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Milan City Breaks

Milan City Breaks

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Enjoy a city break in Milan

Football fans, shopaholics, and culture lovers will all enjoy a city break in Milan. One of Italy’s most iconic and luxurious cities, Milan is situated in the north and enjoys long, hot summers. 

Here you’ll find a mix of gorgeous gothic architecture, famous stadiums, churches and museums, which are all great places to explore during your visit. San Siro is the shared home stadium to football clubs A.C Milan and FC Internazionale (Inter Milan).

Milan has a wide variety of bars, restaurants and clubs, making it the perfect place to relax and unwind. 

Be sure to visit the financial district to experience the best of Italian high fashion and all of the best restaurants. Milan is mostly famous for its wealth of ancient and modern sights. Having been partly destroyed during the Second World War, Milan has rebuilt itself making it a top tourist attraction. 

To book your Milan city break, call us or pop in--store where our travel experts will be happy to help.

Price is based on 2 adults sharing one room for 7 nights. Prices shown below are guide prices only. Refine your results using your preferred departure airports and travel dates below.

Top 5 Things To Do
Visit Duomo di Milano, one of the largest cathedrals in the world!
Shop at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Italy's oldest active shopping mall and a major landmark of Milan
See one of the Western world's most recognizable paintings 'The Last Supper'
Listen to some of the finest Italian opera at the Teatro alla Scala
Taste the amazing Italian food on offer in this amazing city. Enjoy the famous pizza, pasta & gelato
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What to expect when visiting Milan

Sophistication reaches new levels in Milan. The financial and commercial centre of Italy, Milan attracts fashion icons and opera lovers, as well as the young, the beautiful and the bold. Shopping, eating and clubbing are serious business here, so it's no surprise that the city boasts one of the world's most beautiful shopping malls, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Equally vying for admiration are the Milanese icons of the La Scala Theatre and the Gothic Duomo, one of the world's largest churches.

Milan's frenetic pace surges ahead in its drive towards progress, forsaking the lengthy siestas enjoyed in other parts of the country. The city's urban tentacles stretch for miles, although the significant historical attractions are contained between the two landmark sites - the Duomo and the Sforzesco Castle. These reside within the inner loop of the city's concentric design, which is split into four squares: Piazza Duomo, Piazza Cairoli, Piazza Cordusio and Piazza San Babila.

The modern civic centre lies to the northwest around Mussolini's colossal train station built-in 1931. The cityscape around here is dominated by skyscrapers from which the sleek Pirelli Tower emerges. Lastly, the Fiera district stretching around Porta Genova station is the hub for trade and fashion fairs.

ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi) operates Milan's metro, bus, tram and trolley services, which have the advantage of being integrated. Tickets, available from shops displaying the ATM logo, are validated on-board and then have a time limit of 75 minutes travel on any of the transport options, or one ride on the metro. The city's metro is particularly inexpensive and user-friendly. Linea 1 covers the most important tourist areas near the Duomo. Taxis are freely available but have to be hired at marked stands. Expect extra charges for luggage, night fares or Sunday travel. Renting a car and driving yourself is not a fun experience in Milan and is best avoided. The historic area around the cathedral is good for pedestrians and a number of attractions can be reached on foot.

Milan has perhaps the most talked-about nightlife in Italy, partly because it's got a young and trendy crowd but also because of its high-profile events calendar. The fashionable nightlife in Milan radiates primarily from the Brera Gallery and Navigli areas. Centri Sociali is home to an alternative, less expensive entertainment scene. The city offers visitors a vast selection of vibrant bars, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as live music performances.

The nightlife kicks off early in Milan, by Italian standards, with Happy Hour starting at about 6pm. The evening drinking session, called the apertivito, is an important social opportunity in Milan, a chance to meet and greet and fashionably mingle. Dance venues usually only get going at about 11pm, with nightclubs closing at about 4am.

Although there are a handful of perennial favourites, clubs are likely to change names and owners fairly frequently in Milan. But it's never difficult to find nighttime fun in this glamorous city. Those who want more cultured entertainment will be spoiled by the opera and theatre scene of Milan.

Shopping in Milan is an unparalleled experience. Milan is not just the epitome of fashion paradise, it is considered the fashion capital of the world. This city boasts the most prestigious boutiques and showrooms on earth. In the heart of Milan's shopping area are the streets of the Fashion Quadrilatero - Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga and Via Sant'Andrea - where elegance and luxury can be bought, though at a price.

On Via Montenapoleone shoppers will find Gucci, Versace, Valentino and Cartier, to name just a few brands. Chanel, Armani and Moschino are available on Via Sant'Andrea, while Via della Spiga is home to D&G, Prada and Bulgari. After shopping for all these name brands, visitors might like to stop on Via Manzoni at Robert de Niro's restaurant, Nobu, for a breather...

Other fantastic shopping stops include Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Vercelli, while Torino and Ticinese house some avant-garde goods and Paolo Sarpi has an eclectic Chinatown feel. For more affordable purchases, visit Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Corso Buenos Aires, Via Torino and Corso di Porta Ticinese. On these streets there are shops such as H&M, Zara, Timberland and Diesel. Local markets include Fiera di Senigallia (held on Saturday mornings at Viale d'Annunzio), and Mercatone del Naviglio Grande, at the Alzaia Naviglio Grande, taking place on the last Sunday of each month.

Milan's attractions extend far beyond its fame as a fashion capital. There are many museums, cathedrals and galleries to visit, as well as the Milan Aquarium and the Orto Botanico di Brera gardens.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade is a popular place to relax over coffee, while La Scala is a world-famous opera house worth visiting, with a great museum for those who can't get their hands on tickets. The 15th-century Sforzesco Castle's Museum of Historic Art is also a major Milan attraction, as are the Gallery of Modern Art and the Pinacoteca di Brera, exhibiting collections of medieval and Renaissance art, including the work of Napoleon.

The Santa Maria delle Grazie is home to Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, The Last Supper, and the Leonardo da Vinci National Science & Technology Museum has a collection of his designs for war machines and architecture. Duomo, which is the world's largest Gothic cathedral, and the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, built in the 1st century, are landmark Milan attractions.

The Naviglio Grande is the oldest canal in Milan, built in the 12th century. It stretches between the Darsena of Porta Ticinese and the bridge of Via Valenza, itself particularly drenched in old-world charm. Along the canal's banks in this section, about 400 vendors gather on the last Sunday of every month to set up stalls selling a fascinating selection of furniture, clocks and porcelain, coupled with silver, jewellery and numerous collector's items, from comics to walking sticks. On market day, the adjacent shops, bars and art studios all remain open, adding to the pleasure of browsing.

The best time for sightseeing in Milan is spring, early summer, or autumn when the weather is warm and sunny.

The chic and historic city of Milan provides plenty of mystifying and magical sights for children of all ages to explore while on holiday. From museums to parks, there's something for everyone in Milan.

Take the kids on the big red hop-on hop-off city tour bus, exploring the streets of Milan over the space of 90 minutes. The bus departs from various locations on a schedule along two routes, such as Piazza Duomo or Via Montenapoleone. The Milan Aquarium on Via Gardio, featuring over 100 species of fish and other marine animals, will mesmerise the children, while the Planetario Ulrico Hoepli (planetarium) on Corso Venezia educates and captivates young minds.

A popular theme park located in the Lake Garda area, Gardaland features about 40 different attractions and activities for kids of all ages, including rollercoasters, dinosaur island, a rapids ride and a fantasy kingdom with singing animal characters. Aquatica on Via Rivoltana is a popular waterpark too, where children enjoy pools, slides and rafting.

During the winter months, when outdoor activities with children are not an option, take them to the Teatro delle Marionette (Puppet Theatre), where classic fairy tales and folk stories are performed. Toddlers will love the Play Planet on Via Veglia, where ball pits, climbing walls, tunnels, tubes and obstacle courses will tire them out and allow parents to enjoy a night to themselves.

Milan is almost as famous for its cuisine as for its fashion scene, and foodies will be in paradise in this city. Milan's restaurants serve everything from traditional local fare to exotic international cuisine. But the city is known to be less keen on pasta than the rest of Italy, instead of focusing more on rice-based dishes. Classic Italian dishes include the usual pastas and pizzas, as well as salumi friulani (cured meats), risottos and excellent seafood.

Many traditional Milanese restaurants and trattorias (casual Italian eateries) can be found in the Brera, Navigli and city-centre. For good pizza when eating out in Milan, try one of the restaurants on Via Palermo. Porta Venezia, Via Victor Hugo and Via Manzoni, have more international options, serving Mediterranean, Asian and fusion cuisine.

While there will always be a number of Milan restaurants open to diners, it's best to call ahead for reservations if you are visiting one of the more popular restaurants. Some establishments add a service charge to the bill and if not, a 10 per cent gratuity is an acceptable tip. Dining out in Milan can be expensive, but it's extremely rewarding to the palette.

So what's the weather like in Milan?

The climate of Milan is Mediterranean, but like any large urban metropolis, buildings and human activity affect the local micro-climate. In the case of Milan, this makes the weather rather more extreme. Summers can be hot and humid, with temperatures rising above 86°F (30°C) during August. The mountains behind the city protect Milan somewhat from the severity of winter, but the weather is very chilly with temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing. Winter also brings rain showers and heavy fog. Spring (March to May) and early summer (June) are the best time to visit Milan weather-wise, although autumn (September to November) is also pleasant. In late summer, particularly August, it gets uncomfortably hot and many locals depart for their summer break, leaving some restaurants and hotels closed. Winter is a bit cold for most tourists but Milan's attractions are world-class during any season. Milan has a busy event calendar and unless you are travelling particularly to attend a big festival it is best to avoid international events like Milan Fashion Week because the city gets crowded and more expensive. Essentially Milan is a year-round tourist destination.

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  • Currency Euro (€)
  • Flying time from the UK Flights from Glasgow to Venice are around 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Language Italian
  • Passport & Visas If you are a British passport holder you do not need a visa to enter Italy & your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.
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