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!

The Best Places to Stay in Milan

For Milanese Cool

• When it opened, Straf was declared Italy's most avant-garde hotel, and it’s still considered something of a design stunner. Behind the classical 1880s façade is an ultra contemporary minimalist space, with a very industrial feel — think polished concrete, burnished brass, glass, iron and black stone. Come here to rub shoulders with a cool crowd of fashionistas, media-types and designers et al.
• Famously, and gorgeously, converted from a perfume factory in the heart of Milan’s design district, Magna Pars Suites are a collection of 39 stylish suites of various shapes and sizes. There’s a lot of white-on-white here, with white art too, and just a few primary-coloured pieces of furniture. You’re minutes from the Via Torona, so it’s a popular spot for models and fashion industry types, and you can tell, the rooms features shelves of fashion books, professional hair dryers, and impressive toiletries. Plus remote controlled blinds and lights, and fancy coffee machines. There’s also an excellent restaurant, by a Michelin-starred chef.

For Milanese Luxury

• Brera’s Palazzo Parigi is large and luxurious as well as being romantic, with the sort of grand public spaces that are both welcoming and memorable: think high ceilings, beautiful marble inlay flooring, ornate cornices and huge windows. There are 98 large, light rooms with spectacular city views, beautiful stone fireplaces, and marble bathrooms. The Palazzo Parigi also has an indoor pool with pillars, an impressive spa and gym, and two elegant restaurants.
• Several of Milan’s fashion houses have their own hotels, and Bulgari is the first one we’re listing. If you’re familiar with their wares you might be surprised by its simplicity, for here the glamour is very much understated, with a feel of 1930s minimalism. Think: black and white marble, beautiful wood flooring, and neutral colours in the 58 rooms and suites. As well as being one of our favourite luxury hotels in Milan, Bulgari is also the only hotel within the old city walls to have its own garden. Of course the food is excellent too.
• Armani has a hotel too, the Armani Hotel, which is a similar extension of the brand, but with a real focus on the elegance and modern lines of their designs. It comes across as fairly minimalist in the 95 rooms and suites, but with creative touches, like a discreet crocodile print embossed design in the linens. The spa is gorgeous, and the restaurant is too, with fantastic city views.

For A Milanese City Break

• Milano Scala is a mid-sized contemporary hotel in a traditional Milanese palazzo. It’s simple on the outside, but inside it’s quite plush, with polished wood floors, modern art and private balconies overlooking an internal courtyard. We like it for a city break because of the size (62 rooms), and for its Brera location, but it's also got a choice of excellent restaurants, plus a wellness centre and meeting rooms.
• Smaller, arguably hipper, and super close to the Duomo, The Gray is a great pick if you’re only able to be in Milan for a short time. This design hotel has just 21 rooms and suites, which are stylish and simple, with plenty of the sort of style Milan is best known for. Two of the suites have private gyms and a whirlpool tubs. The Gray has its own fine dining restaurant and a chic bar on a roof terrace, so no need to go out.
• Also close to the Duomo, but on the La Scala side, the Hotel Spadari al Duomo is another of our picks for a Milanese city break. It’s a good size, with 40 rooms and suites, and the decor is Art Deco-stylish and memorable, with some wonderful pieces of modern art, and some beautiful design pieces — very Milan! This hotel has all the mod cons, but no restaurant. They do serve breakfast, though, and the location is excellent for dining out.

For Design Lovers

• The Hotel Viu is an impressive, modern glass building: tall, with balconies dripping in greenery, in a hip district edging on trendy Isola and Porta Nuova. It has 124 rooms and suites, all compact, but beautifully designed, with plenty of natural materials and neutral colours: think wood inlay and marble bathrooms. There’s a hip cocktail bar on the roof, as well as Milan’s only hotel rooftop pool, plus there’s a gym, a library, and a restaurant. It's great value too.
• The Sonder Missori Hotel is a stylish pick in central Milan, on the exclusive Corso Italia. Its 41 rooms and suites are dressed in a charmingly balanced teal, black and grey colour scheme, with contemporary art on the walls, contemporary design furniture and a signature scent by Laura Tonatto. We love it for its secret garden, positioned close to the breakfast room. No restaurant, but surrounded by great places to eat and drink.

For Shoppers

• If your idea of the perfect Milanese city break involves quite a bit of shopping, book the Palazzo Segreti. Jut steps from the fashion district, it's historic on the outside, but totally contemporary on the inside. Expect polished concrete walls, whitewashed brick, and contemporary colours, which show up the original features to great effect. There are just 18 rooms and suites, plus chic living spaces. The great design furnishings and style highlights the modern elegance that many of Milan’s fashion brands are known for. There’s no restaurant, but you’re surrounded by dining options, as well as the shopping from the door we promised.

For Something a Bit Different?

• The Yard’s fantastic collection of vintage and retro decor might be a bit of surprise in Milan, and we think it's fun and unique, as well as hip and stylish. The 32 rooms and suites are all uniquely decorated with sports themes, from tennis whites to safari style, and all are certainly memorable. There's also two restaurants, plus a lively bar, and even a vintage barbers.

For Couples

• Milan doesn’t have a lot of beautiful old buildings, so her grande dame hotels are more contemporary than in other Italian cities. By Milan’s standards we think the Grand Hotel et de Milan qualifies as a grande dame, with its luxurious details of parquet flooring, heavy fabrics and its mix of antiques and contemporary design pieces, which mirrors the mix of old and new art on the walls. It’s also close to La Scala.
• There are many beautiful design hotels in Milan, but there’s just something quite romantic about a more traditional, even opulent, style of decor. Which is why we’re recommending the Petit Palais, an 18 room hotel in the very heart of Milan, converted from a beautiful, 17th century townhouse, for a couples' break. The location is excellent, close to the duomo and the art museums, and the shopping district. And the interiors are charmingly detailed, featuring tapestries, parquet floors, chandeliers, pillars, and plenty of marble.

For Families

• The Chateau Monfort is a five-star, fairytale themed hotel just a short walk from the Piazza San Babila and Milan’s famous designer boutiques. Expect period features, an elegant wine bar and classic Italian cuisine, but with fun decor, like four-poster beds made from giant Nutcrackers, and heart shaped dining chairs. This is the kind of hotel in which to take afternoon tea. And which your kids will remember forever.

For Great Value

• Even at the most affordable end of the scale, Milan offers style and detail. Home BB is a two room contemporary hotel with quirky features, a pillow menu and a choice of bathroom linen. They do an excellent in-room breakfast too.
• My Bed is a stylish, minimalist option in the heart of Milan. There are just 12 spacious rooms, super simply decorated — the best with with private balconies. And My Bed puts guests in the perfect location for the best bars, cafes, shops and restaurants.
• Casa Titta is like the home of a stylish and worldly friend, who has four individually designed rooms furnished with period pieces and treasures from their travels. There’s a delicious breakfast included in the price. It’s outside the centre of town, but still only ten minutes to the Duomo on the subway.

Best Guesthouses and B&Bs

• The Antica Locanda Leonardo is a family run guesthouse in an excellent location in Milan’s old quarter, just moments from Leonardo’s Cenacolo. The 16 rooms are all comfortable, and decorated with a wonderfully Milanese collection of antiques and reproductions, our favourite rooms open out onto the guesthouse’s pretty courtyard and overlook the garden. The triple room might be a good choice if you're travelling with kids.
• Prettily, and centrally, located in a converted merchant’s townhouse, the Antica Locanda dei Mercanti is a light, airy, 14 room guesthouse. The rooms are all different shapes and sizes, with our favourites, on the top floor, offering access to private terraces and featuring wrought iron four-poster beds. The decor features plenty of cream, with unfussy, country-style furnishings, and wood or terrazzo flooring. Breakfast is served on trays in the rooms.

For a self catering apartment

• If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private villa we recommend you visit our online partner Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Want to fly to Milan?

• Milan has three international airports and a major European train station, so it’s one of the easiest places to get to on the European continent! The airports, listed here in size order, Malpensa Airport, Bergamo Airport and Linate, are some of the busiest in Italy. Malpensa is the main international hub, used by flag-carrier and European low-cost carriers. And it’s about 40 minutes from the centre of town, both by road, and public transport. Linate Airport is the smallest, but closest to the centre of town.
• If you plan to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner Rentalcars.
• Milan is one of those cities where some museums, galleries and restaurants etc. are closed on Mondays. And there are still parts of commercial Milan that pretty much shut up shop during August — though not the ones who gain the most from visitors! but aside from that Milan is a year round destination. It can be very hot and busy in summer, and you may see more visitors on the streets than locals; Christmas and Easter are delightfully bustling too. Milan Fashion week is another busy time, the menswear is in June and the womenswear is in September and February. Milan also hosts a summer food week, and a film festival. If you’re looking for the best weather conditions, October and November are probably the months to avoid, because this is when Milan is at its rainiest. Unless you’re planning a trip around one of the festivals, we recommend visiting in spring.

Still not sure which to book?

• You could expand your search to include all the best places to stay in the Lombardy region
• Or expand just a little outside of Milan to include the best places to stay in Monza, or in the Italian Lake District
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.

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