Hello,
5 of us are joining the Best of Italy tour next summer and want to spend a couple of days in Milan. Any suggestions to what part of the city to stay? Would love to rent an apartment or condo. Any suggestions on must see or places to eat would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Eva
You can find some ideas on many online resources.
https://www.yesmilano.it/en (this is the official tourism website for the city)
https://www.timeout.com/milan/things-to-do/best-things-to-do-in-milan
Most sights are near the Duomo, therefore the area around the Duomo / La Scala / Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle) / Montenapoleone are popular with tourists.
If you want vibrant nightlife look into the Navigli district (around Porta Genova / Porta Ticinese) south of the Duomo.
If you stay only a couple of days I wouldn't bother with an apartment unless you have a big group. Checking in and out of apartments is more time consuming and I don't think the extra time is worth it for just a couple of nights. Also a hotel has services that an apartment wouldn't. An apartment is good for extra space in case you need more than one bedroom, and if you want to save on cooking your own food. But I'm sure you'd like to savor Milan's great restaurants. Milan is probably the most expensive city in Italy but there are also reasonably priced restaurants.
My wife and I were there last Fall. We stayed over towards DiVinci's The Last Supper, which was quieter and less touristy than around the Duomo area. If you enjoy art, The Last Supper is a must see. Our favorite restaurant was Osteria la carbona, which is also over near the Last Supper. www.osterialacarbonaia.it. This is a small restaurant, with mostly local clientele. I would suggest getting a reservation.
Gary
I spent 2 nights in MIlan before my BOI in Oct 2022. I stayed in a hotel where I'd stayed before because I like it, the staff and the area, lol. It is Hotel Duca di York and is near the Duomo. I'm a solo traveler so no experience with apartments in Milan. It took me about 30 minutes to walk from there to the Last Supper venue with a little sidetrack to see some ruins, lol. I also visited the Duomo with the rooftop access and went in to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana which is literally across the street from the hotel. They have the original cartoons Raphael drew when he was planning his fresco in the Vatican Museum of The School of Athens. I knew we'd be going to the Vatican Museum and thought it would be interesting to see this planning step.
The Last Supper tickets need to be booked ahead as soon as they open for your time frame so go to the website to get a feel for it. I booked the 930 English tour thru the venue for an extra 8E and it was excellent. You are only allowed to stay in for 15 minutes and having the guide explain the fresco before and during was really helpful to me.
BTW, I suggest you download the train app for your ride to Varenna. I used the TreNord app and it was really easy. I bought the ticket right before I walked out of the hotel to go to the station.
Also if your group is up on ApplePay or GooglePay, that is good. If not, I suggest they start using whichever their phone supports. I used ApplePay all the time on my BOI. The only time I needed cash was 2 hotels where I'd had drinks/wine and they wanted cash instead of a card.
We just returned from Italy and spent our last two nights in Milan. Because our time was short, we scheduled six hours with one of Rick's recommended guides, Sara Cerri, who was fantastic. http://walkingtourmilan.it/
We started with the Last Supper (she acquired tickets for us), went to Sforza Castle, La Scala, and Ambriosiana. I highly recommend her! The things we saw were so much more impactful with her there to add details and historical context.
We could have included the Duomo, but we visited that on our own the afternoon we arrived and went up on the terraces as the sun was setting - amazing! And we didn't want to cut short any of the other sites.
She did say she's already booking for next year, so if you're interested, better get on it!
Ristorante Papà Francesco Is close to the Duomo/Mall and we love it. The owners are very friendly. We make a point to stop by there at least once every time we are in Milan. Make sure you ask for it by name because the outdoor seating area is right between some other places I don’t recommend.
Good morning,
Thank you so much for your very helpful responses. I really appreciate it.
Happy travels,
Eva
