Top 25 Best Things To Do in Milan This Year

The city of fashion and design, trend-setting, and culture, Milan is the city of both history and modernity. This old city has a global presence, not only as home to world-renowned soccer teams like AC Milan and Inter Milan but with a GDP that makes her among EU’s top 10 largest economies in terms of cities.

How?

2,500 years of blazing trails in what is the new is how.

There is San Siro stadium on the Piazzale Angelo Moratti, not only holding the most titles but also hosting some 75,000 souls in a single day’s football match.

The host of museums in Milan is legion and legendary. There are technology museums like Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci and the Museo della Macchina da scrivere. The first is the largest science museum in the world, the second protecting some 2000 typewrites and calculators since man started to turn to machines for speed. Sports museums? San Siro Museum ranks first, and contains…well!

My attraction towards Milan lies in its ability to always move forward and advance beyond the limits. Unlike many other Italian cities, Milan refuses to rest on her laurels. There are the usual suspects in the Duomo, Sforzesco Castle, the Santa Maria Delle Grazie, and the Piazza Mercanti that draw millions in tourists crowds, making walking them among the top things to do in Milan.

But there are even more medieval era architecture like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. These are the products of the surge in urban renewal that gripped Italy and Europe in the mid-1800s.

However, seeing the whole city’s modern architecture, however, is one of the best things to do in Milan precisely because the residents keep pushing the gauntlet. The Branca Tower, the Velasca Tower, and my personal favorite, the Bosco Verticale!

My trip to Milan was eye-opening. I cannot honestly tell you to do a day trip in Milan because that is frankly impossible. You would need a lifetime to fully grasp the city, and that is if the people of Milan decided to remain static and never move an inch from where they stood.

Impossible!

This is my personally curated list of places to see, gardens to walk, towers to climb, pictures to take, and memories to cherish.

Best Things To Do in Milan

1. The Bosco Verticale

In this world where you can barely see the stars at night because of the smog and smoke, the Bosco Verticale is man’s answer to the modern nightmare of urbanity and advancement. Immediately you exit the Gioia station, being smacked in the face by the Torre de Castilla and the Torre Confaonieri made us wonder whether we experienced a time jump to a post-apocalyptic world run over by green-covered cities.

To best describe the Bosco Verticale, think of a former business building turned into a tree-house. They claim to have some 900 trees and over 11,000 different species of plants in total. True or not, I do not care; just the effort and daring to transform the building into a natural preserve is one of the best things to do in Milan.

I have seen some people try to capture themselves an Instagram moment by placing themselves between the Bosco Verticale and the UniCredit building’s reflective windows just opposite her. Yes, I was one of those ‘some’ who wished to take home this sight!

The park is an awesome addition to the urban landscape of Milan, especially because of how modern Milan’s skyline is today. It is one of the most beautiful sights one could wish for.

2. Dipping in the QC Termemilano

This is a famous wellness center that attracts enough crowds that they open every day of the week. The saunas and pools are located in a former tram depot underground. They have light fixings that make the entire place glow in an inviting blue, where all you see are baths, geysers, and even a waterfall.

The cream on top is the underground museum sheltering archeological remains from the Roman times. The columns to the side look like the ancient waterways and aqueducts and you cannot help imagine that the water you are relaxing in has already toured most of the country before coming to you. This place was a small detour on my journey towards discovering the best things to do in Milan and the fact that just 70 euro or so accorded me a day-long spa experience was worth the listing.

3. Window Shopping and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Window shopping in Milan is about sampling the city that produced Versace, Prada, Dolce, and Armani. Then you have some Gucci leather and Louis Vuitton bags.

Many streets have these and more, but there is one mall in Milan that is unlike anywhere else in the world: the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is a super mall in grand style. The retailers here have paintings, jewelry, and books in spades. There are cafes, bars, and restaurants.

All these are under a massive glass roof high in the air; one great dome with 4 barrel vaults whose entire construction itself is said to have been an experimentation in design and new technologies in glass making and load bearing. Just the entrance itself looks like the Arch de Triumph, and the shopping arcades are incredibly long, and tall, and look like the interior of cathedrals. Even without doing any shopping, visiting the Galleria is definitely one of the fun and interesting things to do in Milan.

4. The Duomo di Milano

Like the city, the Cathedral has gone through numerous transformations, changing its look. Her first iteration was in 355 AD, the Basilica di Santa Tecia, before a fire damaged it in 1075. I feel that this willingness to change is what makes Milan so great.

Walking around the Cathedral, and entering the building, is one of the best things to do in Milan. The building is Gothic in design, full of towering columns, flying buttresses, statues of Saints mounted on spires, and imposing gargantuan windows. Inside are statues, the statue of Saint Bartholomew Flayed most prominent, with numerous sarcophagi, and altars. Just the carving on the door of the Cathedral is enough to halt tourists in plenty who wish to take back selfies of themselves in this grand work.

Milan has many skyscrapers, but the façade of the Cathedral from right in front of her is amazing. Tourists can access the roof, and it is like being on an aircraft carrier with nothing but blue and buttresses all around.

Visiting the cathedral was one of my favorite things to do in Milan because, like most of the city, it was an indication that the Milanese were not afraid of rebirth and renovation. They now do a video created by an Englishman called the Via Dolorosa where they play out the passion of the Christ scene. Evidently, they are not afraid of ‘marring’ Milan’s august architecture with new things from the modern age.

5. The Branca Tower

I know Branca Tower is not as modern as the most modern buildings in Milan, but it is the modern conception behind its creation that makes it a tourist attraction of immense worth.

Many consider climbing the Branca Tower one of the best things to do in Milan precisely because of the modern trend; photography. The top of Torre Branca commands Milan’s city skyline like nothing else. From Parco Sempione, you don’t just get to see Milan in its entirety, but also the Alps, Po Valley, and the Apennines.

At night, the view is almost better! Milan has a list of very tall buildings like Allianz Tower, Palazzo Lombardia, and Breda Tower. By law, such tall buildings have to have warning lights up top to prevent air traffic accidents. This means that just as dusk approaches, Milan’s city skyline is hit by a collage of amazing colors flashing right in front of you. Right at this moment is exactly why people want to climb the tower because the panoramic view makes for the best moment to grab pics and one of the best things to do in Milan.

6. San Siro Stadium

The real reason I added this to the ist is because of this effect of the stadium…

This was the first stadium genuinely opened for football and football alone whereas previous Italian stadiums combined race tracks and athletics grounds. Its opening was a spectacle; Milan lost to Inter Milan 6-3, prompting a revolution that led to the combined ownership of the stadium by both teams.

Enough of football history, and let’s talk about why scheduling a trip here is one of the best things to do in Milan.

The concerts performed here!

I know; it is crass to talk about music in a place of organized blood sports, but I have to. If it were not for the music concerts, I would not be caught dead in this place of madness.

San Siro has hosted music legends: Bob Dylan, Madonna, Cold Play, Bob Marley, David Bowey, Michael Jackson, U2, the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, and Beyonce among others. They announce the tours well in advance and I fully intend to catch the next decade or so of events.

7. Take a photo with the pigeons with the Duomo in your background.

CAUTION!!

Avoid scammers at the Duomo where vendors try to sell you bird food to take photos with the pigeons. I got scammed when we had agreed on one price for the food and just after I was done taking my photos, the vendor told me a different price…it sucked but I did get a lifetime photo with the pigeons and the Duomo as my background. (I had a friend take this photo, I’d be wary asking the vendors to take my photo – NOT UNLESS YOU CAN RUN FASTER! This should not discourage you because Milan is truly a beautiful city and I have visited Milan 3 times now, just take caution.

If you have your own food for the birds like bread, the better 👍.

8. Cripta di San Sepolcro

Ancient Rome’s touch on Milan may have been covered over by her medieval lifetime, but the ghosts of the past remain as chilling as ever.

The Church above was built in 1030, and below is a gymnasium built by St. Borromeo as a place of contemplation and relaxation. There is a polychrome terracotta statue of the Saint kneeling before a sarcophagus. White ‘Verona’ stone covers the floor, the large slabs of stone vestiges from the more ancient Roman forum that used to be the city’s most public spot.

For my part, I decided to include seeing the Crypt – and the frescoes of the Church above – among my list of the best things to do in Milan because of the story behind the crypt.

The painting on the ceiling of the crypt is eerie, with stars and crosses amidst a background of creamy paint that looks as pale as a ghost. The history behind them is even more eerie; during the persecutions of early Christians, they would hide in the crypts, fearing discovery. Desiring the light of the Sun outside, they painted these stars, hopeful they would one day see the sky at least one last time before they were consigned to the circus and lions.

9. Piazza del Duomo

The Piazza occupies an area of about 17000 square meters. It was first conceived as a city square by Azzoe Visconti in 1330, who, angry at the taverns and bars around the two cathedrals of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Basilica of Santa Tecla, ordered their destruction.

The story repeated itself during risanamenti in the 1860s. Giuseppe Mengoni took over the renovation of the square and, like the former ruler of the city, also decided to demolish the now-destroyed Rebecchino district close by to create more room.

Just walking around the Piazza makes for one of the top things to do in Milan that tourists settle on. This is because the piazza is home to Milan’s marvels of architecture. The Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, the Palazzo dell’Arengario, Palazzo dei Portici Settentrionali, Palazzo Carminati, and the Palazzo dei Portici Meridionali.

If you are thinking of doing a day trip in Milan, the Piazza is definitely one of the best things to do in Milan.

10. Sforzesco Castle

Exploring the Sforzesco Castle is definitely one of the best things to do in Milan even if you are only planning for a day trip. The Sforzas were the ruling family of Milan for centuries, and their collections of art, the legacies they left, are worth at least a day of touring.

It is a real castle; the massive walls, crenellations, arrow holes, murder holes, and the rest just prime your imagination for what medieval warfare was like. As a major Italian power and the target of invasions, the Sforzesco Castle withstood hundreds of sieges, making her appearance exactly what castles from the era looked like.

Inside are a host of museum artifacts. Like many great Italian families, the Sforza were patrons and sponsors of artists, looking to aggrandize themselves and their city-state.

The Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco is a museum with many famous paintings including works from Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Titian, and Tintoretto.

Museo d’Arte Antica is possibly my favorite here; they have sculptures from the late antiquity, medieval, and Renaissance periods. This was like a walk-through of Italian history and fashion and trends in the evolution of objects to their current forms. The Sala Verde gallery was one of them, chronicling the evolution of 15^th and 16^th sculptures and something of an educational experience in determining from which age one came.

The castle has many other museums, all unique in content and scheme. The Museum of Musical Instruments, the Egyptian Museum, and the Archaeological Museum are a must-see for your list of things to do in Milan because they contain artifacts and objects from the Etruscans, Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, and even a Bodhisattva statue from India.

11. Aperitivo and Street Foods

Panzoretto, that amalgamation of dough, tomato, mozzarella, and ham in flavors is my favorite thing to eat in Milan, but not the only one to eat. Pizza al Taglio, Panettone, and Tramezzino, those sandwiches with tuna or prosciutto are amazing.

Did you ever take a really good look at The Last Supper? Much has been said about the scale, balance, colors, theme, meaning, etc. What the Milanese kept quiet about is the deep and dark secret the painting exposes about Milan…it was done during aperitivo time! There are way too many wine glasses on that table for their presence to be casual!

Milan’s food scene and aperitivo can be found just about anywhere. Porta Venezia on the Via Panfolino Castaldi, San Malco on the Via Montebello 7, and the Luini family’s generations-strong panzarotti on the Via Santa Radegonda 16 are just a few of the places I personally visited and advise seeing.

12. Santa Maria Delle Grazie

I made the Santa Maria Delle Grazie one of my top things to do in Milan because of the pictures I saw of the vaulted arches of the nave and apse. I am always drawn to the grandness of scale of Gothic architecture, and the fact that this one was built well right in the middle of the Romanesque and the Renaissance styles made for an interesting trip.

It is also here that a mural of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper can be found, on top of Giovanni Montofarno’s Crucifixion, and a host of frescoes of the Passion scene by Bernardo Zenale and Gaudenzio Ferrari.

I was pleased that they have many guided tours of the Church here. The ones they do of The Last Supper were the best because they tell so much more about the thinking behind the painting scenes during the age.

13. Art Shopping

Location: Brera District

The Brera District is where Milan’s art scene used to be and remains. Driven by a mighty hunger, these staring artists would wrap themselves in the faith that their works would last through the ages. Girded and ready, they would go to work!

The streets here are chic and quiet and filled with bars, galleries, studios, enotecas, and art shops. It is also here that can be found the museum/art school, Accademia elle Belle Arti, as is the Pinoteca di Brera, and art museum.

One of the most fun things to do in Milan is to walk this particular district. The houses are colorfully painted, and even the street paving is a mosaic of pebble stone and plain concrete. The church of Santa Maria del Carmine is on the street, as is the Brera botanical garden.

I imagine that someday, one or all the small, unknown artists here will have their names gracing our textbooks and future galleries to art and human excellence. The designers here are doing their best to bring creativity and art to Milan, and I solidly believe that they will succeed.

14. Shopping in the Craft Markets of Milan

Location: Via Fiori Chiari, Via Bramante, Via Bergognone, Via Giuseppe Broggi, Via Vincenzo Forcella etc

The shopping scene of crafting scene in Milan is fairly developed it would seem. There are events and crafting shops that offer both tours and classes in making local products. Men’s fashion, women’s fashions, tailor-made jeans, making photographs and portraits, creating unique and personalized wedding rings – on top of doing it yourself-, and jewel making are just some of the crafting experiences and things to do in Milan on a quiet day.

One of the more exciting things to do in Milan we got to personally experience was watching, talking, and seeing an atelier, a tailor, at work. Some of these have worked for the big names in the industry and were willing to share their secrets. There is even a Japanese Kokedama at the I Fiori nella Rete Milano, Vicolo Privato Lavandai, 6 where you get to experience and learn a lot about handling flowers.

15. Walking the Montenapoleone Street

This is like the most expensive shopping street in the world but with good reason!

It is not easy to know how to tell a genuine product from a fake. I remember how in Florence I had to take like a course in telling real leather from fake ones, and one of the tricks lay in having a good nose!

There are jewelry shops and fashion shops aplenty, all high-end and hosting well-known names. Prada, Versace, Armani, Dir, Valentino, and Gucci are what you will see here. Only these, or if the product name is world renown. They only sell premium stuff and are very exclusive to make sure clients and customers go away with genuine products.

Even if you do not have the coffers or credit to spend, walking this street, Via Manzoni, Via Venezia, and Via della Spiga – the Quadrilatero della Moda – will definitely be among the best things to do in Milan. It is not just about shopping and fashion. These streets are about trends in culture and art from cars to bags to leather shoes to just the idea that excellence should and must be appreciated even if it is costly.

16. Boating down Navigli Canals

Location: Via Giovanni Enrico Pestalozzi, 2

Risotto, ravioli, scampi, tiramisu, pasta, and seafood were just the appetizers we had while gazing at the canal waters. It was a good way to wait up because even if we were not planning on eating everything we saw, we could enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant while waiting our turn.

Milan’s canals have been in place since the Romans were masters of Italy.

We were told boating down the canal was one of the best things to do in Milan because it paints a complete picture of Milan as a city in many ways. The canal goes through Naviglio Grande and the Church of San Cristoforo, basically a tour through Milan’s working-class district and a window into the lives and places they live.

Then it’s crossing paths with the racing canoes of the Alzaia Naviglio Grande who the tour guides tell us used to be a fraternity of linen washers back in the day!

Then you are on the Scodellino bridge before you get to the Darsena, and the main reason we were told to wait for the boat tour till a bit later. Here, we got to see some of the night scenes with bars and restaurants and clubs and I really don’t think would be a match for someone thinking about a day trip in Milan. Finally, the Naviglio Pavese and the Trophy Bridge – before the Conchetta – where they make Mascarpone cheese.

The tour is one of the best things to do in Milan because you can learn a great deal about the city’s history. For example, there is the fact that the fraternity used to carry the linen on their shoulders and rush through the streets on foot to make deliveries. Then the picture of how the marble scheduled for the Milan Cathedral was all carried on the canals. All in all, a good experience of the city through the eyes of its canal.

17. Cimitero Monumentale

The 2^nd largest cemetery in Milan, the cemetery is the final resting place of great Italian individuals whose contributions to the nation deserve recognition. They include Alberto and Antonio Ascari, Ernesto Bazzaro, Argostino Bertani, Gaspare Campari and Camilla Cerana. Not only these but there is also a section dedicated to 800 Milanese that died at the hands of the Nazis in concentration camps.

Our visit here was prompted by both the need to compare the cemetery to the Cimitero Maggiore di Milano, as well as to see the art used to remember the nation’s greats. Walking around the cemetery can be one of the best things to do in Milan on a quiet day. It might feel macabre, but the lavishness and dedication devoted to the remains of our loved ones is a reminder of just why we not only cherish our loved ones but also why we want to continue the legacies they left for us.

In some ways, it is like visiting the tombs of the pharaohs or the Medici. Familia Pigni’s tomb has a winged angel standing over it, hands splayed out as if in protection. Antonio Bernocchi’s mausoleum resembled an upright but miniature tower of Pisa. The Campari family tomb is a recreation of the scene from the Last Supper, in bronze. Hmmm, the green rusting on the metal makes them look like King Arthur’s knights or something though, or at the very least, ghosts seated at the table.

18. Royal Palace of Milan

No one knows exactly when they broke the ground for the construction of the Palazzo Reale di Milano. However, for centuries, it would serve the various ruling families of Milan from the Torriani, and the Visconti, to the Sforza. Today, it serves as a museum and cultural center where many exhibitions in art and archeology are hosted on the venues.

There are two main reasons for seeing the palace that make the trip here one of the best things to do in Milan. First, it flanks the Cathedral of Milan, making tourists climb to the Cathedral’s top just to capture the palace walls and the distant sky scrappers in one view shot.

The second reason – and best reason in my opinion – is the 1500+ artworks and pieces from all over Europe on display here. A long history of warfare and struggle has led Milan to host arts and treasures from a great deal of European royal houses, including the Spanish and Austrian Hapsburgs, Savoys, French, and the Napoleonic dynasty. Throw in the statues from the Hall of the Caryatids’s massive ballroom and the lavishly splendid tapestries from the Tapestry Hall, simply walking the grand halls and stairways of this medieval center of government is worth the inclusion on my list.

19. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology

Was Da Vinci from Milan? Evidence seems to suggest he was Florentine, at the least.

Do the people of Milan care that this great man came from their greatest foe?

Nope!

The museum is the largest museum of science and technology in Italy. Everything from Leonardo da Vinci’s own inventions to new stuff in the field of science and technology is hosted in what was once the San Vittore al Carpo monastery.

What I love about this museum is it demonstrates just how innovative and forward-thinking the people of Milan are. There are aircraft, ships, and trains. A genuine WWII Italian aircraft is held there, the Macchi C.205 Veltro, as is the Farman III, an ancient bi-plane from when air traffic accidents were more likely to occur than car accidents. My best experience and exactly why visiting this museum just might be one of the best things to do in Milan is Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine! The Farman III might be French in origin, but the Father of all Flight is Leonardo da Vinci I say!

20. Colonnes de Saint-Laurent

Like the Italians of modern-day Italia, the Romans of old saw architecture as a way of human expression coming to the fore. By the 4^th century AD, however, the Empire was in decline and cash-strapped, seeing a reduction in the number of public and private construction projects.

Yet, the Colonnade in Milan was an ambitious project aimed at revitalizing Milan just as the late 1860s projects attempted the same. The 20 Corinthian-style columns were stripped from public buildings like baths and placed in front of the Basilica di San Lorenzo. I feel the architect arranged them to look like Roman constructions of old; an aqueduct, to be specific, the columns reaching high into the air to bring in life-giving water.

My decision to include it among the best things to do in Milan is because of the open space created by the columns. Large and quiet spots within urban centers are at a premium nowadays, and a space like the Colonnes de Saint-Laurent is really conducive to the heart and mind’s cultivation.

21. Civic Archaeological Museum

The museum is housed in the ancient San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, a Benedictine monastery from the 8^th century AD, and is itself an archeological marvel of Romanesque construction. Some parts were sourced from Maximian’s Walls, a Roman Emperor of the 3^rd century, stone from Ornavasso, and parts from the Hippodrome which is now lost to time.

It is the insides of the museum that draw crowds and make a visit there one of the best things to do in Milan. There are relics donated by Emperor Otto I. The Sforzas donated the painting of frescoes on the ceilings and walls of the ancient Church, among them Luini’s Life of San Maurizio and Campi’s Adoration of the Magi.

The collection of archeological artifacts in the museum is legion and global. They include a statue of the Bodhisattva and the Mahadeva, an Italian-Corinthian helmet, ancient Greek vases, and Etruscan artifacts.

22. Day Trip to Lake Como, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore

READ: Best Day Trips from Milan

Alongside a day trip to Bergamo, a day trip to Como, Lake Garda, and Lake Maggiore just might be some of the best things to do in Milan. These three lakes are known to have once been the preserve of the wealthiest and most powerful Roman Senators – even Emperors – back in the day. Over time, this power went to the noble Italian families and like their forebears, knew enough about holding on to a good thing to keep the areas pristine in condition.

At Lake Maggiore, the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Casso was the best choice for my tight time budget because of the way it is perched right at the edge of a cliff, with flora all around and the deep blue at the base.

Lake Como’s boat trips were my favorite in that part of Italy due to the numerous gorgeous villas right on the edge of the Lake’s cliffs.

With Lake Garda, it was the windsurfing and walking the trails into the grotto at Parco Grotta Cascate Varone.

Frankly, all three make for the best things to do in Milan simply because they are a break from Milan’s bounty. Lake Como herself is the closest and easiest to get to, but also the most crowded in tourist season, so the best bet to enjoy these lakes is in September.

23. Parco Sempione

I saw my first Italian turtle here, I think. Or maybe it was a tortoise? I fear my scream of delight – yes, delight! – scared it away.

Walking and sitting in the Parco Sempione is definitely one of the best things to do in Milan. What I love most about its history is the origin story behind its opening. Apparently, once Italy was united, one of the first things they did was to strip it from control by the military and hand it over to an urban architect, Cesare Beruto, who immediately modeled it as a cultural space for the people of Milan.

The park is a good side trip to rest while on a mission to see all of Milan. It is right next to Sforza Castle and close to Palazzo dell’Arte. It is a gorgeous place and I feel many agree with me; there were so many guys doing exercises and calisthenics on the grass I was really tempted myself.

24. Teatro Alla Scala

Even so long after getting my citizenship here, I still feel amazed that people can dedicate so much space to art and music.

The building is part art school and museum. The La Scala Theatre Museum houses paintings, statues, costumes, and music drafts. The Accademia Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo trains up new and bright-eyed artists and musicians to keep up and advance the tradition of music attached to Milan.

Did you know that Carlo Maria Giulini once conducted the Filarmonica della Scala orchestra here? And Riccardo Mutti?

I think the place must be an architectural marvel of sorts. How does sound reach people 5 stories away so that everyone enjoys a performance equally?

25. Milan Fashion Week

The event is bi-annual: February/March and September/October. It is a trade show for clothing and invites all the best names in Italian fashion from Gucci to Prada to Max Mara to Armani to Zegna to Versace to Moschino to other names I never even heard of until I was told Milan’s Fashion Week was not a good time to book for hotels.

Yes; this time of the year is when you need to get out of town and perhaps visit Lake Garda or Florence or somewhere else. The hotels go crazy with prices and it can get crowded.

If you do love the madness, however, you should definitely consider Milan Fashion Week one of the best things to do in Milan right this time of the year. In 2022, Gucci invited some 68 pairs of twins to showcase their designs…! This year was less extreme – they pushed up the date to Jan 15 for this year by the way. They had one model swish and sashay their hips down the ramp while another, perfectly still and perfectly beautiful, rode the first one’s shoulders.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the famous shopping street in Milan?

Via Monte Napoleone which ranks as Europe’s most expensive shopping street is known as Milan’s high-end shopping street.

2. Is Milan an expensive city?

Yes. Milan is known to be one of the most expensive cities in Italy, together with Como, and visiting this city on a budget is tricky, but doable if you know the ins and outs of the city.

3. Is Milan safe to walk at night?

Like any big city in the world, certain areas are not safe to walk at night. The central part of Milan IS SAFE both in the daytime and at night as it’s full of people and tourists around.

CAUTION!!

1. Be careful of pickpockets especially at the train stations especially when going in and out of the trains/metros/trams. Pickpocketing is very common in major Italian cities like Rome, Florence and Milan. P.S: SOME OF THE PICK POCKETS HAPPEN TO BE PREGNANT WOMEN!!
2. Avoid scammers at the Duomo where vendors try to sell you bird food to take photos with the pigeons. I got scammed when we had agreed on one price for the food and just after I was done taking my photos, the vendor told me a different price…it sucked but I did get a lifetime photo with the pigeons and the Duomo as my background. (I had a friend take this photo, I’d be wary asking the vendors to take my photo – NOT UNLESS YOU CAN RUN FASTER! This should not discourage you because Milan is truly a beautiful city and I have visited Milan 3 times now, just take caution.

4. Is a day in Milan enough?

Yes. Provided that you are only visiting the *very most popular* tourist sites, which are all centered around the Duomo di Milan, and not everything on this list.

5. Is Milan a walkable city?

Yes. It’s actually the best way to see the city, just wear comfy shoes if you intend to move around a lot, If you are just hanging out at the iconic Duomo area, heels can do, at least you’ll look fashionable, it is Milan after all… (hint: carry spare comfy shoes just in case)

6. Is public transportation easy to use in Milan?

Yes. Purchase a 24-hour travel card at a cheaper cost to explore the city during your visit by metro, tram and buses.

7. Are there pink flamingos in Milan?

Villa Invernizzi is home to many pink flamingos, sadly it’s private and closed to visitors though (for the peeping toms) you can still see them through the fence on the sidewalk. 

If you have more days in Milan, here are 15 Best Day Trips from Milan NOT to MISS! and if you have limited time to travel through Italy, here’s how you can Speed-Running Italy in 10 Days!