City of Milan Travel Guide
City of Milan Travel Guide was last updated on September 2, 2022
History | Art | Architecture | Culture | Cuisines | Unique Experiences
A visit to the City of Milan and you will know that it is unlike any other cities you have been to. Its skyline speaks of centuries of history. From Roman columns to Gothic architecture that still dominates but also how Milan is embracing the future in grand spirits and style. Milan is a city of hidden treasures and you cannot find those if you don’t wander around at your own pace, and sometimes get lost. To top off a truly amazing experience, there are no limits to the gustatory palate that will have you yearning for more.
While Rome remains the political capital of Italy, Milan has long been known as the ‘moral capital’ because of the city’s quality and values, historical as well as contemporary. The City of Milan has, in modern times contributed in every field, economic, cultural and ideological to the Italian State.
Come along with me and find out what Milan can offer you on your visit.
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About this page on City of Milan Travel Guide
This page on City of Milan Travel Guide introduces Milan with a little background to its geography and its popularity as a City, both economically and culturally. As one of the major hubs in Europe, and its enormity (although some may say it is relatively a small city), it may be impossible to experience everything the city offers in one visit.
Therefore, this article offers various individual articles from how to get to the city from any of the three airports (from the time you arrive), how to get around the city once there, and various suggestions and guides on the best attractions, bucket list places to places that could be visited in one day, or even in a few hours. In every article, you shall find suggestions for cost-effective ways of experiencing these attractions, and how to maximise your time through guided tours, if you choose to do so.
For an authentic experience of Milan
For an authentic experience of Milan, other than the main tourist attractions such as the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio, Sforza Castle or the La Scala, spend some time in the City’s largest green space and/or head to the outskirts of the City. Do a day trip to Lake Como or to another city like Verona or Venice . All individual articles are listed below, which you can adapt to suit your itinerary. I hope you will enjoy reading everything that’s here, in this article as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
City of Milan Travel Guides
The following comprehensive travel guides are designed with a traveller’s need in mind. Each guide contains useful information, ideas, suggestions and best tips to help you design your vacation your way for timeless memories. Click on the images below to navigate for the complete guide.
Milan Travel Guide
About the City of Milan
Milan is uniquely positioned at 45.4641° N, 9.1919° E, in northern Italy, surrounded by mountains and beautiful countryside. Whichever part of northern Italy you choose to explore, you are sure to find great many things to do and destinations to explore.
1 | The geography of the City of Milan
Milan is located in Lombardy, the northern region of Italy, in the heart of Po Basin at 122 metres (400 feet) above sea-level. The Lombardy region covers a vast landscape ranging from the Alps to the countryside. The region is home to many art cities to hamlets rich in history, beautiful lakes and some of the best ski resorts. The City of Milan itself is dominated by the Alps to the north and marshy groves towards Po River.
2 | Climate in Milan | City of Milan Travel Guide
Climate wise, Milan has a humid subtropical climate where summers are hot, humid with little rainfall while winters are cool and damp. The temperature in July averages at around 29 ° C (84 °F) and on January 5 °C (41 °F). Snowfalls are common in winter. Mean annual precipitation is 1000 mm (40 inches).
The table below is the month by month guide to weather in Milan. If you are planning a trip to other parts of Italy as well when you visit Milan, take a look at this comprehensive guide on “When is the best time to go to Italy” where I have listed the weather, main and popular events to experience. .
3 | Economy of Milan
In economic terms, Milan is the third largest city in Europe, after London and Paris . Italy’s only Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana is located here, and if you are a football fan, I’m sure you know, Milan is renowned for its own dedicated international football team, AC Milan.
Located in the northwestern suburb of Rho, is FieraMilano, the city’s Exhibition Centre and Trade Fair complex which is the largest trade complex in the world.
If you are planning a visit to FieraMilano, you may want to familiarise yourself with the public transport in Milan, a comprehensive article that will help you get around Milan like a local.
4 | Popularity of Milan
In Italy, the city of Milano is the second largest city after Rome. It is one of the best known cities in the world and is arguably the global capital of fashion and design. As a fashion hub, the city is home to the most popular fashion brands such as Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Missoni to name a few.
Every year the city attracts countless visitors to its runways and design showrooms. To experience all of these famous names under one roof, visit the Galleria, Vittorio Emanuele II which sits just next to the Duomo. Better still, walk along Via della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea, and Via Montenapoleone and learn about the rich history of fashion in Milan, as you tour some of the most iconic shopping spots of the city. A perfect tour for fashionistas!
5 | History and Culture of Milan
Besides being a fashion and financial hub, Milan is packed with history, culture and centuries old architecture, reflecting the influences of the Romans, Hans, and many more throughout its 2500 years of history.
Milan has a long standing tradition with theatres. The city was the home of lyric Opera in the 18th century and La Scala was the reference theatre then. This infamous theatre continues to attract passionate followers even now as tickets to performances are sold out months ahead of time. If you want to experience an evening at the Opera in La Scala, plan ahead and book your tickets at their official website here. Alternatively, you can still experience La Scala through a theatre and museum tour.
Timeless Travel Steps Best Tips:
If you are planning to visit the Duomo and La Scala, you may want to book early on the combo ticket – The Duomo and La Scala Guided Tour and walk through the world famous arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II along the way.
Recommended read: The People and Culture of Italy
6 | Milan’s tourist hotspots | City of Milan Travel Guide
Milan is home to many iconic buildings such as the infamous Gothic Duomo di Milano, Castello Sforzesco, Santa Maria delle Grazie Convent where you will find Leonardo da Vinci’s mural of The Last Supper, and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II are just some of the sights that will have you in awe – reasons which makes this City a tourist hot spot, with 10.8 million visitors in 2019. Milan remains a city of culture today.
Timeless Travel Steps Best Tips:
Fast Track Milan Cathedral and Rooftop Guided Tour
Historical Walking Tour and Priority Access to Da Vinci Last Supper
Learn more about Italy before your travels
OUR BEST SELLING ACTIVITIES IN MILAN
1 | Fast-track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guide Tour
2 | Day trip from Milan: Lake Como + Bellagio + Lugano
3 | Day trip from Milan: Lake Como + Bellagio + Varenna
4 | Leonardo Science & Technology Museum Entry
5 | Leonardo da Vinci Last Supper and Santa Maria delle Grazie Tour
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City of Milan Travel Guide | Italy first published at timelesstravelsteps.com
Regularly edited and updated. Last update was on September 2, 2022
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Milan is one city that should be on very traveller’s bucket list – I am glad you stopped by and found my article to be comprehensive and of value to your future visit to the remarkable city of Milan. I appreciate it. Had a quick look at your blog – you have a beautiful blog and lots of valuable content and I hope to return for a longer visit soon.
Milan has always fascinated me as the city has a beautiful amalgam of modern and historic charms. A very comprehensive guide you have provided. Thanks for that. I am going to bookmark this for future reference for my travels. Someday I do look forward to visiting Milan.
I flew into Milan when I went to Italy and didn’t spend nearly enough time there! Your post inspires me to go and spend some time exploring!
Sincerely wish for it to be better – I can’t wait to travel. Missing it very much so totally appreciate you feeling homesick. Hope you get to travel home soon.
I am from Milan and this post made me homesick, as I live in HK and I can’t travel right now- really hope things will be better next year 😢
Great guide, wish I had seen this before I travelled to Milan, would have helped a lot. Love Milan. Hoping to visit soon before the crowds return.
The Duomo is one absolute impressive structure for sure! I am happy to know that reading my article on City of Milan Travel Guide brought back many happy memories of your visit to this amazing city. Thank you so much for reading this article and taking time to comment. I appreciate it.
Thank you! So glad you find the article on City of Milan Travel Guide to contain useful information for travel to Italy. Italy is absolutely amazing. I am certain that you will have a great time when you visit.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. So glad to know that my article on Milan inspires you to know more of the City. Same her, I would love to watch a concert at La Scala – would be an awesome experience, for sure.
Such a detailed guide on Milan. Reading this post totally took me back to the time when i traveled to Milan. Although it was many years back, the face of Duomo and the square is right in front of me. Such an impressive structure.
AMAZING! There are massive amounts of useful information on Milan here. We can’t wait to travel again, Italy is absolutely on our list.
I would love to watch a concert at La Scala, and get some fashion inspiration from this city! Having grown up in Italy, I always took Milan for granted but your post is making me want to go back and discover it more 🙂
I completely agree with you! The Duomo is such a beautiful majestic structure that one could admire and explore it for the whole day. I hope you will get to return to Milan one day soon.
You are so very welcome, Michelle. I love that you found the City of Milan Travel Guide to be comprehensive and detailed for the beautiful city of Milan. It is very true that the history and culture of Milan makes it a unique city to experience.
Thank you so much Agnes! I am so glad that the City of Milan Travel Guide is detailed, informative and useful for your future visits to Milan.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you find the City of Milan Travel Guide organised. I hope it will support your travel planning when you eventually visit Milan.
You are welcome. Milan is a fabulous city and there’s so much to see that you will thoroughly enjoy exploring with your family. Glad my guides are informative and useful for your travel plans.
I visited Milan a year and a half ago and I can’t wait to go back! I had one short day there and that was not near enough time to enjoy it. I could have spent the entire day admiring the Duomo, it’s simply stunning.
This is a truly comprehensive and detailed travel guide for the lovely city of Milan! I especially love your detailed history and culture section as this is what makes Milan truly special. Thanks so much for the inspiration and for the information!
I love Milan, and I would like to back to this fantastic city. I love architecture, restaurants, and museums, of course. Your itinerary is perfect, so detailed! Very informative and helpful in trip planning.
Wow! This is such a well-organized guide – thank you! I’ve been to Italy a couple of times but not to Milan (yet!). It’s definitely on our list!!
Italy is at the top of our bucket list and Milan is one of the places we’d like to go- thank you for this great guide. Lots of information to help us plan!
Thank you so very much for your positive comments regarding Milan Travel Guide. I like to give my readers all the information needed to make their visit to Milan a memorable one. I appreciate Milan may not be for everyone. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
This is an amazing and comprehensive guide. Personally, I am not such a huge fan of Milan. I visited once and that was enough for me, while I would love to visit all the other Italian cities again 🙂 It’s nice, but feels somewhat stuck-up and not as pleasant, as all the other cities I visited in Italy. Maybe that’s because I am not a fashion lover 🙂
Thank you! So glad you find it informative and inspires you to visit Milan. Milan is a city that has so much to offer, where you can spend a week or a month and still wish you could stay longer. Have a wonderful time when you visit.
Very informative guide! This really makes me want to visit!
Thank you so much. I am glad my guide is comprehensive and will support your next visit to Milan. The Duomo is truly a majestic structure and I am sure you will have an awesome time when you visit.
Thank you so much for saving my post for future travels. I am glad my post has a lot of information to support your next travel to Milan. The Duomo took my breath away too when I first saw it! An absolute marvel.
Thanks for this comprehensive guide on Milan! I have visited Italy twice but never been to Milan. I really want to visit the stunning Milan Cathedral! I am saving your guide to help me with my future visit. 🙂
You are welcome and thank you so much. I am so happy to know that this is the type of article you love reading. Yes, I think choices are important and even more so if you are planning a visit, be it a day or several days – you can choose what to experience and what not to.
I visited Milan when I was in college. I remember coming off the metro, heading up the escalator and there was the Duomo. It was so impressive, took my breath away! I definitely saved this post for later, you have tons of good information here!
Thanks for such a comprehensive guide of Milan. It’s the type of article I love reading before I got to a new destination. With a little bit of every type of info that gives you the inspiration to want to find out more when you arrive. Well written. Thanks!
You are welcome, Sue. I enjoyed Milan and felt really happy about sharing my experiences there. Also, it was great to reflect on past travels and hope that travel will soon be possible.
You are welcome! Great that you want to visit Milan. It is a fabulous City and hope it will earn a place on your list.
Great guide & loads of information. I’ve visited Italy many times but never been to Milan. When the world opens up again I’ll definitely add it to my list! Really useful, thanks for sharing.
Oh thanks Georgina!
MIlan is a city that I really want to visit, but for some reason I always seem to forget to put it on my bucketlist. I cant for the life of me figure out why!