One day in Milan, Italy

I’m a Hungarian girl who lives abroad and loves to travel. Nearly every month, I feel the urge to go somewhere new. I prefer quick trips over long holidays.

Last month, I had coffee with a friend and in just one hour we decided to visit Milan, Italy. We bought the tickets on the spot and booked a hotel a few days later.

There’s so much to see and do in Milan. If you’re like me and visiting the city just for a day, here’s what you shouldn’t miss, where you should stay, and other tips for visiting Milan.

Getting to Milan, accommodation, and transport

We arrived at Orio al Serio International Airport in Bergamo, a city close to Milan. The easiest way to get to Milan from there is by bus. Going out of the airport, you will see many bus stops, operated by different companies. You can buy a ticket online or from a ticket machine there. The buses leave every 20 minutes and it takes them about 50 minutes to reach the Central Station in Milan.

The Central Station area is a great place to book a hotel, bed and breakfast, or another accommodation at a good price. What’s more, there are many metro stations around there and you can easily reach the main sights in 15 minutes. All metro stations have ticket machines that can be used across all metro lines. Just try not to lose your ticket, because you need it to exit the stations, too. If you’re worried about keeping a physical ticket on you, you can buy a digital one on the Civitatis Milan mobile app.

Visiting the must-see places in a day

I found that it’s best to start your sightseeing tour at the Dome of Milan. You’ll want to get there early, around 9 a.m. There aren’t many people there at that time, so the lines are shorter and you can take great photos without hundreds of tourists behind you.

Keep in mind that there are two lines at the Dome—one to go to the rooftop and one to go inside the cathedral. I recommend you first go to the rooftop because the view is unbelievable. Take my advice and use the stairs, as there aren’t that many steps and it’s cheaper than taking the lift. After that, you need to go back down and wait in the other line for the Dome. It’s incredibly huge and beautifully decorated, so it’s worth the wait.

Next to the Dome is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a widely popular and busy shopping center. Don’t expect to take a photo of yourself without other people in the background there! The place is very crowded during the day, but you have to see it. The gallery connects the past with the future, as the newest fashion trends show up in the shops inside this old, beautiful building. A lot of designer shops can be found here, such as Giorgio Armani, Prada, Versace, and more.

On the other side of the Dome is Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa. The walls of the chapel are decorated with bones and skulls and there’s a legend saying that there wasn’t enough space in the city cemetery, so people decided to use the church.

Make sure you stop at Piazza dei Mercanti for a photo on your way to the San Bernardino chapel like we did. The square looks like a scene from a Romeo-and-Juliet play, as it has the romantic feel of old time Italy.

We used our metro card from the chapel to get to the Sforzesco Castle and the Sempione park right next to it. There are many museums in the castle, but if you’re not that interested in history or archeology, the building itself is beautiful enough to have a walk around.

Hopping on the metro again, we went to see the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. This impressive Romanesque church is one of the oldest in Milan and its courtyard is unmissable. The exterior is kind of simple, but the interior is nicely decorated with mosaics.

Close to the basilica is the Santa Maria delle Grazie Galleri church, housing the famous “The Last Supper” fresco by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting gained even more popularity after appearing in Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code. It shows Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples having their last meal together. If you wish to see the fresco, make sure to book a date and a time and buy a ticket online at least two months before your trip. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that and couldn’t see “The Last Supper” because the waitlist was very long—everyone visiting Milan wanted to see it!

Our last stop was the Porta Garibaldi on the way back to our hotel. This modern district has shopping malls, modernly designed buildings, bars, and restaurants, some of which still have old-timey charm.

Eating out and enjoying a drink

In the small streets around the Dome, there are hundreds of bars and restaurants. Try the authentic Italian pizza at Piz—you can’t compare the tomato sauce to anything! I had the best ice cream of my life at the Cioccolatitaliani.

People in Milan observe the siesta, so most restaurants and bars close at 3 p.m. and open again at 7 p.m. At the end of the day, it’s time for some Aperol Spritz cocktails at the Terrazza Aperol. It’s a great place to enjoy a night view of the Dome, while having a nice drink and some tasty appetizers.

Have you ever been on a one-day trip? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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Hi @Petra_M thanks for sharing the wonderful post from Milan.

This place is in my list and i’ll consider all your useful information on Milan trip.

Photographs are really mesmerising as always :slight_smile:

I am looking forward to see more travel post from your side.

Welcome in India :pray:

@helga19 @JaneBurunina @TravellerG @PennyChristie

You can read this amazing travel post.

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Hello @Petra_M Beautiful locations in Italy Milan nice post , thank you for sharing with us …

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Thanks for the warm words @IshantHP_ig !

I hope you can use my post for a trip. I strongly recommend this city, because it’s beautiful, full with art, amazing food, and fashion. You will enjoy every second of your holiday there.

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Thanks @NirmalTeja , I hope you can find these information useful.

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Literally the place is fabulous.

As you write every second :slight_smile:

I am a traveller and passionate to read the experience before going there :slight_smile:

This post make my day awesome

Thanks @Petra_M for sharing with community.

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Hi @Petra_M , thank you for sharing your experience!

Nice post and nice pictures, I can clearly see you enjoyed the stay in Milan. Actually you saw quite a lot in a day … even better than a local guide (nice words joke :blush:).

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Hello @Petra_M ,

yes, Milan is very nice! We only missed a view days :wink: while I have been there for two nights over Eastern.

Nice pictures you did share.

I have very often only a one day or one night trip to a town. When possible, I use always a “Hop on Hop off” bus tour. It is expensive (especially with a family), but it gives a good and relaxing overview about the town.

I will go to Milan diffenitly again. It was such beautiful.

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Hello @Petra_M ,

this post telling us about your trip to Milan is simply amazing.

I understand you had really a great time and as Italian reading the list of places you visited (in only one day!!!) I definitely believe you made really the best choices.

Your photos are very nice and I like so much the beautiful view you are showing from the rooftop of the Dôme (where you have surely noted the golden statue of the virgin called “la Madonnina”). Then I am glad to see you visited the new trendy zone of Milan with the famous buildings “Bosco Verticale”. I loved these sustainable architectures and shared a couple of picture in my post Bosco Verticale in MIlan . Thank you again for sharing this beautiful guide of Milan

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Hi, @Petra_M

Thanks for sharing.

This is really a wonderful post related to Milan, Italy. I liked it.

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Nice description but the Picture of Ice Cream is really mouth watering :grinning:

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Wonderful place Duamo di Milano.

Been there for a full day.

Highly impressed by the grandeur, structure and the class of it.

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Szia @Petra_M !

…mentioning appetizer cocktails, next time drop by Bar Basso for their iconic Negroni Sbagliato - the “mistaken negroni” cocktail. I’ve been several times in Milan (for the furniture fair) and always stop by for these giants (see picture). Also the bar has a special, stuck in the 70’s atmosphere with its kitchy details.

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Hello dear @Petra_M

Excellent trip in Milan for one day!

Thank you for interesting information for local guides. I wonder,you visit so many interesting places for one day!

Yoir photos are beautiful.

I visited Italy 5 years ago.,it was classic tour in several cities-Rome,Venice,Naple,Milan and others.

This is my photo from Milan. I like to visit shops of famous designers.

I liked Italy very much.

After watching the film “Letters to Juliet” I fell in love Italy and wanted to visit.

I seldom made one day trip somewhere.

But my trip for 2 days to Palma de Mallorca,I remember clearly.

It was wonderful trip,I visit beautiful capital of Mallorca, amazing town Valdemossa,where musician Shopin lived several years.

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Milan is certainly a beautiful city @Petra_M It hasbeen some timesince I was there but I remember that the Cathedral was being renovated…from your lovely photos looks like it is well completed now.

ps: love the icecreams, yummie

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hi @Petra_M thanks for sharing this post, very very nice, i mean the writing and photos are useful as well as beautiful.

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Hi @TorM ,

Thanks for sharing!

This info about the bus tour is very useful.

I’m looking forward to your post if you visit it again.

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Thanks for the appreciation @Giuseppe75 !

Your post is pretty amazing about Bosco Verticale, I loved that buildings. It’s very impressive, how they try to bring the nature to the city center.

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Thanks for the suggestion @turaibalazs !

It looks very cool, I will stop by this place next time.

Szép napot!

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Thank you for your kind feedback @Petra_M ,

I am glad you liked my post about Bosco Verticale.

I agree with you and hope that the future will see only increasing such examples of green and sustainable infrastructures around our cities!

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