Visiting Milan
 

I'm going to Milan for the first time:D . I will be there for about 4 days. Any suggestions?? I've looked into going to Duomo Cathedral and Santa Maria delle Grazie. Any other thoughts? Thank you.

Leave Milan and go somewhere nice. Milan is a hole without anything really exciting or nice except the shopping. Como is beautiful or take the train east to the Veneto and see Verona, Vicenza, Padova and Venice. The train runs due east along the A4 and makes stops in all of those cities like a string of pearls. From Milan to Verona is only 1 1/2 hours by train and quite inexpensive at about 20 euro each way.

I will look into taking the train to those cities and things to do there. Thank you very much for your help.

Well, ALMOST nothing :) There is the restored Teatro alla Scala, after all.

For the Cenacolo (Last Supper), I think that it is easier to make the reservation over the telephone than on the website. Basically, you reserve for a specific date and time, and show up at least 30 minutes before your appointed time.

But yes, once you do the basics, get out of Dodge and spend your other days elsewhere.

I must say I was disappointed in Milan. If you like shopping then it’s great for a few days but no more. Milan is not a beautiful city nothing like I expected from the fashion capital of the world. I was disappointed in how dirty it was. I suggest you try and get down to Lake Garda it is one of the most beautiful places I have been to.

Have to agree with the other posters. We spent a couple of days there this spring in between Venice and heading into the Swiss alps and then into France, and we probably should have went to the lakes instead. The obligatory stop at the Duomo, and some shopping, including the famous food hall of Pecks, and we were pretty much done. Couldn't get into the Last Supper, even with advance planning and scheduling attempts.

I thought Milan was wonderful - but I guess I was under no illusions of what a Northern Italian Industrial city would be like.

I sent my mother here for four days and booked a hotel room for my best friend and her partner during the same time. Travel to Milan only cost around $50 return each so perhaps that's a reason why everyone had a lovely time there.

Anyway, here's a thread started by another FTer with the same question.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515722

And I'll stress again (because so many people seem to overlook it) please check out the Pinacoteca Di Brera - somewhere I consider as being one of the loveliest (in a simple, charming way) art galleries in Europe. It also has beautiful gardens.

I'll add my weight to the get out of it ASAP. Milan is boring. Head up to Como and drive around the villages near the lakes. I think unless you know someone there you will find it quite boring. I had 6 days there on business and in the free time I had I could not find anything exciting to do.

and always look at your feet when you walk in milan, more dogs s*it on the floor then anywhere else in the world...

Thank you
 

Thank you all for the ideas so far... I am making a list of it all and checking them out... the different feedback is wonderful and what I was hoping for. Keep it coming... ;)

Milan is a strange city. Post industrial or industrial, true but if you look for them you can find incredible spots which are unique even if perhaps you need a certain feeling to appreciate them.
You mentioned the Duomo and the S. Maria delle Grazie (Last supper)
Duomo, if a clear day, think about climbing up to the top.
S.Ambrogio, Romanic basilica, quite impressive
Near S.Lorenzo, a group of columns from an old pagan temple (well, in Europe you can see better things only in Sicily and Greece)
Castle (Castello Sforzesco).
A lot of buildings in Liberty style.

I'd be more concerned about the pollution.

IN my opinion you can spend one day in Milan and then move away.
I would prefer to rent a car and drive to Como and make the coastline to Bellagio (the real one!!), then take the ferry and cross the lake to Menaggio (nice gardens, nice walkabout) and drive back the other shore.
You can spend one day in Venice, and I suggest you to go there with the train.
If you want to visit a less known and less crowded city I would go to Verone, very nice city centre where you can walk around.
If you like skiing you can take a day trip to Madesimo or St Moritz (switzerland).If you can spend two days out of Milan go and see Dolomites in Trentino, some 3 and 1/2 hour drive, beautiful mountain and sky resort.
If need of any other help you may PM

Matteo

Ciao UWT77

As a resident (since 2005), bits of Milan are ugly - agreed. But the historic centre is truly something...mostly beautiful and elegant. Simply passing the time people watching can be a pleasure.
Things to do...a clear day for the roof of the Duomo is hard to find, and I'd recommend doing the roof in any case. Hey, you might get lucky with the smog ;-) and in any case the gothic architecture of the cathedral as seen on the roof is worth the ascent (stairs or elevator - you choose). Make sure you go inside too and see the stautue depicting flailed skin.
Other things to do in Milan...if shopping (even just window) then head to the Quadrilato d'Oro (Golden Quadrangle) where the designers all have boutiques. The window displays can be pretty imaginative.
PP have mentioned the Basilicata di Sant'Ambrogio. Pretty good to look at and as the Patron Saint of Milan it'd be rude not to! And the Pinoteca di Brera.
If Modern Art is your thing, then there's a refurbished/new museum on via Palestro which could be worth a look. also check out what's on in Palazzo Reale (just off Piazza Duomo) as there is usually an exhibition of some kind on there.
For the Last Supper (Cenacolo) at the Santa Maria, if you don't book this about 3 months in advance then it's very difficult to get tickets...believe me I've tried for several visitors in advance and did not succeed on most occasions. But you can show up unannounced and ask about cancellations - does occasionally happen.
For a great (IMO) example of Fascist architecture, head to the Central Station at the northen end of Piazza della Reppublica - truly spectacular.
Nightlife-wise, plenty of restaurants around, and there's a Pizzeria on via Dante in the centre which is not bad. There are plenty of bars in and around town, and the Navigli area tends to be more bohemian than most. Trattoria Toscana is a nice restaurant on Corso di Porta Ticinese, with a good ambience.
You could take the metro (Line 1, Red) to QT8 and walk up the only hill in Milan...constructed from WW2 rubble I believe and gives a good view across the city too. Again on a good day you can see the Apennines and the Alps.
Getting out of Milan...you can take the train from stazione Cadorna to Como Lago Nord which is about an hour's journey. Como is worthwhile for a day but I wouldn't spend longer than that there.
You can also head to Bergamo from Stazione Centrale, again it takes about an hour. The main town is not all that special, but from the station you take the no. 1 bus towards Citta Alta and then the Funicular to the top. Citta Alta is "Old Bergamo" and really pretty. Good restaurants as alsways and pleasant to walk around. The air is noticibly clearer there and makes a welcome change from the smog which seems to be ever-present in the Po Valley these days. The price of being an industrial heartland!
Vencie is good too but I'd disagree with doing it in a day - on the fast train it's a 2hr45min journey each way and there's more to see than you can do in a day.

One more tip...if you (or someone you know) subscribes to The Economist, check out the City Guides section on their website - Milan is featured and has a Catch if You Can section every month.

Good luck!

Thanks for the detailed description of things to do in Milan. I'm heading there soon with 2 teenagers in tow and your helpful post is most apppreciated.

IMO, the Castello Sforzesco is a great place to visit with teen-agers. Once it was also free of charge !

The have a good collection of paintings and a famous sculpture of Michelangelo (his last work !) the Pietà Rondanini.

I think that 2 days in Milano are enough. I suggest also Pavia (the Certosa) and Mantova.

Buone vacanze !