Milan
Discover Milan
Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: Milan) is financially the most important city in Italy, and home to the Borsa Italiana stock exchange. It is the second most populous city proper in the country, but sits at the centre of Italy's largest urban and metropolitan area. While not considered as beautiful as some Italian cities, having been greatly destroyed by Second World War bomb raids, the city has rebuilt itself into a thriving cosmopolitan business capital. In essence, for a tourist, what makes Milan interesting compared to other places is that the city is truly more about the lifestyle of enjoying worldly pleasures: a paradise for shopping, football, opera, and nightlife. Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion — fashion aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs. Milan is famous for its wealth of historical and modern sights — the Duomo, one of the biggest and grandest Gothic cathedrals in the world; La Scala, one of the best established opera houses in the world; the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a glamorous 19th-century arcaded shopping gallery; the Brera art gallery, with some of the finest artistic works in Europe; the Pirelli tower, a majestic example of 1960s modernist Italian architecture; the San Siro, a huge and famed stadium; or the Castello Sforzesco, a grand medieval castle. So, you have your fair share of old and new monuments. Plus, it contains one of the world's most famous paintings, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.
Taste of Milan...
Although Milan is a city that changes its mind as quickly as fashion trends come and go, it remains one of the strongest bastions of traditional Italian cooking, where homemade elements are still very much praised and appreciated. There are trattorias, enoteche (wine bars) and restaurants (including luxury ones) everywhere that offer traditional Milanese and Italian dishes to eat. This city's traditional cooking is based on filling dishes like osso buco (braised veal shanks) and risotto alla milanese (chicken-broth risotto made with saffron). Dining times tend to be a shade earlier than in Rome or Florence, with lunch generally served between 12:30 and 14:30 and dinner from 19:30 to 21:30. Dinner, and sometimes lunch, are usually preceded by that great Milanese institution, the aperitivo—a glass of sparkling wine or a Campari soda in a sophisticated hotel bar. Avoid the restaurants around the Duomo: they tend to be tourist-only spots, with low-quality food at inflated prices. Be aware that most restaurants charge an extra "serving tax" or "table rent", called coperto, of about €2 per consumer. Also avoid restaurants or cafes around the central station, where it has been reported that hidden serving tax can be up to €5 per person with cheap quality food. There is much confusion regarding tipping in Italy. Italians do not typically leave tips at restaurants. In touristy locations there will often be a line left blank for a tip to be added.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Milan.
Milan, being a worldwide trendsetter, is a fashion shoppers' paradise. There is pretty much every form of shopping in this city that one can imagine: from the designer's prestigious emporia, retail giants' outlets, small entrepreneur's tiny and funky boutiques, to second-hand average shops. The main shopping area is the so-called Fashion Quadrangle (quadrilatero della moda), a set of blocks roughly between Duomo Square (Piazza Duomo), Cavour Square (Piazza Cavour) and San Babila Square (Piazza San Babila). Here in Montenapoleone Street (with prime brand shops), Della Spiga Street, Vittorio Emanuele Street, Sant' Andrea Street, Porta Venezia avenue and Manzoni Street, it contains the most prestigious boutiques and showrooms in the world. Everything reeks of ostentation and the splendor of a chic, fashionable lifestyle. Shop windows shine, exhibiting the trendiest shoes, coolest glasses, funkiest dresses, most glamorous clothes, and most luxurious crystal chandeliers.
Climate
Milan, depending on how you want to tour the city, is a great place to visit pretty much all year round. Keep in mind most places, including tourist destinations and museums, are closed on Mondays. In autumn, the weather is warm or cool, and in later months can be quite rainy and foggy. All the major venues and shops are opened, since it is the working part of the year. In winter, the city can become cold (often below or around freezing point), and the weather is usually foggy and rainy if not snowy. However, the city, in the few weeks before Christmas, becomes delightful to visit - the main sights are all illuminated by stunning lights, a huge Christmas tree is set up in front of the Duomo, vendors and markets can be found everywhere, many shop and display windows are decorated and the streets become bustling with locals and tourists alike. However, the only downside is that it can become extremely crowded, noisy and busy.
Essential Information
Best Time to Visit
Year Roundbest time for shopping and the weather is not at all times very pleasant, it is good if you want to enjoy the city to yourself when it's hot and quiet, and maybe want to stroll around, sipping at some open bars or at an ice cream, or walking in a mostly silent park....
Getting There
Multiple OptionsMilan's (MIL ) two main international airports are Malpensa (the biggest, and 40 km away) MXP and Linate (7 km from the city center). Orio al Serio airport near Bergamo (45 km east) and Parma airport (100 km south), sometimes referred to as Milan's additional airports, mostly host budget airlines. To get to and from the airports and Milan, buses are a cheap and popular option. The main international airport is 45.638.7230561MISSING WIKILINK Milano Malpensa Airport, about 40 km northwest of the city center. There are flights from many countries around the world. From Malpensa you can get into central Milano by train, shuttle bus or taxi. As the airport is close to the city, it is served by Metro Line 4, which runs every 7 minutes and crosses the city from east to west, with interchanges available to all three other Metro lines. The price is €2.20, like normal public transport. Tickets are available from the newsagent inside the airport terminal....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi S.p.A. (ATM) operates a public transport network which is pretty efficient (especially the underground lines and the trams (streetcars)). There are three payment methods: traditional paper tickets, credit/debit cards, and app. Tickets are available from news stands, tabaccherie (tobacconist - look for a large T sign), coffee bars, tourist information offices as well as automatic ticket machines in metro stations, and come in the following variations: If your journey starts with the Metro, you can also use contactless credit/debit cards and in this case fees are limited so that you do not pay more than the 24 hr rate on any day. If you are staying for a few days it is cheaper to buy a paper 3 day or weekly ticket. Only certain turnstiles are equipped with card readers so look for the orange signage.
Where to Stay
In the area just south of the Central railway station you can find a dense concentration of hotels. This is a rather shabby part of the city where you can run into dubious individuals especially at nighttime. On the other hand, the hotels are clean and safe, for the most part streets are lit and the metro station isn't far away. If you are arriving by car, save on accommodation expenses by staying at a hotel further away from the centre, preferably close to a metro station. Unless you venture into the dangerous suburbs, Milan is a rather safe city. Certain areas near Loreto, the central railway station, and Porto di Mare (Southern end of the yellow metro line) can be unsafe at night. At the station, do not seek help from any random person offering to help with the booking machines or ATMs or under any other pretext. After they have helped, they will pursue you to get as much money as possible for their "help". Or they can pretend to be helpful, cheating instead.
Money & Budget
Milan, being a worldwide trendsetter, is a fashion shoppers' paradise. There is pretty much every form of shopping in this city that one can imagine: from the designer's prestigious emporia, retail giants' outlets, small entrepreneur's tiny and funky boutiques, to second-hand average shops. The main shopping area is the so-called Fashion Quadrangle (quadrilatero della moda), a set of blocks roughly between Duomo Square (Piazza Duomo), Cavour Square (Piazza Cavour) and San Babila Square (Piazza San Babila). Here in Montenapoleone Street (with prime brand shops), Della Spiga Street, Vittorio Emanuele Street, Sant' Andrea Street, Porta Venezia avenue and Manzoni Street, it contains the most prestigious boutiques and showrooms in the world.
Language & Talk
As you would expect of a city in Italy, the main language in Milan is Italian. However, the traditional language in Milan is the Milanese dialect of the Lombard language, which is not mutually intelligible with standard Italian. You may still hear Milanese being spoken by some of the elderly in the outskirts of the city, but in general it is moribund. That being said, there is a wealth of literature in the Milanese dialect, so those with a deep interest in Milanese culture may consider learning it. English is widely spoken. There are many things to see in Milan - from fine churches, old palaces, excellent museums, world class theatres and opera houses, cultural gems, striking buildings, sleek modern architectural works and lovely streets and squares.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Unless you venture into the dangerous suburbs, Milan is a rather safe city. Certain areas near Loreto, the central railway station, and Porto di Mare (Southern end of the yellow metro line) can be unsafe at night. At the station, do not seek help from any random person offering to help with the booking machines or ATMs or under any other pretext. After they have helped, they will pursue you to get as much money as possible for their "help". Or they can pretend to be helpful, cheating instead. A possible scenario: they guide you through the interface of the ticket machine in a metro station, and advice you to pay using notes instead of coins (allegedly the ticket machine wouldn't accept coins). If you insert a €20 note, the machine would give it back after a few moments. However, before it happens, they will grab your attention saying that the ticket should appear in the bottom of the machine, and simultaneously an old beggar with body odor will appear begging for money.