Milan, the fashion and financial capital of Italy. Sounds pricey, right? It doesn’t need to be. Read on for a perfect day and a half itinerary of the city where you will spend money only if you decide to. This is a walking tour, so no money spend on transportation, you would need to spend money on food anywhere you would be, however, I do want to state here that I am not responsible for any money spent on Italian clothes or shoes. 😉
Quadrillatero della Moda
I started exploring Milan in the center and firstly walked around Quadrillatero della Moda; the fashion district where you can find all the top designers stores in Milan. A trick for those who don’t intent to buy anything: I went there in the morning, before the stores open, and I had the perfect window-shopping without the crowds in my way.
La Scala – Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – Piazza del Duomo
Then I continued past opera La Scala into Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The architecture of this building is breathtaking; inside you can again find expensive fashion stores. Next to the gallery there is the Duomo, huge cathedral that is worth taking a moment to admire. Its beautiful also at night. At the Piazza del Duomo there is also the statue of Italian king Vittorio Emanuelle II and the Royal Palace.
University of Milan – Colonne di San Lorenzo – Porta Ticinese – Navigli
I continued to the University of Milan, beautiful building that I wouldn’t mind having my classes in. Next stop was Colonne di San Lorenzo, ancient roman ruins, and Porta Ticinese, one of many city gates of Milan. Here is also the start of Navigli, the canal district that reminded me of Amsterdam. You can walk by Naviglio Grande, have a lunch in one of the restaurants or poke around the vintage market. And walking here don’t forget to admire the yellow trams.
Castello Sforzesco – Parco Sempione
Half an hour walk away is another must see place – the marvelous castle Castello Sforzesco and behind it Parco Sempione were you can lay on the grass and enjoy the sunny days.
Food & shopping stop (Skip if you don’t want to spend any money.)
First day I ended with Italian pizza and ice cream in the city center. And yes, I took coffee to go and went shopping. But I choose Via Torino street, which is a bit less crowded than shops around Duomo and it also has stores with prices for everyone.
Piazza Gae Aulenti
The second day I went to explore Porta Nova, Porta Garibaldi and Porta Volta parts of Milan. I was amazed by the skyscrapers at Piazza Gae Aulenti, which is really something to see. One of the surrounding buildings, named Bosco Verticale, which translates to vertical forest, has more than 900 trees on its terraces.
10 Corso Como
I also visited nearby 10 Corso Como store. If designer clothes and interesting books don’t mean a lot to you, you should visit the rooftop garden which offers a great view.
Cimitero Monumentale
If you are in that part of the city, there is just 10 minutes walk to the Cimitero Monumentale, the monumental cemetery filled with big family vaults of old Italian families.
Food stop II (You know the drill.)
Time for a lunch – if you ate pizza yesterday, than today is a pasta day. And you should finish it with great Italian coffee. Try coffee from Panini Durini or just go into one of many cute coffee places that are all around Milan! And I know you will wish to get another ice cream, so I suggest going to Cioccolatitaliani.
A bonus 🙂
Milan is definitely the city that surprises you: its art, architecture, coffee, culture, fashion, food. I am adding pictures of two art forms that show its diversity.
Visited: November 2015
My friends went there and forget to check prices when ordering beer on the main street.
After that, they drink only water all day, they spend all daily budget on that beer 🙁
But like Vanja shows, if you are careful, the visit can be on budget.
Yes, checking the prices in advance also helps save some money! 🙂