Milan Travel Guide
Travel guide to Milan, Italy with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Milan sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Milan Overview
Milan lies on the flat Lombardy Plains in northern Italy, and is the country's main industrial and commercial centre. Perhaps more importantly, Milan is also the centre of the world fashion industry. The city of Milan is an incredible place to visit, with things to appeal to any visitor, whatever their passion.
Milan is a place where you can shop in designer boutiques for the latest clothes; watch as Inter and AC Milan Europe battle it out for football honours; soak up the typically rich Italian culture in the museums and art that fill the city; or be enthralled by beautiful music in the world famous La Scala opera house.
Milan is a perfect city break destination, although there is quite a lot to fit in during your visit, but is also an ideal base for a holiday touring northern Italy up to the Alps. Milan has plenty to keep you occupied during the day, and even more to do when the sun goes down and the many nightclubs and chic bars get going.
You can get cheap flights to Milan, and the city is becoming an increasingly popular destination with many people travelling there to soak up the atmosphere of Italy's liveliest city.
Top Milan Attractions
Ignoring fashion is not easy in Milan, but the city also has a very spiritual side in common with many Italian places. The cultural treasures of Milan are also hard to match, and include some of the best-known works of art in the world.
Make sure you pack as much sight-seeing into a visit to Milan as you can, and try to get around the following top attractions: The massive cathedral Duomo, which boasts more than 125 separate spires; Santa Maria della Grazie - where you can see Leonardo da Vinci's famous Last Supper Fresco; La Scala opera house - one of the top opera venues in the world.
Try to put aside the time to visit the 15th century Sforza Castle. Once home to Italy's rulers, the castle now houses an impressive art gallery featuring many works by the renaissance masters.
Shopping in Milan
As the so-called fashion capital of the world, Milan is a great place to go if you want to look good. With all the major designers offering their collections in upmarket boutiques in the city, you can be assured of finding all the latest fashions in Milan.
The main area for clothes shopping in Milan can be found in the Quadrilatero de la Moda (square of style) around Via della Spiga north of the cathedral.
If you want to pick up a bargain, Milan has two main sale seasons. The second half of January and July are the big clearance sales when the previous season's stock is disposed of at low prices.
Milan Sporting Events
Home to two if the biggest football teams in Europe - AC and Inter, Milan is the top sports city in Italy. The teams share the San Siro stadium in the city, and play their home matches on opposite weekends throughout the season. In recent years, the teams have been well matched in terms of success, and derby matches between them are considered to be one of the top sporting events in the world.
The other great passion of Italy is Motor sport, and close to Milan, the Monza autodrome is one of the fastest and most exciting circuits in the world - a favourite with fans and drivers alike. Monza hosts the annual Italian Grand Prix in formula one.
