Milan Travel Guide Best Places to Visit in Milan Italy
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00:00Decorated with beautiful architecture and gifted with art and history,
00:04Milan is more than just a fast-paced metropolitan city waiting to be discovered.
00:08With its carefully preserved traditions and exemplary pieces of art,
00:12Milan is a vibrant city experience that has a lot to offer.
00:15Whether you're someone who is an art lover, or someone who loves fashion or food,
00:20there's something for everyone who desires to explore the city's treasure with passion.
00:25With as many as 6 million visitors every year,
00:28Milan continues to promise an experience that is unlike any other.
00:31Italy's fashion capital is teeming with options to do, see, and eat,
00:35pulling in millions of tourists from around the world year-round.
00:38Once you've climbed the roof of Milan's Duomo,
00:41elbowed your way through to get a peek of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper,
00:45and tasted at least five flavors of gelato from the umpteen street vendors around Milan,
00:50you can hop out of the city to experience a little more of the Italian country and culture.
00:55Milan is so beautifully located that you can visit the Swiss,
00:58Alps, or go to Venice from the city in just a day, and be back by night.
01:02For a tourist, what makes Milan interesting compared to other places is that the city
01:07is truly more about the lifestyle of enjoying worldly pleasures,
01:11a paradise for shopping, football, opera, and nightlife.
01:15The Milan Pass and the Milano Card are two great travel passes that will help you save on time
01:20and money as you explore Milan.
01:22The travel cards offer free tickets to attractions, free public transport,
01:26free hop-on-hop-off bus tours, and discounts on tickets and experiences.
01:30A comfortable daily budget for Milan will be around $60 to $70.
01:36This includes groceries, a dorm bed, public transport, and some extra spending money.
01:41In winter, the city can become cold and the weather is usually foggy and snowy.
01:46However, the city, in the few weeks before Christmas, becomes delightful to visit.
01:51In summer, it can become extremely hot.
01:54Let's explore more about the best places to visit
01:57with our video of the top tourist attractions in Milan.
02:00Before we get started, make sure you have subscribed to our YouTube channel
02:04and click the bell button so you don't miss our new upcoming videos.
02:11Number 1. Milan Cathedral in Duomo Square
02:15Milan's main cathedral, a massive late-Gothic church started in 1386 in white marble,
02:20with hundreds of spires and thousands of statues on its exterior and a famous façade.
02:25The roof is topped by 135 delicately carved stone pinnacles
02:29and the exterior is decorated with 2245 marble statues.
02:33The dim interior, in striking contrast to the brilliant and richly patterned exterior,
02:38makes a powerful impression with its 52 gigantic pillars.
02:42The stained-glass windows in the nave mostly 15th century are the largest in the world,
02:46the earliest of them are in the south aisle.
02:48Don't miss the chance to climb up onto the roof
02:51and enjoy the spectacular views of the city between the Gothic spires.
02:55A walk on the roof of the cathedral is an impressive experience,
02:58offering views across the city and extending on clear days to the snow-covered Alps.
03:02Duomo is reachable by subway, lines MM1 or MM3,
03:07Duomo station or with many buses and trams.
03:10Roof open daily 9am-TP5, 30pm, €8 for the stairs, €13 for the lift,
03:16unless you are physically unfit.
03:18It is best recommended to take the stairs 250 steps only and save €5.
03:23On an average, it should not take more than 5-6 minutes to climb the stairs.
03:28You may have your belongings searched by the guardia before entering the cathedral,
03:32so show up lightly packed.
03:34Number 2.
03:34Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
03:37The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery
03:41and a major landmark of Milan, Italy.
03:44Housed within a four-story double arcade in the center of town,
03:47the gallery is named after Victor Emanuele II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy.
03:52The Grand Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was designed by Giuseppe Mangoni
03:57and built between 1865 and 1877.
04:01It was then the largest shopping arcade in Europe,
04:03with a dome soaring 48 meters above its mosaic floor.
04:07The structure consists of two glass vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon
04:11covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala.
04:15The street is covered by an arching glass and cast iron roof,
04:19a popular design for 19th-century arcades,
04:22such as the Burlington Arcade in London,
04:24which was the prototype for larger glazed shopping arcades.
04:27Beginning with the St. Hubert Gallery in Brussels opened in 1847,
04:32the passage in St. Petersburg opened in 1848,
04:35the Galleria Umberto I in Naples opened in 1890,
04:39and the Budapest Galleria.
04:40The central octagonal space is topped with a glass dome.
04:43The construction of the whole gallery was the result of international collaboration.
04:47This especially concerned the roof.
04:49The ironwork was produced, transported,
04:52and installed by the French atelier Henry Joy.
04:54The glass plates were made of flat ribbed glass by St. Gobain.
04:58The construction technology of the roof employs primary wrought iron arches
05:02in order to support the glazing.
05:04By contrast, arcades that were built earlier were smaller and had simpler roof.
05:08The same components were used for both load-bearing and glazing purposes.
05:13In addition, the roof at Milan was equipped
05:15with invisible reinforcements in the supporting walls.
05:18Number 3. Castello Sforzesco
05:20The Castello Sforzesco is a medieval fortification located in Milan.
05:24It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza,
05:28Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification,
05:32later renovated and enlarged.
05:34In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the largest citadels in Europe.
05:38It now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.
05:42The castle has a quadrangular plan, on a site across the city's walls.
05:46The wall, which once faced the countryside north of Milan,
05:49has square towers and an ogival gate.
05:51This was once accessed through a drawbridge.
05:53The northern tower is known as the Torre dell'Accord
05:56and its counterpart to the west, the Torre del Tesoro.
05:59Both received wide windows during the Sforza age.
06:02The external side which once faced a walled city is two round towers,
06:06commissioned by Francesco Sforza to replace the former square ones,
06:10which had become less suitable to defend against fire weapons.
06:13The central tower, called the Torre del Filarit, is a modern reconstruction.
06:18The round towers lost their upper parts under the Austrians,
06:21who needed open space for their artillery.
06:23The tower's present-day upper sections are newly reconstructions.
06:27The Torre del Filarit and the Porta del Santo Spirito,
06:30located further to the south, are both preceded by a ravelin.
06:34Number 4. Pinacocca di Brera
06:36The Pinacocca di Brera is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan.
06:40It contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings
06:44and outgrowth of the cultural program of the Brera Academy,
06:47which shares the site in the Palazzo Brera.
06:49Along with a library and observatory,
06:51it contains the Pinacocca di Brera, one of Italy's finest art museums.
06:56Much of the art was acquired as churches closed or were demolished
06:59and the museum is especially strong in paintings by Northern Italian masters.
07:03As you enter through the courtyard,
07:05you'll see an 1809 monument to Napoleon I by the sculptor Canova.
07:09The gallery is housed in the Palazzo di Brera,
07:12an 18th-century neoclassical structure that was originally built
07:16from plans by Francesco Maria Rechino as a Jesuit college.
07:20The same building also houses the Academy of Fine Arts,
07:23founded in 1776, and the Braden's National Library, founded in 1770.
07:29The museum's holdings consist mainly of Italian paintings
07:32from the Quattrocento 15th century to the Rococo period 18th century.
07:36It has especially rich collections of Venetian
07:38and Lombard paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
07:41Number 5. Opera House
07:43The theater was inaugurated on 3 August 1778
07:47and was originally known as the Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala,
07:52New Royal Ducal Theater alla Scala.
07:54The premier performance was Antonio Saleri's Europa Reconoscita.
07:58Most of it Italy's greatest operatic artist,
08:01and many of the finest singers from around the world have appeared at La Scala.
08:05The theater is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theaters globally.
08:10It is home to the La Scala Theater Chorus, La Scala Theater Ballet,
08:14La Scala Theater Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Adella Scala Orchestra.
08:19The theater also has an associate school,
08:21known as the La Scala Theater Academy, which offers professional training in music,
08:26dance, stagecraft, and stage management.
08:29The theater seats 2,800 people and very demanding in Italy.
08:33The best way of getting tickets is through your hotel concierge,
08:36but it's worth checking at the box office.
08:38If there is not a rehearsal in theater,
08:40the museum allows to see the inside of the opera house.
08:43Number 6. Spend an Evening in Navigli
08:46In the southwest of the city lies the increasingly popular area known as Navigli.
08:51Its series of canals were designed by the great Leonardo da Vinci on a visit to Milan.
08:56Which unsurprisingly makes for one of the most picturesque places in the city.
08:59The area has become popular with independent design shops,
09:03as well as many great restaurants and bars.
09:06This is a great area for aperitivo.
09:08A traditional Italian custom of sharing small plates and drinks,
09:12cocktail bar and Trattoria Madonena are some of the best places for aperitivo.
09:16Even if you only have a short time in Milan, aperitivo on the Navigli is a must.
09:21Especially for the young people who frequent the canal-side cafes,
09:25and music clubs, Naviglio is one of the top things to do in Milan at night.
09:30Although it's the most active in the evening,
09:32go in the daytime for the boutiques and artist workshops,
09:35and for the restaurants and frequent festivals held here.
09:38Number 7. Parco Sempione
09:40The English-style landscape of Parco Sempione is a good place to rest your eyes
09:45after they've overdosed on stone and architecture and to wander the curving pathways.
09:49Walkers, joggers, local office workers with their lunches,
09:53and parents with children until all enjoy the park.
09:56In the summer, concerts are held here.
09:58At the entrance is the monumental Arco della Pace, Peace Arch,
10:02and towering high above the park is the Tor Branco,
10:05designed by famed architect Gioponte in 1933.
10:08On a clear day, views of Milan and the Alps are spectacular.
10:12If you like Art Nouveau,
10:14be sure to see the fanciful aquarium pavilion at the Via Gaudio edge of the park.
10:19Number 8. Cemetery Monumento
10:21The Cemetery Monumento is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, Italy,
10:25the other one being the Cemetery Maggiore.
10:28It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments.
10:31Designed by the architect Carlo Massicini,
10:34it was planned to consolidate a number of small cemeteries
10:37that used to be scattered around the city into a single location.
10:40Officially opened in 1866,
10:43it has since then been filled with a wide range of contemporary
10:46and classical Italian sculptures as well as Greek temples.
10:49Elaborate Obelisk, another original work such as a scaled-down version of the Trajan's Column.
10:54Many of the tombs belong to noted industrialist dynasties
10:58and were designed by artists such as Adolfo Wilde,
11:01Gio Pagni, Arturo Martini, Eugenio Fabri,
11:04Lucio Fentana, Medardo Rosso,
11:07Giacomo Manzu, Florino Bedini, and Gio Pomodoro.
11:11Number 9. Modern Art Gallery
11:13The emphasis is on Italian art from 19th-century romanticism
11:17to post-Impressionist,
11:19but the collections are far broader with works by Renoir,
11:22Picasso, Mattis, Walt, Modigliani, Duffy, and Vuilla.
11:27There is an extensive group of neoclassical sculpture by Canova and his contemporaries.
11:32On the grounds are an English-style garden and a botanic garden,
11:35and adjoining it are the lawns, flower gardens,
11:38and playgrounds of the public gardens.
11:40Also adjoining the Giardini Pubblici is the Museo Civicotti,
11:44or a natural museum of natural history,
11:47where the biodiversity of the Earth is shown in nearly 100 detailed dioramas.
11:51Especially strong is the Paleontology section,
11:54highlighted by a spectacular Pliosaurus hanging from the ceiling.
11:57Number 10. Trinale di Milano
11:59The Trinale di Milano is a design and art museum in the Parco Sempione in Milan.
12:04It is housed in the Palazzo dell'Arte,
12:06which was designed by Giovanni Musio and built between 1931 and 1933.
12:12Construction was financed by Antonio Bernacchi and his brothers Andrea and Michelle.
12:17A permanent museum of Italian design, the Trinale Design Museum was opened in 2007.
12:23It hosts design, architecture, and the visual, scenic, and performing arts.
12:28The building houses a theater, the Teatro dell'Arte, which was also designed by Musio.
12:33Number 11. Sant'Ambrogio
12:35The Church of Sant'Ambrogio was founded in 386 by Saint Ambrose,
12:39who was born in Milan and is the city's patron saint.
12:42The present church is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture,
12:46built in the 12th century around the choir from an earlier 9th-century church.
12:50There's a lot to see here, beginning with the large portico, also from the 9th century,
12:55and the atrium, whose carved stone capitals and
12:58portal rank it high among Europe's best examples of the Romanesque period.