tickets from basically any newspaper stand around the city and you can buy single tickets (which allows you to travel for 90 minutes), a 24 hour ticket or a 48 hour ticket. The tickets start ticking as soon as you validate it for the first time, so you get a full 24 or 48 hours use out of them, which is pretty nifty. We ended up getting two 24 hour tickets (€4,50 each) while we were there and it meant we could get back to Milan Central Station from our hotel without walking on the last day.
The Metro map is also very easy to understand and places are quick to get to. All trains and stations are also air conditioned which is very nice.
Also, if you fly into Milan Malpensa and you're not sure about transfers from the airport to the centre, then there are lots of buses that run directly from the airport to Milan Central Station. You can buy the tickets directly off the coach attendee and a return is about €16. The service is fantastic for the price and they run every 20 minutes or so.
To Eat
Located right on the canal bank of the Navigli District, this little pizzeria was absolutely buzzing when we arrived but they were able to squeeze us inside. They have a wonderfully traditional Italian menu and there really is something for everyone here. We both went for Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce because we had both been craving it for a while and it really hit the spot.
We popped into this restaurant on the walk from Milan Central Station to our hotel because we both fancied a pizza almost as soon as we landed in Italy (I know, we're such tourists). The prices were really reasonable here, around €6,50 for a Margherita and the pizzas came up massive too so there was enough for us to share one. It was super delicious too!
As a heads up, if you've never been to Italy before, they automatically add something called 'coperto' onto your bill at the end of your meal which is a cover charge. It's usually only something like €2 per person, but it's totally normal for all restaurants to add this.
Ice Cream
Quite possibly my favourite gelato parlour we visited, Cioccolat Italiani really is a feast for chocolate and ice cream lovers. The walls are stacked high with huge bricks of chocolate, and you have a huge range of ice cream flavours to choose from. I went for strawberry & milky cream topped with meringue and holy moly it was heaven. It also matched my outfit perfectly (see above). They have locations near the Duomo and by the Navigli, as well as in Milan Malpensa Airport in case you forget to stop by! This was the most expensive gelato we had, but it was definitely worth the treat.
This cheap and cheerful gelato spot right next to the Duomo was the first gelato we had on the holiday and it was absolutely gorgeous. They're on the much cheaper side at around $2,50 for two scoops and is the perfect quick stop if you fancy cooling off. I had strawberry and mango here; again, super delicious.
The third gelato shop we visited was on the road across from the Duomo Plaza and is hidden behind the palm trees. These guys specialise more in the fruity flavours of ice cream, so I went for strawberry and banana here. Once again, I was very impressed and it was so delicious. Another one worth a visit!
To Stay
I did a whole separate blog post on our stunning hotel which you can find here! It's definitely a worthy addition to your hotel bucket list.
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