Things To Do in Milan: A Weekend Guide

For a graduation present, my sister bought us a weekend trip to Milan. I may have squealed when I found out. 


Naturally, I was excited to plan our itenirary because for me, any trip away means researching the best places to see, and finding the yummiest places to eat. There's so much to see and do in Milan and would take longer than a weekend to fully explore, so we tried to priortise certain locations. Asking for advice from my Italian friends was first on my planning agenda since they could give recommendations on what to do and where to eat when in Milan. They were so kind to give me an extensive list of restaurant recommendations which specifically said Cacio e Pepe is fantastic for pasta. Do as the Italians do, right? So as soon as we arrived to our Airbnb, we put our bags down, freshened up and headed straight to the restaurant.

We ordered an appetiser to share which was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten (no exaggeration), it is called tortino di carciofi e patate con fonduta di taleggio which is basically artichokes, potato and cheese in a small pie like shape. Sounds basic but it was phenomenal. I was too busy eating it to take a photo. For main, I ordered the vegetarian carbonara and my sister got a tomato and chilli based pasta with meat in it too. The pasta was fresh and delicious- so pleased that we came here and definitely think you should too.

After dinner, we explored for a bit and found a gelateria (Vanilla Gelati Italiani) close by to the restaurant (which also had vegan options) so naturally we had dessert. A full tummy later, a little more exploration and being eaten alive by mosquitoes by the canal (definitely recommend that you bring an anti mosquito repellent plug in/ repellents if you go in the summer period), we headed back to the apartment and got ready for bed as an early start was ahead. If you want to avoid the mass crowds that inevitably come during peak tourist season of any country, an early start will be your best friend. You may not be a morning person but it is definitely worth it. 

We decided to go to the terrace of the Duomo Cathedral- it costs €9 if you want to get to the top by foot and €13 if you want to get the lift. We also managed to get a peek of what the inside of the cathedral looked like from the terrace so even if you don't have time to do both, you kill two birds with one stone visiting the cathedral's terrace. If you want to go inside the cathedral (free), make sure to cover your shoulders and wear something that is just above the knee or longer to gain entry into the cathedral. 

After some meandering and gawking at the gothic architecture, there was a flight of stairs that took us all the way to the highest, accessible point of the cathedral.

We had taken a silly amount of photos and after basking in the amazing view from the top (spot Torre Velasca), we eventually made our way back down to the piazza.

We swiftly made our way to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is the world's oldest shopping mall. Not surprising since Milan is a city made for those shopping addicts. Who knew you could ever describe a mall as breath taking? I think it is justified- they even have a 5* hotel inside named TownHouse Galleria.

We needed sustenance so we may have had gelato for breakfast and then headed straight to Spontini for pizza. Hello lunch! Surely it is a right of passage to consume a fair amount of gelato, pizza and pasta until you leave any Italian city? Right? Right?

The carb love needed a walk off so a perfect excuse to head to the museum but for some reason the one we wanted to go to was closed so we just continued to explore the city. I love biscotti so obviously had to go on a hunt to buy some to take home whilst exploring.

These were just the starters and we then ordered risotto. I ordered the traditonal Milanese risotto and my sister got a sausage and red wine risotto. The food was insane and definitely worth a visit, however, their menus do not have translations so a waiter will be more than willing to help out.  The evening came around fast and we dragged our legs home after a full day of food and exploration. The best kind of day.

Our final day in Milan had arrived quicker than we liked. First stop was a late breakfast at Cioccolati Italiani. Far from nutritious but necessary- ciao to our second round of galeto for breakfast.

We were not disappointed; melted white chocolate inside a wafer cone with chocolate and nuts on the rim, with a scoop of dark chocolate, fior di latte and milk chocolate, plus whipped cream and a wafer biscuit. A calorific delight. We didn't have much time until we had to get our taxi back to the airport so wondered through the gorgeous alleyways. You'll be surprised what you can find when you just walk aimlessly around a city.

Milan was a treat; the food, the weather, the architecture and most importantly, the company was exceptional. If we had more time or if we were to visit again, I definitely would want to visit Pinacoteca di Brera, Royal Palace of Milan and Museo Nazionale Scienza e Technologia Leonardo da Vinci. I've heard great reviews and the location of each just seem beautiful. Have you ever visited any of these places? I hope you have the best time when you visit Milan and if you have already been, let me know which parts of your trip were your favourite?