A Guide to Milan
My favourite places to shop slow, eat well, and live fully
I feel weird serving you a city guide after only being in a place for a few days. When it’s possible, I like to take my time discovering a city. So after three months of living in Milan, I’ve been able to get lost and find my way enough times to feel comfortable rounding up the best bits for you to enjoy the city in a slow and intentional way. If you feel like a deep dive, keep reading. If you want a quick visual reference, I created a handy google map with ALL of my favourites (categorized, of course) mapped out for you HERE.
I love Milan. It’s an elegant city that is constantly pushing one to produce and look their best. If you’re looking for tips on how to dress in Milan, I describe it best in this video which has my favourite street style outfits and a comparison to Roman style.
While looking good in a cool city is important, knowing where to go and how to enjoy it to the fullest is even more so. Andiamo!
MY FAVOURITE NEIGHBOURHOODS
Porta Venezia - for its architecture and chic residents. Porta Venezia is one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Milan. On weekends it’s full of people going for a passeggiata, and the proximity to Corso Buenos Aires (the high street) is a plus to window shop. This is my first choice of where to stay in Milan. The streets are avenues lined with majestic trees, it’s quiet and there are cafes, wine bars, and boutiques all around.
Porta Venezia is home to one of my favourite secondhand shops; Bivio, and a fun french cafe and restaurant called Égalité (I know, the irony of going to a french cafe in Milan is not lost on me) which is slammed on weekends. You can also chill with cool globetrotters for a coffee at Orsonero, but to be honest I like the old school Italian bars where the decor and barista look like they belong in the 1980’s. They are everywhere, I don’t have a preferred in this neighbourhood. I’ve also had aperitivo at Orto Cucina, and while I can’t vouch for the restaurant, they have a lovely vegetarian aperitivo and the vibes are good! For a more discerning palette and hyper local/homemade dishes, don’t miss aperitivo at Osteria alla Concorrenza. This one was a find from my bestie Larissa, who is a food and wine expert with a specialty in Italian produce. I always make sure to go somewhere if she tells me it’s good. If you’re into architecture, Porta Venezia is for you. There are plenty of art nouveau buildings, and you can also visit Villa Necchi Campiglio, a stunning mid-century villa in the heart of the city.
Brera - another chic and stylish neighbourhood. More medieval and “old world” feeling, the streets are small and cobblestone, it’s very picturesque. There are restaurants everywhere in Brera and I found most of them to be OK. Keep reading for my favourite neighbourhood for food. Brera is known for its stylish residents and vintage and antique stores. If you time it right, GET YOURSELF to the Brera vintage market which happens on the third Sunday of every month. You’ll find secondhand designer items at reasonable prices. This is where the “sciuria” (a name given to the uber stylish mature women of Milan) sell their clothes after they’ve worn them for a season or two. You can also find homewares, furniture, accessories, home decor and art. When the market isn’t on, Brera is home to many vintage homewares stores and art galleries. Do stop and take a wander!
Isola - I stayed close to this neighbourhood and love it. The vibe is a bit like Roncesvalles if you’re from Toronto or Greenwich Village if you’re more familiar with New York. The style is less classic and more progressive, just like the cafes and shops. It’s home to the iconic green residential towers you may have seen in photos of Milan. What I liked best about it was strolling down and around Via Borsieri and having a good work session at my favourite cafe called Type - their lunch menu is also fantastic and the staff is so warm and friendly. Alternatively I also liked to have coffee at Toldo Milano down the street because it gets direct sun in the morning. Everyone works a lot in Milan, so you can pull out your laptop almost anywhere. Just make sure to either leave by 11:30 or order lunch so you’re not taking up a full table when it gets busy. This neighbourhood is also home to a fantastic vintage shop I discovered called Live in Vintage. It’s owned by a mother/daughter duo and the focus is elevated items. If you’re looking for a unique elevated blouse, trousers, or a dress for your next event - this is the place to go.
Porta Romana - This is where the good food is. You’ll find restaurants like Trippa (make reservations about a month or so in advance - it’s worth the wait!) and Sacco Bello (Roman, lively, the apps and vibes are better than the pasta)
Porta Ticinese - This is a very cool district. It’s young, full of independent and quirky shops - boutiques and secondhand. It’s home to two exceptional secondhand stores with separate stores for both men and women; Bivio’s original location and Cavalli e Nastri (also has another store in another part of the city, I interviewed the manager Francesco and played dress up with their AMAZING designer collection - watch it HERE) But you’ll also find an incredible hole in the wall taverna where the owner has an open disdain for tourists or anyone who speaks English. When you’re done there, grab a cocktail at Ziznia - there are bubbles to make on the table while you wait, creative cocktails, and sushi-like rice based aperitivo that are like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Definitely worth it.
Navigli - This neighbourhood surrounds the man-made canals or the “navigli” which were built between the 12th and 16th centuries to transport goods into the city. It’s bohemian, a bit scrappy, and comes alive at night. Mornings are quiet - a great spot for a run since you can zone out. Some of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had are here; Langosteria and Niconoce. Langosteria has several locations in Milan as well as throughout Europe. Niconoce is run by the kindest couple and is actually an enoteca - a wine bar - with a fantastic specialty olive oil and savoury babà (a Neapolitan bread that is traditionally eaten for dessert). It’s warm and friendly, and you will create the best memories there.
The monthly Navigli secondhand market is on the last Sunday of every month and definitely worth it. Go as early as possible - crowds start at 11AM!
WHERE ELSE TO EAT
I know I’ve already mentioned some of my favourite local spots above, but there are some other gems that are worth a stop - don’t worry, they’re all on the map but I thought they deserved a mention in their own section.
Bar Nico - for aperitivo, snack, or dinner - it’s worth the walk
Bar Primo - for aperitivo
Forno Via Pola - this was my local bakery - it’s always slammed with locals at lunch hour and right after work. Grab the gnudi - little pastries stuffed with Nutella or apricot preserve!
Cafe Napoli - there are many of these scattered all over the city. It’s a local chain that specializes in adding cafe crema to your morning espresso (basically sugar and coffee whipped together to form a deliciously sweet coffee mouse - I would only have this as a treat as it’s quite sweet!)
La Latteria - more of an institution where tourists are more unwelcome than not. If you go, know that it’s for the vibe and to check it off a list vs. for amazing food. The food was good, but not mind-blowing.
Eataly. Just go.
Cantina Isola - specializes in natural wines and you’ll get to visit Chinatown too
WHERE ELSE TO SHOP
All of my favourite shops are listed on the map and above, but here are some others:
Madame Pauline’s Vintage - tiny but mighty - designer pieces, largely focused on Italian designers and elevated, one of a kind pieces
Give & Take - I always have luck here - a mix of contemporary and designer brands, the fairest price for value of the lot in my opinion - I interviewed the owner who is a former Prada employee. You can watch it here
Vintage Delirium - aside from the name, this place is actually crazy. It is the largest archive other than Italian vintage fashion in Milan. Blink and you’ll miss it. You have to ring a bell and go into a basement to find it. The pieces are vintage bordering on antique.
Tita Bijoux - locally made jewelry
The Store Milano - very cool concept store
WHAT ELSE TO DO
I personally like to hunt down vintage stores and cute cafes and wander in neighbourhoods, taking it slow. I don’t love checking sites or anything off lists but here are some fun activities to get you started.
I love the Camparino bar in the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II for a few reasons: a stunning mosaic interior above the bar, a great aperitivo spread, solid people watching, and you get to see the beautiful Duomo and the iconic Galleria at the same time.
I love books and reading, so the idea of a bar based around this is a dream. Enter Librosteria - it’s cozy and packed. There’s pretension in the air, but what do you expect from a library bar?
If you’re a fashion girlie and just want to be among beautiful people and beautiful shops (even if you can’t afford them), wander through the Quadrilato della Moda - via MonteNapoleone.
The Palazzo Reale almost always has a cool exhibit. This is where I saw the amazing Dolce & Gabbana: Dal Cuore alle Mani exhibit. Also check out the museum of contemporary art (and have a cafe and cannolo at the aesthetic LùBar while you’re there) and Pinacoteca di Brera and Fondazione Prada.
Jump on an old school tram! The number 12 runs North to South of the city and looks like it came out of the 1930s.
FOR THE RUNNERS
If you’re a runner and you’re not staying near Navigli, Milan is not the most amazing environment for running, but you can hop on a metro and go to Parco Lambro. Closer in the center, my favourite route was getting myself to Sempione and running around it. You get to around around the Castello Sforzesco as a bonus. Alternatively there is also Monte Stella in the North of the City - great if you want to do some hill training and get a view from the city at a higher vantage point. None of these routes are long, so you typically have to run around the parks a few times to get good mileage in, but it’s better than stopping and starting with traffic lights and pedestrians.
PUBLIC TRANSPO
Milan’s public transit is efficient and reliable, you can also just tap with your credit card, making it easy to come and go.
This only scratches the surface of what to see, do and eat in Milan, but I hope it gives you a good jumping off point. Tell me if you go to any of these places and what you think!
Are you still here? Reminding you that tickets are available for my live Shop Your Closet workshop - you’ll learn how to take an outfit you see online and translate it to your own style without buying anything new! Tickets and details HERE!
Thank you as always for reading,
Alyssa
xx
This was amazing to read and definitely worth going back to Milan and tracking down the shops you mentioned! Any chance we'll be seeing a part 2 for Rome?
Ciao Alyssa!
Your guide to Milan is amazing and invaluable.
My daughter and I are heading off to Italy from Western Australia in July. We will be spending a few days in Milan and I can see your guide coming in very useful.
Love your work too
Take Care and cheers
Lyn Ventris