In Milan, only 25 people at the time, can see the most famous painting in the world, the mysterious
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. If you want to be one of them, you need to plan ahead, and I will
show you how. In this Milan Travel Guide we will look at main attractions, when is the best time to
visit, where to stay, how many days to spend, best ways to get around Milan and much more. Hi guys,
I’m Rok and I’m a tour guide and I can’t wait to share with you the best Milan Travel Tips.
First, main attractions. Torre Branca is the highest point of Milan offering one of the best
views. Next is Leonardo Da Vinci and one of the best museums dedicated to him is Leonardo3 Museum,
full of daVinci's machines. Here is also one of the largest science and technology
museums in Europe and it also includes a collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines.
As Milan is also a city of fashion, it has stunningly beautiful and world's oldest shopping
mall. Even graveyards are fashionable as Cimitero Monumentale looks like an open air gallery.
Brera Art Gallery holds one of Italy’s finest Renaissance and Baroque art collections. One of
the landmarks is also a Sforzesco Castle. Here is also the most famous opera theatre in the world,
Teatro alla Scala. Famous painting Last Supper is in a dining hall of the monastery complex
of Santa Maria delle Grazie. But the most impressive landmark of Milan is the Cathedral,
the largest church in Italy, that took nearly six centuries to complete. Besides main attractions
Milan is full of charming neighborhoods with restaurants and bars serving famous aperitif that
was invented here. But before you start packing, let’s check when is the best time to visit.
While Milan is worth visiting all year, the most popular months are July and August,
but those are actually the worst. Tourist crowds are peaking and it gets very hot and there are
better options. Milan has four distinct seasons and while it's humid year round, in summertime
the moist air is accompanied by high temperatures. On the other hand, winters are very cold and foggy
thanks to the vicinity of the Alps. Much better options than sweaty summer or foggy winter
are spring and autumn. Absolute best Spring months are April and May. Average daytime temperatures
climb into the 60s and 70s with a mix of sunny and rainy days. Best Autumn month is October
as in September the city is sold out due to its world famous Fashion Week and November can already
get cold. Still, if you end up visiting Milan in summer, plan well in advance, including booking
your tickets, restaurants and accommodation. Speaking of accommodation, what are the best
places to stay in Milan and how expensive is it? It can get tricky balancing between accommodation
price and value if you don’t know the city. Zone 1 of Milan, also known as the historical center,
includes most attractions and offers several good accommodation areas.
If budget is not a problem, the very central part around the Cathedral known as Duomo is
the best accommodation area. Here are the most elegant buildings, many sightseeing and shopping
opportunities. Right next to the Cathedral is an elegant shopping mall with high end brands,
and next to it is the oldest shopping gallery. East and South are shopping streets and within
a walking distance are many attractions, museums, galleries and world famous Opera House. Traffic is
restricted and despite good public transport and taxi service, you will need to do some walking.
But this great location comes with a price tag. In summer a four star hotel room is between 180 and
480 euro, while AirBnb starts from 160 euro, and the prices average at around 250 euro.
Another good accommodation area is just northwest of the Duomo known as Brera District. It is a
pedestrian only quarter with beautiful palaces and houses, cobbled streets and artistic vibe. It has
beautiful shops and lots of good and stylish restaurants creating a relaxed and pleasant
atmosphere. If you are shopping for jewellery and antiques this is the place. Here is also the most
important art gallery in the city. Unfortunately there aren’t many hotels available, but there
are some apartments ranging from 135 to 400 euro. More affordable areas are two neighborhoods on the
northern edge of the historical centre called Chinatown and Sempione. Close by is a major
railway station and attractions like Cimitero Monumentale, Arch of Peace, Sforzesco Castle and
Sempione Park. There are also some great bars and clubs and a wide variety of hotels and apartments.
In summer a four star hotel room is between 90 and 250 euro. An AirBnb starts from 90 euro,
and the prices average at around 170 euro. My favorite area is just outside of Zone 1,
a historical area around the canals known as Navigli. It offers a relaxed atmosphere
with lots of aperitivo bars, restaurants, antique shops and vintage clothing stores.
It is a popular area to hangout and to experience nightlife. In summer a four star hotel room is
between 220 and 420 euro. An AirBnb starts from 90 euro, and the prices average at around 180 euro.
Now that you are familiar with the best accommodation areas you must decide how many
nights to book. In the high season many hotels and Air Bnb’s have a minimum stay requirement
of 2 nights. To see just the main highlights around Duomo and experience some high end shopping
without visiting museums and galleries, then one full day could be enough. However,
to experience 12 main attractions from my video Things to Do In Milan you would need at least
two very long full days. However as Milan is a big city with many beautiful attractions,
museums, galleries, restaurants and bars you should plan for 3 full days.
You can fly into one of three Milan airports, well connected by European and International Airlines.
For private transfers around the city you can use Uber or taxi. All taxis are white and can
be picked up from dedicated taxi stands. You can call a taxi using a Wetaxi app,
linked in the description, or ask your restaurant or hotel to call one for you. Otherwise getting
around the historic center is manageable. A walk from one end to the other takes about an hour.
You can use various e-scooters and public bike sharing called BikeMi run by the city. BikeMi app
lets you find the station near you and unlock and use a bike for a daily subscription of 4,5 euro,
more info in the link below. Public transport has a decent network of trams, buses and a very useful
underground metro system, all using the same ticket. Tickets are available at every metro
station, at tobacconists or newsagents where a single ride ticket costs 2 euro. You can also use
your phone and ATM Milano Official App, linked in the description below. Ticket must be stamped and
only then it is valid for 90 minutes. During its validation period you can combine more vehicles
and multiple entries on the subway. There are also One Day Tickets for 7 euro and Three Days Tickets
for 12 euro. All tickets must also be validated when leaving the metro station. Popular way to
see Milan attractions is also the Hop on-Hop off bus that runs all year and has three lines.
Remember Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper? It’s painted on the wall of a monastery and
it is very fragile. To preserve it, a constant room temperature is required and the entry is
restricted to only 25 people every 15 minutes. But considering millions of tourists in Milan it is
actually very easy to get the ticket. You don’t need to book it years ahead,
not even months ahead, but exactly two months before you go to Milan. On the official website,
link in the description, booking reservations open up every two months for the following two months,
in order to prevent long waiting lists. If you forgot to book ahead, you can try your luck with
guided tours as sometimes they have some spots left. I will link them in the description below.
Much cheaper, but also a great Milan experience is a tram ride. Most trams have been modernized, but
there are still some old school ones worth hopping on and have a blast. You can also save on museum
entrances if you visit them on the first Sunday of each month, when civic museums are free of charge.
My last tip is about tipping. Some places will include a service tip in the bill, so look out
for Servizio on your bill. When you don’t see it, leave a 10 to 15% tip for great service,
whereas in cafés, leaving the spare change is adequate. For the best Milan experience I made
a list of my favourite tours available in the description below. To learn more about the best
things to do in Milan check my video in the top corner. Thanks for watching and see you next time.