We got to spend a lovely week in Milan when we visited recently for a Bruce Springsteen concert that unfortunately never happened due to Bruce’s illness. Oh well, disappointed not to see Bruce but it’s always wonderful to be in Italy. Milan is a working town vs. the historically preserved Florence that we had spent two weeks in earlier. In WWII, a large portion of Milan was leveled by Allied bombs and you can see that by the mix of a few older buildings and mostly modern structures in the city core. That the Duomo, The Last Supper, Sforza Castle, and other beautiful landmarks survived the bombings is a miracle.

Here’s a suggested itinerary for a week plus practical travel tips to follow during your stay in Milan. Enjoy the journey!

Day 1: Explore the Heart of Milan and luxury shopping

1. Piazza del Duomo: Duomo di Milano – Official Website (duomomilano.it)
   • Start your day at the magnificent Milan Cathedral (Il Duomo). Get the guided tour with roof access. Milan Super Saver: Skip-the-Line Duomo and Rooftop Guided Tour 2024 (viator.com). We loved this tour and you won’t believe the views from the top! Pay extra for use of the elevator with this tour package if you don’t love climbing steps.
   • Climb Brunelleschi’s Dome for panoramic views.
   • Explore the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower.
2. Explore the Vittoria Emanuele Gallerie:  https://www.ingalleria.com/en
   • Opposite the Duomo, spend time at cafes and shopping at high end stores. Under the central dome is a floor mosaic with the Savoy Coat of Arms. According to legend, you will have good luck if you step with your right foot on the bull and twirl around 360 degrees around with your eyes closed. Don’t worry about finding it-there will be tourists lined up to take a turn!
3. Golden Quadrangle:
   • Stroll along Via Monte Napoleone and Via Alessandro Manzoni.
   • Window shop at luxury boutiques like LV, Fendi, Armani, and Gucci. If you are a serious shopper, make an appointment in advance.
   • Visit the High Line Outlet for shopping on a budget (located out of town).
4. Visit La Scala Theater either by taking in a performance (lots of ballet, opera, etc.-get tickets in advance) or book a guided tour: https://www.museoscala.org/en/visit/museum-and-theater/guided-tour-of-the-theater.html. We went on the tour because the tickets are pretty expensive but I’m sure it would be a wonderful experience.

Day 2: Art, History, and Vintage Cars

Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco): Welcome to Castello Sforzesco Official Site | Castello Sforzesco Official Website (milanocastello.it) Spend the day wandering the grounds and the museum!

• Explore the castle and its museums.
• Admire Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures.

1. Vintage Fiat 500 Tour:
   • See Milan from a classic Fiat 500.   https://www.viator.com/search/7359P1?mcid=64243 
2. Navigli District-Spend evening wanders in the canals that has lots of cafes and shops. Take a cruise down the canal: Milan: Navigli District Guided Canal Cruise | GetYourGuide. We even had a musical journey with a wonderful sax player entertaining us on our cruise.

Day 3: Art and Chapels

1. Santa Maria delle Grazie:
   • Admire Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper https://www.viator.com/tours/Milan/Skip-the-line-Last-Supper-Tickets/d512-33060P10. Buy tickets the minute they are available online for your dates as they sell out quickly.
2. Sant’Ambrogio Basilica: Home page – Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio (basilicasantambrogio.it)
   • Visit this ancient church with stunning mosaics.
   • Explore the nearby Sant’Eustorgio Basilica.
3. Jazz-Take in a show at the Blue Note Jazz Club famous for it’s musical variety Jazz Club, Ristorante, Location Eventi Milano | Blue Note (bluenotemilano.com)

Day 4: Brera Neighborhood

1. Pinacoteca di Brera neighborhood:
   • Discover Italian Renaissance art at https://bibliotecabraidense.org/en/
   • Walk through the beautiful courtyard of the National Library Home Page – Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense (bibliotecabraidense.org) and turn right to go into the Botanical Gardens home – Orti Botanici Unimi-my favorite place in Milan. All free!
   • Wander the Brera neighborhood filled with galleries and shops.
   • Eat at Osteria da Fortunata on the patio. Homepage – Osteria da Fortunata

Day 5: Parks, Museum, and Cemetery

1. Parco Sempione:
   • Relax in this beautiful park near Sforza Castle.
   • Visit the Arch of Peace (Arco della Pace).
2. Monumental Cemetery https://monumentale.comune.milano.it/
3. Leonardo Museum https://www.leonardo3.net/en/

Day 6+: Day Trips

If you have the time, Milan is the perfect hub to take day trips from, so off you go on your own to the train station (about one hour trip if you get the express-$8 euro each way) or get a guided bus tour at Day Trips from Milan | GetYourGuide.  Popular choices are to visit Lake Como but be prepared for an 11 hour day to/from on a bus with stops along the way and a boat cruise.

Vareena: We went to Vareena for the day by train from Milan. Buy your tickets for the train online. Leaves from main station, Milano Centrale. When you arrive in Vareena, walk down to the water and take the trail along the lake that leads to shops/cafes with great views of the harbor. As the masses exit the train, they headed right for the ferry to take a boat ride across Lake Como. We walked instead and waited for the next ferry (they come every 30 minutes or so). Buy a ticket at the standby the ferry dock ($9 euros per person round trip from Vareena to Bellagio) and wait in line. Grab a seat on the top (outside or inside seats) and prepare to enjoy the view and relax. You can just ride over and stay on the boat to ride back or you can get off and walk about Bellagio and take a later ferry back.

Remember to savor Italian cuisine especially the risotto dishes, indulge in gelato, and soak up the vibrant atmosphere of Milan!

TRANSPORTATION IN MILAN

• The car traffic is heavy in Milan so allow lots of time to get where you want to go, even with taxis able to take the bus lane. We stayed at a hotel out of the city near San Siro Stadium (to see the Bruce concert that didn’t happen) so we ended up taking a lot of taxis when we couldn’t use the bus/subway combo to get somewhere. The buses/subways are well used so be prepared to stand and be packed in with people. The trolleys are cute and can get you around the city core. One day we just hopped on one near Sforza Castle and rode it all the way around town. You tap to pay to take all public transportation-the machine is on the bus/trolley, or you tap to get through the gate into the subway.

• You will see A LOT of graffiti on buildings in Milan. Not street art but random writing on buildings. The landmarks are not tagged or, if they are, they clean them up, but most other buildings are defaced. Life in an urban environment!

• Flying in and out of Milan-there is an international airport (Malpensa) and a local airport (Linate) on opposite ends of town. Make sure to specify which one you want to go to. If you have any VAT to apply for, you must get your receipts (given to you by the store you bought at) BEFORE you go through security. Then, on the other side of security, you will see an office for “tax refund” and you take your paperwork there to get the VAT refund. We learned the hard way and did not get the required stamp and didn’t want to go back so we just left without it despite Thom shopping his way through the swanky Milan men’s boutiques.

Many of the smaller airports don’t have gates attached to terminal so you board buses to get to and from the plane to the terminal. Make sure you are able to carry your luggage and do stairs up and down to get on planes. Otherwise, use only larger airports. Florence’s airport and Milan’s Linate airports both use buses for some flights.

CURRENCY

Italy uses the euro. Bring a coin purse because you will get a lot of coins as change. Only bills are 5, 10, 20, etc. The coins are 1, 2 and all under 1. I started using a baggie, but it looked so tacky I bought a small coin bag in Florence.

RESTROOMS

You need to have a few 1 and 50 cent coins with you at all times to get into public bathrooms, which are usually clean and some even have attendants. Bring tissues with you too as toilet paper can be scarce. Also, hand sanitizer is a must have.

If there aren’t public bathrooms, go to a big busy cafe or department store where they can’t track all patrons and go right through to the bathroom. Don’t ask permission. The main attractions will all have bathrooms, but most will be located past entry if there is an entry fee.

FOOD

• Milan is known for their risotto (northern Italy) vs. pasta (southern Italy). The classico Milanese risotto version has saffron, and cheese and it is delicious. I wanted to lick the plate clean.

• Don’t worry-gelato is everywhere in Italy. There are also exquisite pastries in the shops so when you need that espresso to keep you going, there are sweet treats to enjoy as well.

• Aperitivo starts early afternoon until about 7 and dinner starts at 8-restaurants don’t even open until then so have a late lunch. You’ll get snacks with a spritz, usually olives, chips, nuts so you won’t be starving when you get your meal at 9 pm.

• Cafes in the Galleria looked like a great place (expensive) to get a drink or bite, and people watch.

• Pistachios are a big thing all over Italy. Pistachios are included in croissants, cannolis, gelato, etc.

DRESS

• Since Milan is the Italian capital of fashion, finance, and industry, you will see men dressed well, usually during the day in suits. Women are styled from head to toe as well. Tourists do stand out here, wearing lots of resort wear in June, when we were there. Lots of bright print dresses and shorts. I always wear black when I travel so I looked very urban by comparison. What you wear is up to you. Just wear comfortable shoes! Every time I saw a woman in pointed toe heels, I shook my head in amazement. How do they walk in those, let alone on cobbled streets???
• Men in their fine suits don’t wear socks with their Italian loafers. Why? Maybe they want to show their ankles? I need to know.
• Handbags are important here. At dinner, the well-styled couple next to us went to the manager and got a stool for her large designer handbag so it would not have to rest on the floor. Still not enough, the gallant gentleman put a cloth napkin on the stool before the handbag was placed. I was then also given a stool for my $25 Amazon travel bag, which has rested on floors all over the world. When in Italy!