In Milan, only 25 people at the time, can see the
most famous painting in the world, the mysterious Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. If you want to
be one of them, you need to plan ahead, and I will show you how. In this Milan Travel Guide we will
look at main attractions, when is the best time to visit, where to stay, how many days to spend, best
ways to get around Milan and much more. Hi guys, I’m Rok and I’m a tour guide and I can’t wait
to share with you the best Milan Travel Tips. First, main attractions. Torre Branca is the
highest point of Milan offering one of the best views. Next is Leonardo Da Vinci and one of the
best museums dedicated to him is Leonardo3 Museum, full of daVinci's machines. Here is also
one of the largest science and technology museums in Europe and it also includes a
collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines. As Milan is also a city of fashion, it has
stunningly beautiful and world's oldest shopping mall. Even graveyards are fashionable as Cimitero
Monumentale looks like an open air gallery. Brera Art Gallery holds one of Italy’s finest
Renaissance and Baroque art collections. One of the landmarks is also a Sforzesco Castle. Here is
also the most famous opera theatre in the world, Teatro alla Scala. Famous painting Last Supper
is in a dining hall of the monastery complex of Santa Maria delle Grazie. But the most
impressive landmark of Milan is the Cathedral, the largest church in Italy, that took nearly six
centuries to complete. Besides main attractions Milan is full of charming neighborhoods with
restaurants and bars serving famous aperitif that was invented here. But before you start packing,
let’s check when is the best time to visit. While Milan is worth visiting all year, the
most popular months are July and August, but those are actually the worst. Tourist crowds
are peaking and it gets very hot and there are better options. Milan has four distinct seasons
and while it's humid year round, in summertime the moist air is accompanied by high temperatures.
On the other hand, winters are very cold and foggy thanks to the vicinity of the Alps. Much better
options than sweaty summer or foggy winter are spring and autumn. Absolute best Spring months
are April and May. Average daytime temperatures climb into the 60s and 70s with a mix of sunny
and rainy days. Best Autumn month is October as in September the city is sold out due to its
world famous Fashion Week and November can already get cold. Still, if you end up visiting Milan in
summer, plan well in advance, including booking your tickets, restaurants and accommodation.
Speaking of accommodation, what are the best places to stay in Milan and how expensive is it?
It can get tricky balancing between accommodation price and value if you don’t know the city. Zone
1 of Milan, also known as the historical center, includes most attractions and offers
several good accommodation areas. If budget is not a problem, the very central
part around the Cathedral known as Duomo is the best accommodation area. Here are the most
elegant buildings, many sightseeing and shopping opportunities. Right next to the Cathedral is
an elegant shopping mall with high end brands, and next to it is the oldest shopping gallery.
East and South are shopping streets and within a walking distance are many attractions, museums,
galleries and world famous Opera House. Traffic is restricted and despite good public transport and
taxi service, you will need to do some walking. But this great location comes with a price tag. In
summer a four star hotel room is between 180 and 480 euro, while AirBnb starts from 160 euro,
and the prices average at around 250 euro. Another good accommodation area is just northwest
of the Duomo known as Brera District. It is a pedestrian only quarter with beautiful palaces and
houses, cobbled streets and artistic vibe. It has beautiful shops and lots of good and stylish
restaurants creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. If you are shopping for jewellery and
antiques this is the place. Here is also the most important art gallery in the city. Unfortunately
there aren’t many hotels available, but there are some apartments ranging from 135 to 400 euro.
More affordable areas are two neighborhoods on the northern edge of the historical centre called
Chinatown and Sempione. Close by is a major railway station and attractions like Cimitero
Monumentale, Arch of Peace, Sforzesco Castle and Sempione Park. There are also some great bars and
clubs and a wide variety of hotels and apartments. In summer a four star hotel room is between 90
and 250 euro. An AirBnb starts from 90 euro, and the prices average at around 170 euro.
My favorite area is just outside of Zone 1, a historical area around the canals known
as Navigli. It offers a relaxed atmosphere with lots of aperitivo bars, restaurants,
antique shops and vintage clothing stores. It is a popular area to hangout and to experience
nightlife. In summer a four star hotel room is between 220 and 420 euro. An AirBnb starts from 90
euro, and the prices average at around 180 euro. Now that you are familiar with the best
accommodation areas you must decide how many nights to book. In the high season many hotels
and Air Bnb’s have a minimum stay requirement of 2 nights. To see just the main highlights
around Duomo and experience some high end shopping without visiting museums and galleries,
then one full day could be enough. However, to experience 12 main attractions from my video
Things to Do In Milan you would need at least two very long full days. However as Milan is
a big city with many beautiful attractions, museums, galleries, restaurants and
bars you should plan for 3 full days. You can fly into one of three Milan airports, well
connected by European and International Airlines. For private transfers around the city you can
use Uber or taxi. All taxis are white and can be picked up from dedicated taxi stands.
You can call a taxi using a Wetaxi app, linked in the description, or ask your restaurant
or hotel to call one for you. Otherwise getting around the historic center is manageable. A walk
from one end to the other takes about an hour. You can use various e-scooters and public bike
sharing called BikeMi run by the city. BikeMi app lets you find the station near you and unlock and
use a bike for a daily subscription of 4,5 euro, more info in the link below. Public transport has
a decent network of trams, buses and a very useful underground metro system, all using the same
ticket. Tickets are available at every metro station, at tobacconists or newsagents where a
single ride ticket costs 2 euro. You can also use your phone and ATM Milano Official App, linked in
the description below. Ticket must be stamped and only then it is valid for 90 minutes. During its
validation period you can combine more vehicles and multiple entries on the subway. There are also
One Day Tickets for 7 euro and Three Days Tickets for 12 euro. All tickets must also be validated
when leaving the metro station. Popular way to see Milan attractions is also the Hop on-Hop
off bus that runs all year and has three lines. Remember Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper?
It’s painted on the wall of a monastery and it is very fragile. To preserve it, a constant
room temperature is required and the entry is restricted to only 25 people every 15 minutes. But
considering millions of tourists in Milan it is actually very easy to get the ticket.
You don’t need to book it years ahead, not even months ahead, but exactly two months
before you go to Milan. On the official website, link in the description, booking reservations open
up every two months for the following two months, in order to prevent long waiting lists. If you
forgot to book ahead, you can try your luck with guided tours as sometimes they have some spots
left. I will link them in the description below. Much cheaper, but also a great Milan experience is
a tram ride. Most trams have been modernized, but there are still some old school ones worth hopping
on and have a blast. You can also save on museum entrances if you visit them on the first Sunday of
each month, when civic museums are free of charge. My last tip is about tipping. Some places will
include a service tip in the bill, so look out for Servizio on your bill. When you don’t see
it, leave a 10 to 15% tip for great service, whereas in cafés, leaving the spare change is
adequate. For the best Milan experience I made a list of my favourite tours available in the
description below. To learn more about the best things to do in Milan check my video in the top
corner. Thanks for watching and see you next time.
