Sign in with Facebook"Milan l'è Milan" Milan by antistar
Milan Travel Guide: 2,781 reviews and 6,899 photos
Milan is a city that seeks to impress. From the very first moment you step out of a train into the grand central station, you can see the people of this city want you to be in awe. Everywhere in the city there are grand buildings, not least of which the imposing Duomo, the third largest Cathedral in the world. Being the kind of city Milan is, the buildings are mostly showy baroque, ornate renaissance and exhuberant gothic. Even the lesser buildings away from the city center are adorned with delicate frescoes, carved gargoyles, and all manner of decorations completely unnecessary to the construction of the building itself. The people too are much like the city. They are proud of their city, some say snobbish, and always impeccably turned out. The Milanese have to be some of the best dressed in the world, perhaps even more so than Paris.
Underneath all the proud buildings, and beautiful people, Milan is a real, working city, a real financial and industrial work horse. The city is home to the Italy's main banks and stock exchange, and has key industries like Alfa Romeo. This makes the city a hustling, bustling place, often choked with people and traffic. This gives the city a bit of a rough edge, and it can be seen especially from the roof of the cathedral, where the views of the city are blighted by some ugly skyscrapers, brown suburban sprawls, and an ever-present smog which bespoils views even on the clearest and brightest of days. I was lucky enough to have a clear enough day to see the Alps from the roof of the cathedral, but as you may be able to see in the pictures, the view was almost entirely blotted out by a layer of grey muck in between the buildings and the clear blue sky above. While not the dirtiest city in the world, I don't believe I've been to a city in western Europe where the fumes filled my nose and throat with so much gunge.
Overall I really liked Milan. The people were not as snobbish as I had been led to believe, and in fact everyone I met was incredibly warm and welcoming. The city was a lot more relaxed than I expected, and there were few of the troublemakers in the city that I was warned about. The best thing about the city is just to walk around and soak up the feeling of Milan. There are wonderful buildings to admire, amazing fashion shops to gawk at, and plenty of opportunities for people watching in the street cafes. Milan is a very famous and distinctive city, with more than you can possibly do in a few days, and somewhere you will want to come back to again and again. If they could just make it a little less expensive, and cut down on the traffic fumes, it could be the best city in Europe.
Reviews (35)
Architecture
Favorites
(2)
All around Milan, even away from the popular tourist areas near the Duomo, the architecture in Milan was very... more travel advice
Churches
Favorites
(2)
One of the best things about Milan is its churches. It has so many of them, and they are mostly all wonderful to look... more travel advice
Milan Transit System
Transportation
(3)
Milan has an extensive and very good value for money transit system in the ATM. You can travel as far as you want on a... more travel advice
Duomo Restoration
Warnings and Dangers
(2)
The front face of the cathedral had been covered for some time, and nobody seemed to be sure when it would be back to... more travel advice
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Comments (12)
I wish I had read your Milan's tips before my travel there. keep on travelin'!
how does one get from Bergamo to Malpensa to make connections between Ryanair and international airlines?
I have been at the Bernina Hotel for a 4 overnights stay, the hotel is ok, close to the trais station, subway stop as well as trams and buses. actually easy to move around from! good b-fast, staff were kind and helpful givin' info... i'll get back there.
Milan is high up on my list for future travels --- because of La Scala, particularly. I have saved some of your tips for future reference.
Great! Thanks for sharing.
Lovely page Tim, i have never visited Milan but always wanted to. Are you still trying to swollow that crusty bread LOL
Impressive pages about Milan. Great warning tip. I found the transportation tips to be fascinating [which is a first for me]. Love your enthusiasm, detail, excellent writing skills, and great photography.
Excellent photography!
Very insightful information about Milan, the first Italian city I ever visited. The scaffolding was on the Duomo when I was there in March, 2004, and it was never sunny so my pictures were not terrific.
Wow - heaps of great, detailled info. Superb puctures! Many 5 star tips. Congratulations!