Milan holidays

Popular holidays

Fashion, food, and picturesque lakes in easy reach – Milan city breaks certainly aren’t lacking in variety.

Milan city breaks

Think ‘Italy city breaks’, and you’ll probably picture Rome or Venice. But, Milan should definitely come higher in your consideration – there’s loads going on in The Boot’s second-biggest city. Fashion and shopping are a given here, but did you know about the city’s arts and culture scene? We’re talking da Vinci paintings, centuries-old churches, and one of the most famous opera houses in the world.

Forefront of fashion

When it comes to fashion, Milan’s been at the top of the game for decades, alongside the big global fashion capitals, New York, London and Paris. Here, high streets can feel more like catwalks ¬– strut along Via Monte Napoleone, for example, and you’ll pass Armani, Versace and Gucci, to name a few. And if you time your trip right, you can be in town for the iconic Milan Fashion Week – the winter event takes place in February and the summer one’s in September.

Among the arts

Florence and Rome might be the heavyweights of Italy’s arts scene, but Milan more than holds its own. Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper mural is the city’s most famous artwork, and you’ll find it still in its original home in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in the city centre. And it’s not just paintings that steal the show here. La Scala is one of the world’s leading opera and ballet theatres, and its list of past performers reads like a who’s who of the great and the good from the classical music world, from Luciano Pavarotti to Plácido Domingo.

Daytrips to the lakes

Museums, mooched. Architecture, admired. Food, feasted on. If you fancy a break from the city, Italy’s famous lakes are pretty close by. In fact, there are 60-odd direct trains a day that get you to the nearest, Lake Como, in under an hour. One-way tickets are as cheap as a fiver, freeing up more dosh for lunch on the water’s edge.

Popular hotels in Milan

Top things to see and do in Milan

Shopping

Bargain buys

While the city centre’s dripping with designer labels, the Navigli neighbourhood’s just a short walk away. Vintage clothes shops and a monthly flea market rule the roost here, and the price tags are a little more wallet-friendly.

Mid-range buys

The Corso Vittorio Emanuele II shopping street pulls right up alongside the cathedral in the city centre, and it’s filled with your favourite high-street brands like H&M and Zara.

Designer buys

The Golden Rectangle’s in a league of its own when it comes to designer shops. The likes of Gucci, Cartier, Fendi and Prada are all boxed into this bundle of four streets in the city centre, and there’s even an Armani nightclub in amongst it all.

Nightlife

Laid-back evenings

The Brera district’s home to smart lounges and trendy wine bars, which are ideal for low-key after-dark drinks.

Lively evenings

The Navigli neighbourhood’s criss-crossed with canals, and some of the city’s liveliest live music venues, bars and nightclubs can be found dotted along the water’s edge.

Food & drink

Minestrone Milanese

Milan has its own take on this classic Italian soup. Rice replaces pasta, and veggies vary depending on what’s in season. A cold version’s on the menu during the summer months, too, which will keep you cool while temperatures are soaring.

Risotto alla Milanese

Risotto’s a staple across Italy, and every region has its own take on the creamy rice dish. Chefs in Milan chuck in saffron to give it a yellowy colour, and use beef stock instead of chicken. The rest is as you’d expect – onions, shallots, a splash of white wine, and parmesan cheese.

Panettone

This sweet bread pops up at dinner tables across the world come Christmastime, and it has its roots firmly fixed in Italy. Where exactly it originates from isn’t certain, but the locals here will tell you it’s definitely a Milanese invention.

Gorgonzola

Cheese fans will want to try out this blue-veined version, which hails from northern Italy. There are two versions you can try – dolce, which has a sweet and creamy taste, or picante, which has a spicy kick to it.

Piadina

This tortilla-style snack’s a lunchtime favourite for locals on the go. The flatbread used is slightly thicker than its Mexican equivalent, but it’s stuffed with similar fillings, like meats, cheese and vegetables, before it’s cooked on an electric griddle.

Facts about Milan

Currency

Euro

(EUR)

Language

Italian

Time zone

GMT +1

Flight duration

2 to 3 hours 30 minutes from Dublin