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A Beautiful short stay in Milan

When we to Milan, we went to Milan by train as we wanted to see the beautiful scenery of the italian alps and the Swiss alps. When we think of Milan, fashion and finance usually comes to mind, and it is Italy’s banking and fashion capital”. which leads me to mention that it is an expensive city.

Although it is underrated at times, I think it is a very cool and fun city. Milan is part of the most rich and populated region in Italy. It is a very fast-paced city and that is where it got its name of "Italian Manhattan". What is good to know about Milan is that it is a very compact city. The true “city center” of Milan, where almost all the tourist sights are, isn’t even quite two miles from one end to the other. And that is why I would highly suggest that you stay near the city center as you can easily take a tram andor metro and within few minutes you are at the main square, giving you easy access to everything you’ll want to see and do in Milan.

Talking about getting around in Milan, we bought our Milano Card from the Train Station. The card gives you free transportation like most city cards do, but as well as two taxis rides and of course free entries and discounts to the major attractions. Again, you can buy it for upto three consecutive days. My personal experience was ok and not the best as other city cards have worked better for our travel situation, but it is definitely great for getting around town.

Tip: Only buy the card once you reach Milan, because if you buy online and choose the train station as the place to pick up your card, it will be a real hassle, since it is not easy to find the place and you will probably lose a lot time at the train station instead of saving any. If you like to buy before hand, best to choose the pick up location as the airport.

Day 1

Breakfast at Duomo cafe

Our breakfast couldnt be better. We found our breakfast place within a few minutes walk from the hotel, towards the city center. We made this place our ultimate breakfast place for the whole time we were in Milan. Yes that is how good the location of this cafe was as well as the coffee and Cannoli! I would recommend if you are staying near...

Duomo Cathedral

After breakfast, as the location of our hotel was awesome, right near the city center, we made our way to Duomo. When I reached in front of this Gothic Cathedral, my jaws litterally dropped. And WOW, I have never seen such a beautifully designed cathedral! No wonder Milan is also known for design and architecture, there was just so much detailed work on this cathedral, that it is absolutely stunning. This church is definitely different from the ones I have seen before.

The cathedral was in built 1386 and 1577 and it took nearly six centuries to be completed, and the time it took to make it is definitely justified in the structure of the Cathedral. I can imagine why it took so long. The cathedral is well worth the visit inside as well. What is great about this cathedral is it is right in the city center, where almost all the tourist sights are.

Tip: It is absolutely free to visit the Cathedral. If you are going to go on the roof of the church, make your way there earlier in the day, as it gets really packed. There are stairs you can take or else there is an option for elevator (expensive fare). On a clear day you can get really stunning views of the city. We went went on a cloudy day. Also, I would like to mention here that there are a lot of tourist traps, so be careful. And do not buy any selfie stick from the vendors, as the one I bought broke after literally 5 minutes!

You can see the food trucks available in the city center, it is just a very cool place to hang out all day

This is what the Duomo Square looks like, all day. Tons of tourists just wander here all day, since all the major attractions are near this square

Hop on Hop off

This time, we decided to discover the city with hop on hop off buses. The buse's main stop is in the city center right in front of Duomo and they are very accessible. When we saw those buses, we decided to jump on one of them right away! We got to see many places around, different rich areas of Milan as well as their pretty developped Business district.

The reason why it is good, is you get to see pretty much the whole city, specially if you are there for only one day for example. We even got to see Chinatown and other places which we would have never made the effort going ourselves. Buses depart from right in front of the cathedral Duomo. I will be showing you the sights you get to see from the Hop on Hop off later in this post.

Tip: I would highly recommend the hop on hop off for Milan. There are three routes in total and each route takes about an hour to hour and half to complete. You get 48 hours with the purchase of the ticket which is around 20-30 euros, and the tickets can be bought on the bus. And of course the audio commentary is several languages.

Lunch at Luini Panzerotti

At the city center of Milan, you can spend your whole day there without feeling it. It is basically where tourists start their day and end the day. So we thought of grabbing a bite nearby. We were in a mood for authentic milanese fast food, and there couldnt be a better place than Luini Panzerotti, so we made our way to the restaurant.

It is not a sit down place, but the best place for Panzerotti. We like them so much, that we went there all three days we were in Milan!

Panzerotti is basically a sweet and spongy piece of flat bread that has a layer of mozzarella and tomato as a filling and been deep fried. It is really worth a try.

Tip: This is right in the city center, very well located. At anytime, you go, you will most likely see line ups, that is how popular this restaurant is. If you are travelling on a budget here, then this will be an ideal lunch, since they roughly cost around 2.50 euros, and fill you up.

There is never a better time to go for this delicious Milanese fast food. The line ups are to be expected all day long!

Ice cream for dessert at Cioccolati Italiani

Ok, I am sure you guys had already imagined that for dessert, it will definitely be Gelato if we were in mood for italian desserts. And if you are there and get the cravings for Gelato, (even if you are not in a mood, you probably would want to get some, when you see everyone around with a cup gelato in their hands) you will see an endless amount of ice cream parlors! We were already at Luini Panzerotti, so we decided to go for ice cream right in the same corner.

We saw one with a huge queue, Cioccolati Italiani so thought to check it out. This parlor is night next to Duomo. The line was long but we got served very quickly. After having our gelato, we were not dissapointed by it at all. This place has tons of choices, I would highly recommend it.

Tip: If you like pistachios, make sure you get your gelato here! It is delicious to the power of infinity. It was only 4 euros for 3 scoops. Yummy! So far this is my favourite gelato place in Italy. And dont be discouraged about the line up, it goes really quick!

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

After dessert, we thought of taking a stroll in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This galleria was built between 1865 and 1877 and is located right next to Duomo Cathedral. The galleria is stunning, and one of the oldest shopping malls in the world. The glass dome roof and mosaic marble flooring are very interesting and beautiful. The galleria is full of expensive designer clothing shops and restaurants, as well as art.

The roof is a Glass dome roof and the floor mosaic marble floor are very interesting. It may be the most gorgeous mall you have ever seen, so it is definitely worth the visit.

Tip: I would not recommend this mall for actual shopping, unless you are looking for luxury shopping of designer clothes. Like most people walking inside the galleria and doing window shopping, it is well worth the visit if you want to see another building with ancient architecture.

Wandering in the square

After walking through this mall, I was tempted to buy name brand clothes. This is what happens to me all the time, when I walk in posh malls everywhere we travel. So we saw the Ferrari store and decided nothing could be better than a ferrari t-shirt as a souvenir from Italy. So my husband had to loosen his wallet here...but it was worth it because it was my first european gift (after we have moved to Europe) from him that I will always remember. Sometimes, its small things like that that stay with you forever.

Ferrari shop worth the visit

It is really fun wandering in the streets of Milan and checking out the name brand stores from around the world, there is even a sephora there! (I was excited to see one, finally, since there are none in switzerland)

Some more hop on hop off

After walking through the streets to discover what was around us, we went for some more hop on hop off.

Piazza Missori Sqaure, San Giovanni in Conca Basilica, Ruins

This structure is basically a needle pulling thread through fabric and represents a train going through a tunnel. And the three different colors represent Milan's metro lines. Pretty cool way to represent the city!

Dont forget to get off the bus time to time and check out the stops by foot, best way to explore the city!

Milans business district at night

Supper time: Aperitivo in Milan

After a long time of hop on hop off, we decided to make a move for supper. You are probably aware of this special moment every evening that visitors and Milanese themselves enjoy the most. Italy's happiest hours called Aperitivo (happy hour) starts from about 6pm, and the best part is with a purchase of a drink you are entitled to help yourself from a bountiful spread of pizzas, bread, pasta, vegetables, meat and a lot more. Milan has clearly defined areas for happy hour: Corso Como, Corso Sempione and the Navigli area. We were in Corso Como, so we had a chance to experience this occasion.

When we were deciding where do we want to eat, we saw a line up of restaurants with waiters trying to catch our attention so that we choose their restaurant over a ton of others. It is a pretty cool concept I find, during this early-evening gathering, locals and visitors alike sip on a cocktail, nibble on some small bites and enjoy good company and conversation.

So we went ahead and chose our spot. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but to be honest, they all pretty much serve the same food! And we were quiet hungry, so it didnt take us long at all to just go ahead and choose one!

Tip: If you are low on budget, this is the way to go. The drinks may be a bit more expensive than they normally would be, but the buffets are free and literally all you can eat. So dont miss out on this oppurtunity. We dont drink alcohol, so we had virgin drinks the whole time.

For my indian friends: At the beginning of Corso Sempione, just next to the Arco della Pace, the Bhangrabar offers one of the best aperitivo in town. With an oriental flavor, some indian influence also in the buffet, and good cocktails at an affordable price (€10 including the abundant buffet), the buffet is free with the purchase of a 10 Euro drink. We were a bit away from this bar, and really hungry at the time, so couldnt make it, but if you are in Milan, it is not to be missed. We will make sure we try it out next time we are in Milan!

The Bhangra Bar I was talking about

Time for pizza and lasagnas late supper

After taking a long walk near the Duomo square, we started making our way to the hotel. But we didnt have enough food, it was finger food after all, and my husband was really in a mood for GOOD pizza, and myself, well I am obsessed with lasagna. I mean if you are in Italy, you cant leave the country without their national dishes! So near the bhangra bar, we spotted a place for pizza called Pizza OK. And so we decided to check it out. The pizza was huge and awesome just like we expected it! And well lasagna was a normal portion, but very good. It was a very relaxing place with a view of the Arc, just what we needed after a long day.

Tip: I would recommend this place if you are in a mood for a huge portions in terms of pizza, we even had leftovers.

City at night

After all this food, we needed to take a long walk and just discover Milan a little bit ourselves.

Back to our hotel

With this we finally took the metro and made our way to the hotel.

Day 2

Parco Sempione

Since you know our favourite place for breakfast, it is needless to say we had our breakfast there again. We decided to take a stroll in the park sempione since the park will lead us to our next destination, Sforza Castle.

This park, amonst others is very big and right in the middle of the city, including an aquarium, sports stadium, Napoleonic arch, and even a medieval castle (which is the one I mentioned earlier, Sforza castle). In this park, you will see people relax for hours, people jogging, having picnics or reading a book. On a hot sunny day, this place gets packed with tourists.

We wanted to start our day away from the tourist hotspot, and there couldnt be a better way. So we just took a long walk and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and definitely saw less tourists in the park.

The parks has Arco della Pace (Arch of peace) on one end, and Sforza castle on the other end. So these two landmarks cannot be missed by anyone. If you have been in the Duomo Square for too long, head to this park for a quick battery recharge.

Tips: This place is geat for having picnics, and relaxation. I would highly recommend it for a break from the Duomo square

Here, you can see the castle on the other end of the park

Arco della Pace

Sforza Castle

We slowly started making our way to Sforza castle. This castle was built in 15th century by Francesco Sforza. The Sforza castle played an important role in the history of Milan, serving as a fortress and barracks during various military confrontations. The castle now houses 12 civic museums. Among the items on display are Michelangelo’s last sculpture, the Rondanini Pieta, and da Vinci’s Codex Trivulzianus manuscript. Each room has a fact sheet you can take away and they are available in several languages.

This castle is great for continuing your stroll from the park, since this pretty medieval castle boasts a beautiful garden and the original moat that surrounded medieval Milan. That is why I found this castle to be unlike any other. This castle is right in the middle of the city just 10 minutes walking distance from Duomo. So I would highly recommend this castle to visit.

Tip: This castle is absolutely free to walk through its grounds., though the museum admission costs 3 euros. Just beware and careful with the people hanging around trying to put bands round your wrist and expect you to buy.

You can see how beautiful it is inside, nice to take a walk and slowly discover the castle. It even has a ponds and flowers!

Back to Hop on Hop off

After lunch we made our way to the Duomo square again. We hopped on the bus and did more sight seeing. We even found a supermarket in one of the neighbourhoods. This is a great way to find out things about the city, you would never imagine they have. We saw some other churches and museums along the way such as Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, etc.

Tip: Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list, and contains the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. No one should go to Milan and miss the last supper. Dont be unlucky like us, we thought that we can simply go to the church and buy our tickets on the spot, but we were told, you have to book the tickets months in advance. So this incomplete visit is for our next trip to Milan.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

During this trip to Milan, we just got to spoil ourselves with the picture in the entrance of the church, better luck next time!

We got to see some cool stuff in the middle of the city when hopping on and hopping off.

Does anyone know what this represents?

Corso Como Camicissima Sewing Machine, some continuation of needles and fabric, pretty cool in the middle of the city!

Lunch at Il Kaimano

After some sightseeing we made our way to Ristorante Pizzeria Il Kaimano for lunch. You can tell from the picture below, we didnt have enough pizza last night so we went for more. This restaurant is a ten minute walk from Sforza castle. This restaurant has a a better choice for pizzas than the one at Pizza Ok. I would recommend it to you. The restuarnt is very cute and cozy.

Brera district

After lunch, we decided to go to the Brera district which is another ten minutes from Ristorante Il Kaimano. This district is a very fun place, lots of cafes and bars, and we found the crowd to be younger than other places we visted in Milan. We found really great small boutiques of all sorts, rather a chic and fashionable neighbourhood. Unfortunately, we had lunch already, or else this place seemed perfect for lunch, as it has a lot of cute cafes and restaurants for lunch and or supper. This place is very close to the Duomo square, so you will definitely be able to check it out without making any extra efforts.

Tip: This district is not to be missed, I wish I couldve gone back for an aperitivo here as well! This district is much calmer than other districts we visited, perfect for wandering the streets without the constant noise. We even saw street markets in this district as well.

Navigli district

We continued the hop on hop off and for the evening we got to see this lovely district called Navigli. Navigli is an Italian word for ships or canals, so you can guess where this going. Ok, these canalas are nothing like Venice or even Amsterdam. The Navigli district of Milan has two canals, Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese. Pavese is one that is actually designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself! This district is full of cute shops, small art galleries, and charming restaurants and cafes. We went there for our supper in the evening, and most definitely there couldnt be a better time than an evening to go check out this district. Usually when we see canals, we know right away that the particular neighborhood is well-known for its nightlife. Even though it isnt comparable to canals in Amsterdam, because of the lights all refelecting on the water, it is pretty to check out the district at night.

So after wandering the streets to first check out the area we were in, we decided to go for authentic Milanese food.

This area is home to some of the most highly-rated restaurants in the country. We decided to go to El Brellin, since it was reviewed the best. The restaurant was somewhat elegant, I liked it. In terms of food, well I didnt want to leave Milan without tasting their national dish. I ordered Risotto Milanese and my husband ordered lamb shank. The risotto was amazing, I still remember how good it was. So good, that I make it at home sometimes. This restaurant was very well worth the visit. I would highly recommend it, if you visit the Navigli.

Tip: If you are there in the summer, dont miss the chance of taking a boat tour on the canals. We went in the colder months of Spring.