In spite of being home to some incredible art, including da Vinci's The Last Supper, and some incredible museums and architecture, Milan isn’t really a tourist city. Shoppers, foodies, art fans, and football, fashion and opera-lovers adore it, but it’s not quite beautiful. About 80 per cent of the Italian headquarters for international companies are based here, or in the immediate surrounding area, so it makes sense that there are a lot of business hotels in Milan, and that the best places to stay in Milan are geared towards executives travelling on high end expense accounts. Milan’s other main claim to fame, design, is also really well represented amongst its hotels, and Milan has some of the hippest, coolest design hotels in Italy. Our Gurus have discovered some fantastic fashion hotels, elegant apartment and spacious suite hotels, some beautifully converted palazzos, a couple of grand dames, and a collection of great value city centre options.
If you’re here to see The Last Supper, or have an amazing supper, you’ll find some of the best places to stay in Milan are in the the Sant’Ambrogio area, close to the Corso Magenta, with its trendy wine bars and chic shopping. This is an elegant, affluent neighbourhood, so if your holiday meal budget is modest you’re advised to walk a few blocks before choosing a restaurant. Opera-lovers should base themselves close to La Scala, which is in the Duomo neighbourhood — also called the Centro Storico. Here you’ll also find the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, arguably the oldest shopping mall in Europe, and a large clutch of Milan’s principal museums and galleries. For fashionistas, the places to be is in Brera, which is also one of the prettiest district in Milan, and arty and trendy too. Porta Venezia is similar, but with more Art Nouveau period architecture.
If you’re planning a romantic break, Navigli, which is run through with canals, makes a charming backdrop for a stroll or a drink of an evening. It also has great antique and vintage shops. And for great value accommodation check out the Cita Studi area, which is also popular with students, and is vibrant and lively. While bargains in this city are thin on the ground, a handful of the best places to stay in Milan are delightful small hotels where it's not de rigeur to be dressed in head-to-toe black Prada crowned with a massive pair of dark glasses; we have listed our favourites below!
Some of our Milan Collections: