Where to actually go in Milan

Luini

Restaurant · Duomo

A bakery famous for panzerotti, fried dough pockets of mozzarella and tomato. A fast, cheap queue.

Best for: a cheap lunch by the Duomo

Best time: lunch

Pizzeria Spontini

Restaurant · several branches

Thick, cheesy pizza by the slice; a Milan institution.

Best for: a cheap slice

Best time: lunch or late

Mercato Centrale Milano

Market · Centrale station

A food hall of Italian stalls inside the main station.

Best for: a cheap group dinner

Best time: dinner

Navigli antiques market

Market · Naviglio Grande

A big monthly antiques and vintage market along the canal.

Best for: a Sunday browse

Best time: last Sunday of the month

Duomo di Milano and the rooftop terraces

Sight · Duomo

The giant marble cathedral; walk among the spires on the roof for the view across the city.

Best for: the essential Milan sight

Price: $ — roughly $25 by stairs, $30 by lift; student reductions exist

Booking: Book a timed pass online.

Best time: late afternoon

The Last Supper (Santa Maria delle Grazie)

Museum · Magenta

Leonardo's mural, seen in small groups for about 15 minutes.

Best for: Leonardo da Vinci

Booking: Tickets release in batches and sell out fast; book on the official site as early as you can.

Best time: any booked slot

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Sight · Duomo

The glass-roofed 19th-century shopping arcade beside the Duomo. Spin on the bull's mosaic for luck. Free.

Best for: a free landmark

Best time: any time

Navigli canals

Area · Navigli

The canal district lined with bars for aperitivo: a drink comes with snacks or a buffet.

Best for: aperitivo, a student night out

Best time: aperitivo, from about 7 PM

Isola and the Bosco Verticale

Area · Isola

A younger, alternative district beside the plant-covered Vertical Forest towers.

Best for: a walk then drinks

Best time: evening

Sforza Castle

Sight · Castello

A huge brick castle with museums, opening onto Parco Sempione.

Best for: a free courtyard walk and a park

Best time: afternoon

Pinacoteca di Brera

Museum · Brera

Milan's great painting gallery.

Best for: Italian art

Best time: morning

Lake Como day trip

Activity · about 1 hour by train

Train to Varenna or Como, then ferries between the lake villages.

Best for: the classic day trip

Best time: full day

Brera

Area · Brera

Cobbled artists' quarter with smarter wine and cocktail bars.

Best for: a dressier drink

Best time: evening

Bar Basso

Bar · Città Studi

The bar where the Negroni Sbagliato was invented, served in huge glasses.

Best for: the original Sbagliato

Best time: aperitivo

Nottingham Forest

Cocktail bar · Porta Venezia

A tiny, eccentric cocktail bar long on the world's best lists.

Best for: a theatrical cocktail

Best time: evening

Rita

Cocktail bar · Navigli

A popular cocktail bar on the canals.

Best for: a Navigli cocktail

Best time: evening

Camparino in Galleria

Bar · Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

The historic 1915 Campari bar at the Galleria entrance.

Best for: a Campari spritz with history

Best time: aperitivo

Terrazza Aperol

Rooftop · Piazza del Duomo

A terrace bar looking straight at the Duomo.

Best for: a Duomo-view spritz

Best time: sunset

Ceresio 7

Rooftop · Porta Volta

A fashionable rooftop with two pools and skyline views.

Best for: a dressy sunset drink

Best time: sunset

Old Fashion Club

Club · Parco Sempione (Triennale)

A long-running club in the park by the Triennale, with a summer garden.

Best for: a mainstream club night

Best time: after midnight

Tunnel Club

Club · Centrale (under the railway)

An underground techno club in a former railway warehouse.

Best for: techno

Best time: late

Corso Como clubs

Area · Garibaldi

The fashion-crowd club strip around Corso Como and Hollywood.

Best for: a glam club night

Best time: late

Heads up: Strict door; dress up.