Milan is fashionable in all seasons. Interesting cultural attractions, great shopping and lively city life make Milan a fascinating holiday destination.
Milan is a cultural tourist’s dream destination where old buildings and modern ways of life meet. The city is especially known for its high fashion and historically significant attractions.
The city also offers the greatest passions of the Italians, such as delicious food and football.
Beauty and art in Milan
Located in northern Italy, Milan is a center of fashion and culture, offering tourists plenty to see. The city of more than one and a half million inhabitants is also known as the center of trade and industry in Italy.
Milan city center is small and the main attractions are just a short walk away. Thanks to this, you have time to explore the city well in a couple of days. The city’s most famous sights include the Gothic Duomo, La Scala Opera House, Sforzesco Castle and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.
Milan is a great choice, especially for tourists interested in history and culture, as well as avid shoppers. Sports fans and gourmets are also sure to enjoy the city.
Fashion and design
Milan is considered the center of Italian fashion and design. It is one of the fashion capitals of the world and home to many top designers: for example, Armani, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni and Ferré.
The fashion industry is still the fastest growing sector in the city, and there can be no sight of a street scene teeming with expensive shops, stylish clothes and beautiful people. Four times a year during Milan Fashion Week, the city is conquered by fashion professionals, models, journalists and photographers. At that time, finding a more modest place to stay in the city can be a challenge.
It should come as no surprise that the fashion capital is a true shopper’s paradise. High fashion is no cheaper here than anywhere else, but there is still a kind of flair for buying clothes.
Milan has plenty of interesting sights, shopping opportunities and delicious eateries.
Quadrilatero d’Oro, located around Via Montenapoleone, a “golden rectangle” of four blocks, has all the international names of fashion. If your purse can’t stand the expensive taste, just shopping for windows in the middle of famous boutiques is already an experience.
Fortunately, there are many warehouse and discount stores in Milan where you can get last season’s fashion, slightly flawed branded products or stray sizes at a 30-50% discount. It’s worth taking advantage of the Italian shopper’s three tips: sconti (discounts), sweet (discount sales), and spacci (discount stores and outlets).
Design is as important a thing in Milan as fashion, as famous designers once made the city famous. The Italian sense of beauty is a concept, and the industrial design is top notch, let’s think of cars Ferraris, Lamborghines, Alfa Romeos or household goods designed by Alessi. If Ferrari doesn’t fit your budget, you might still want to consider buying some stylish kitchen utensils, household items, or lighting.
Delicious food and lively nightlife
Milan is in many ways a modern, almost non-Italian city, but its food culture cherishes traditions. Milanese food tends to follow the tradition of its own province, which focuses on the taste of the food rather than its appearance. Traditional Milanese dishes include risotto a la Milanese and panettone lemon cake.
In food-loving Italy, the price of a restaurant doesn’t say much about the quality of the food. Cheap Osteria or Trattoria may offer as good food as a fine restaurant. And, of course, the restaurants right in the city center are more expensive here than anywhere else in the city.
In Milan, good food and drink are part of a successful holiday experience.
Between six and nine in the evening there is a happy hour in many cafes and bars, where drinks cost 5-10 euros, and the same price includes a buffet with meat, fish and pasta. This is a good and affordable way to enjoy dinner.
The Navigli area in the southern part of the city is well suited for evening expenses. Southern Milan with its canals has been transformed into a lively nightlife area with lots of restaurants, pizzerias, bars, pubs and fine shops.
Right in the center, it is best to head to the Corso Como area. Nightlife in the city is in a class of its own. Italians love to decorate and show off, but in Mecca of fashion and beautiful people, this is taken to the extreme. As a rule, in bars and nightclubs, people are dressed really stylishly.
The dream of sports fans
Football is a spirit and a life for Italians. An exciting calcio match at Milan’s impressive San Siro Stadium will bring fun to sports crazy people of all ages. Milan have two A-series teams, Inter and AC Milan, so the chances of seeing a top-class match are excellent.
Game schedules should be checked in advance on the teams website. Sports-minded travelers may also be fascinated by the Italian F1 race, which runs every September in September on the nearby Monza motorway.
THE BEST OF MILAN
The Navigli area is definitely worth a visit.
The most famous sights
- Duomo
- La Scala
- Gallery Vittoria Emanuele
- Sforzesco town
- Last Supper
