Milan is a city synonymous with fashion, culture, and chic living. The masterpiece Duomo di Milano cathedral soars toward the sky, with the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II nearby for upscale shopping (or, more likely, awed window-shopping!)
As we mentioned in our guide to Lake Como, Milan feels so different to other places in Italy we’ve visited. While we enjoyed spending a day here en route back to Amsterdam, it’s definitely not our favorite Italian city, and we’re not sure we’ll prioritize going back.
However, if you’re spending some time in the Lake Como area and have a free day available, absolutely consider taking a day trip to Milan, or stopping there for a few hours prior to heading back to Malpensa. You can take the train directly from Como Lago to Milano Cadorna, which drops you off right by Sforzesco Castle in central Milan. The train takes about an hour, and it only costs 4 euros– totally worth it.
We were able to squeeze in almost all of the city’s biggest attractions in a half day, as well as stop for a leisurely lunch. And, of course, gelato.
If you only have a half-day or so in the city, you can visit the following attractions and have plenty of time to head back to the train station:
When the train drops you off at Milano Cadorna, you’re a mere few blocks from a fantastic medieval fortress, whose original walls date back to the 14th century. The Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, rebuilt it in the 15th century, and enlargements in subsequent centuries led to it at one point being considered one of Europe’s largest citadels. You can walk around inside its walls to your heart’s content for free, or visit the museums inside.
2. Arco della Pace
On the other side of Sempione Park from the Castello Sforzesco is the Porta Sempione, which leads out to the eponymous Quartiere Sempione and is home to a triumphal arch– Arco della Pace. While this has been the location of city walls since Roman times, its current iteration dates back roughly to Napoleonic times, and leads out of the city to the Passo del Sempione, which traverses the Alps.
3. Brera District
Design lovers, this area is for you! Home to prestigious art gallery Pinacoteca di Brera and lots of fashion boutiques, there is great window-shopping here, and it’s a great example of how chic Milan is, day or night.
4. Il Duomo
It goes without saying that you absolutely must visit Il Duomo when you’re in Milan. At risk of sounding trite, it’s almost more than your eyes can take in! Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente (or “Marymas,” the Catholic feast of the birth of St. Mary), it also serves as the metropolitan cathedral of Milan and the seat of the Archbishop of Milan.
Amazingly, Il Duomo took over 600 years to finish. Despite construction beginning in the late 1300s, the finishing touches weren’t put on until 1965. Perhaps this is what led to its fascinating mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Due to its massive size and the crowds always visiting, it can be challenging to get a good photo– however, if you wait long enough, you can usually snap one or two without people.
Fun fact: with St. Peter’s Basilica technically being in sovereign Vatican City, Il Duomo is considered the largest church in Italy, despite being smaller than St. Peter’s.
5. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Dating back to the 1860s, the Galleria is the oldest shopping center in Italy. Named after the first king of unified Italy, it’s a sumptuous, lavish place connecting Il Duomo to Teatro La Scala. While chances are most of us won’t be doing too much shopping there, just walking through is an experience. We loved looking at the smaller details, such as the cool mosaics, as well as marveling at the huge dome and super high ceilings.
6. Teatro la Scala
Dating back to 1778, La Scala is one of the premier opera houses in the world, and has hosted most of the world’s most famous opera singers at various points during their careers.
Built on what used to be a Gothic church called Santa Maria alla Scala (where it gets its name), we have to admit that the outside of the theatre is a bit of a letdown– it’s quite plain, and you may miss it if you didn’t know it was there. However, we are hoping to see an opera there on our next visit, as photos of the interior look absolutely stunning.
There’s also a museum on the premises, Museo Teatrale alla Scala, with loads of opera memorabilia and photos of the history of the theatre.
7. Starbucks Roastery Milano
It may seem out of character for us to recommend a Starbucks anywhere, especially one in Europe… and it is! However, the Starbucks Roastery locations are actually quite neat to visit. Between the two of us, we’ve visited 4 of the 6 locations– Chicago, Milan, Seattle, and Tokyo– and they’re all really fun, despite being quite touristy.
Milan’s is located in the gorgeous Palazzo Delle Poste building on Piazza Cordusio, and is supposed to be an homage to espresso, one of Italy’s biggest (but certainly not only!) contributions to coffee culture.
Really, it’s just fun to wander around here– you can see the huge roasters, and it’s a good place for a bathroom-and-wifi break. The pastries and sweets definitely looked tempting, but we decided to save our treat for a local gelato place.
8. Pick a museum!
Depending on your tastes, you can visit Palazzo della Ragione Fotografia; Gallerie d’Italia; Poldi Pezzoli Museum; or Biblioteca Pinacoteca Accademia Ambrosiana, all near Zone 1.
Note: da Vinci’s Last Supper mural is housed at Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is about a 20-minute walk from the other sites, and necessitates advance tickets (and, by extension, advance planning.) Since our trip was spontaneous, we were not able to get tickets. If this is something you really want to see, you may have to plan ahead a bit more.
We hope you enjoyed this cobbled-together guide to a few hours in Milan! We weren’t planning to visit, which made it a very spontaneous experience, but if you’re in the Lake Como area and have a bit of time, you definitely should.
Be on the lookout for our guides to Rome, coming soon! We’re also hoping to do a road trip in Sicily in a few months, and are really looking forward to sharing that with you all. You can pin this guide for later here or click below, and follow along on our adventures on Instagram.
