I had been to Milan once before, but spent the entire weekend at the shops in the Galleria. This time, I wanted to branch out and see more of what the city had to offer. Compared with Florence, and even Rome, Milan has less of the historical charm and is more developed. We spent a lot of time near the Galleria, but also checked out the Navigli district and Isola.
Table of contents
Food & Drinks
Would eat again
1930 is ranked as one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, but has no listed address. The owners opened it so that their friends and family would always have a place to sit and have a great cocktail. Gaining entry to the bar is by invitation only.
After reading up online, I learned that my only shot as a tourist would be to get invited by visiting Mag Café, another bar under the same ownership. After going to Mag twice, we secured an invite!
Without going into too much detail, visiting 1930 was definitely worth the effort. The cocktails were in line with some of the best I’d ever had, and we tried one that tasted exactly like tzatziki. If you’ve had a cocktail that tastes like food and have had tzatziki, you’ll be able to imagine what I mean.
The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and getting invited to the bar and having a few drinks there was a really fun and memorable adventure.
This local pizza spot was recommended to us by a friend who grew up in Milan. I initially wasn’t quite sure what to expect – the restaurant was very casual and low key, and mostly filled with locals, which was a great sign.
The pizzas were so good. The crusts were the perfect combination of thin and chewy. They had many different choices with all of the classic Italian toppings: basil, tomatoes, sausage, anchovies, artichokes, olives, salami, capicola. They also had fried pizzas, but I would recommend skipping those.
When we arrived at 8 pm, the restaurant was about half full, but by 10 pm, there was a line out the door. The restaurant gives out a lot of freebies – free prosecco when you walk in the door, a free margherita pizza for dinner, free limoncello at the end of the meal, and free candy.
Another bar on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, I was surprised to find that the bar was located right in the Galleria. Right inside the entrance is a cocktail and coffee bar with a small standing area, and there are tables outside. I was fully expecting to be seated outside surrounded by the sea of people walking through the Galleria.
When we let them know we had a reservation, they tucked us into a back room with a staircase and elevator, and let us know they would open the upstairs room shortly. Then I was even more confused, thinking that we wouldn’t even be seated in the prime sections!
Five minutes later, they removed a rope barrier and let us walk upstairs. Coming off the top of the stairs was like walking into a completely different world. The upstairs bar was upscale and elegant. It had a very long bar with a wall of Campari on one end, and faced intimate tables placed against windows looking out onto the Galleria below.
We took seats at the bar, were served a tray of aperitivo snacks (olives, lite bites, crackers), and had our drinks made right in front of us.
Camparino’s focus is Campari cocktails, specifically, different types of Negronis. Coming here was a really fun experience and the cocktails were great – I would highly recommend it. Definitely make a reservation.
Located right in one of the corridors attached to the luxury department store La Rinascente, Farini is a grab and go pizza counter which was the perfect delicious and affordable meal after a morning of shopping in the rain. The pizzas were affordable (4€ to 5€ a slice), fresh and delicious – great crusts and great toppings. You can see all the pizzas in a case, order at the register and can eat at one of the standing tables right outside. They also serve espresso at their coffee bar.
With two locations in Milan, we chose the one on the Navigli Canal. I came here specifically because I was interested in visiting 1930, and had read online that it was possible to get an invitation by visiting Mag.
The bar was cool and casual, with an eclectic sense of style. The cocktail book took the form of a comic book and the cocktails were refreshing and delicious. The patrons were a mix of locals and tourists, some of whom shared our quest to be invited to 1930 (we actually saw a couple of guys at Mag, then at 1930 later that evening). The ambiance was light and fun – great for aperitivo or an after dinner drink.
We actually came here twice in our quest of being invited to 1930, and it worked out!
A few minutes walking distance from Ratanà, this was the perfect place for gelato after our dinner. They had a great selection of classic flavors.
Marchesi 1824 (Galleria Location)
Marchesi is a dreamland for Italian dessert lovers. With a beautiful aesthetic that makes you feel like you’ve walked into a luxury store, the only thing that rivals the decor are the incredible desserts.
You can order off the menu, but it was a lot more fun to browse the dessert cases and just point out what I wanted. I tried the tiramisu, mini cream puffs, palmier cookies, chocolate apricot cake, mini fruit tarts, and chocolate cake petit fours.
Marchesi is definitely on the pricier side – I ended up eating 70€ in pastries alone, but it was well worth it! I wanted to come back a second time, but had a bit of a stomach bug on my last day so couldn’t make it back.
They have a few locations in Milan (including one in the Golden Triangle shopping area), but the location in the Galleria is supposed to be the most beautiful. Marchesi usually has a wait. Ours was about 30 minutes. I’d recommend putting your name down before seeing the Galleria.
I found Ratanà by watching Stanley Tucci’s show Searching for Italy, and verified it was a good choice with some additional research. Considered one of the best restaurants in Milan, Ratanà’s menu focuses on modern versions of Milanese classics.
We ate the mondeghili, crispy ossobuco meatballs, parmesan and saffron risotto with ossobuco, and the veal costoletta. The risotto was definitely my favorite – I would actually recommend ordering two of these depending on your party size because this can go quickly.
The food was delicious and showed quite a different side of Italian food than what I typically experience. Everyone in our party was really happy with the meal and one person thought that it was the best meal we had had on the entire trip.
Tip
- If you are interested in eating the costoletta (breaded veal), you need to order it by calling the restaurant at least 48 hours in advance. It is off the menu. We ordered two for six people, which was more than enough – we had to take some home!
Terra Gelato is a modern gelato shop with a ton of creative flavors. We really enjoyed it and came here twice.
Would skip
We stopped by their pizza counter, where they sell slices and fried pizza grab and go. The pizza was truthfully average. We had a much better grab and go pizza experience at Farini Rinascente.
Langosteria
A seafood-focused Italian restaurant located close to the Navigli district, Langosteria appeared on multiple best of Milan lists I had read. They have a few different restaurants all in the same area that vary in formality.
The food was good, but I didn’t feel like it was memorable enough to want to come back. I had a seafood tower for 1 (which was more than enough for 2), as well as two pastas. While I’m normally a big seafood fan, by the end of the meal I left feeling like I had a bit too much…especially after eating most of the seafood tower myself.
The vibe was fun though – the decor was largely stylish, but was interspersed with nautical and hot air balloon themed decorations.
Pavé (via Felice Casati location)
A minimalist bakery tucked into an unassuming street, Pavé is well known for their pastries and gelato. We tried a handful of different baked goods and coffee, and while they were decent, they weren’t good enough that I would go back.
Culture
The Last Supper
It was pretty incredible to see a work of art as iconic as the Last Supper. The mural is incredibly well preserved and detailed. 15 people are allowed to see the Last Supper for 15 minutes at a time. I thought 15 minutes would feel short, but it ended up being plenty of time – 15 minutes with one work of art is actually significant.
It was a little difficult to grab pictures without people roaming around in them, but the security guard kindly let us snap a few right as the rest of our group was walking out.
Tickets can be purchased directly from the museum site for 15€ per person, but they sell out incredibly quickly. As an alternative, tickets can be purchased through a tour agency. We used our hotel concierge to secure tickets for, but tour agency tickets come at 3x the cost. We paid 50€ per person. A friend later told me that she was able to book directly through the museum website because she had a big group, even though tickets were sold out on the calendar.
Navigli Canal District
The Navigli Canal is surrounded on both sides by a line of restaurants and bars with ample outdoor seating. It’s an area popular for aperitivo (afternoon drinks) or after dinner drinks. It was frequented by a mix of locals and tourists. It’s a fun place to check out if you want to grab a cocktail! We went to Mag Café twice.
Shopping
Milan is famous for being an incredible luxury shopping destination. By and large the best luxury shopping selections I have found have been in Milan and Paris. The Golden Triangle and the Galleria are the two main luxury shopping areas and they’re within 10 minutes walking distance of each other.
The Golden Triangle is a neighborhood with an expansive number of stores. Even though the stores are larger than in the Galleria, they are popular, and often have lines forming out the door. The line for Goyard was 2 hours long, even in the rain. While the Galleria feels more crowded because a lot of tourists walk through the Galleria itself, the stores are at a similar capacity to the Golden Triangle locations because they’re also crowd controlled. The Galleria stores are mostly limited to the major fashion houses.
Most of the stores in the Galleria are smaller than their locations in the Golden Triangle. There was one exception to this – the Prada was massive. I initially thought it was limited to the small ground floor section, but it turned out they had a massive floor beneath it. This Prada location is also the first Prada store, so they are the only Prada location with unique shopping bags.
After shopping in both locations on the same day, across the same brands, I noticed that the salespeople in the Galleria stores were a lot friendlier.
Accommodations
The Westin Palace Milan
The Westin Palace Milan had comfortable rooms and great service.
We stayed in a classic room, which was large and comfortable. The room had all the amenities and when we needed anything they were quick to deliver it. The lobby area was lovely, with a nice restaurant and bar. Our rate included breakfast each morning, which had a good cold section and a menu of hot options included.
The concierge was incredibly helpful before and during my stay. Leading up to my visit, the concierge was really helpful with making my reservation for the Last Supper. When I arrived, the check-in team knew that my reservation was the same day and sent me over to the concierge to get the download. The concierge gave me a printed reservation confirmation to give to the museum and gave me a printed photo of the museum area with explicit instructions on where to pick up tickets and enter, since that’s often a source of confusion.
The location was ok. It wasn’t within walking distance of the major tourist areas, but was right across from the subway station that was 2 stops away from the Duomo and Galleria. There wasn’t much in the surrounding areas other than a few restaurants and bakeries (i.e. Pavé).
Would I stay there again? Yes I would. I thought that the room was great value for a 5-star hotel and a 2 stop subway ride to the main tourist center was close enough for me given the experience I had.
Itinerary
The morning started with early with travel from Berlin, but we made our way to the Last Supper, then had cocktails and dinner with friends that evening.
Thursday was devoted to luxury shopping before indulging in amazing pastries at Marchesi 1842 and having a seafood dinner near the Navigli Canal.
After buying something for my outfit on Corso Buenos Aires, it was another day of luxury shopping at la Rinascente, dinner with friends at Assaje and drinks at Mag Cafe and 1930!
AMANDA'S CHANTICS 