Milan in January
 

My daughter will be studying in Milan next semester and we are taking her over early. We will be spending 4 days in Milan. Can you tell me what to expect as far is weather? Also we like to stay at very nice, well located hotels. Do you have any suggestions? Should we try and book a guide/driver for sightseeing ahead of time or go through the hotel concierge? There do not seem to be too many tourist sights from what I can tell. What should we do for 4 days (besides shop)? Where should we eat? Going to great restaurants is probably our favorite travel experience.

January is very cold in Milano. I have been there 2x in the winter and always bring layers of clothes, gloves, hat, scarf, boots, etc. There is often frost on the ground and if snow, it is a light snow that does not stick very long. Do expect rain and some wind too.
Here is one of my trip reports from Milan that might be of help to you http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34731679

"There do not seem to be too many tourist sights from what I can tell"??? Are we talking about the same Milan?? The fashion capital of the world with its famous Duomo; Sforzesco Castle; Vittoria Emanuele Galleria II shops; La Scala Opera House; the famous Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper" painting at Santa Maria della Grazie church; Pinacoteca di Brera (art museum started by Napoleon); Natural History museum, to name just a few places? I could go on and on....just type in Milan in the search box to find out more tips and things to do on your trip. It is not necessary to book a guide or driver for sightseeing as the city centre is located mainly between the Duomo and the Sforzesco Castle so you can walk around the area. The "Last Supper" of the DaVinci Code fame is located a couple Metro stops away. You might need reservations to see that in advance; however, if you go to the church ticket window towards the end of the day, the odds of you getting in to see the painting are better than those that came in the morning.

In terms of cuisine, there are two famous traditional Milanese dishes: risotto alla milanese (a rice dish made with saffron) and cotoletta alla milanese (breaded veal). However, there are many different types of Italian cuisine due to internal emigration from other cities up to Milan. There are many terrific ristorantes throughout Milan that are too numerous to mention. I have eaten at a place that featured Sicilian cuisine, another from the Puglia region, etc. Maybe others can respond with their culinary experiences in Milan. I tend to eat in local trattorias and ristorantes, avoiding the 4* places for over-priced, oft touristy haunts, preferring the local places in and around the piazzas.

I've stayed numerous times at a family-owned property, the Hotel Sara, off Corso Buenos Aires and Piazza Loreto (Metro stop: Loreto). However, if you are looking for a 4* hotel or major American chain type hotel, you will find those closer to the Duomo and Vittorio Emanuele Galleria area. Buon viaggio!

Hi Mar2,

I was in Milan a few weeks ago and loved it. I agree that compared to, say, Rome, there aren't as many tourist sites, but there is plenty to fill your time. If you like art, the Pinacoteca Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and Sforzesco Gallery are definite places to visit. There are also many churches (in addition to the Duomo) with paintings, architecture or mosaics worth seeing - watch out for lunchtime closing of churches though, this caught me out on my first day. I wouldn't bother with booking a car as I found everything to be walkable or, at the most, a short taxi ride.

For the last supper, I found it booked up months ahead, so best to start thinking about your reservation now if you want to see it. The website is www.cenacolovinciano.org.

If you like opera La Scala is a must; you can either book in advance or there are 140 cheap tickets sold on the day. The queueing system for day tickets is amazingly complicated though!

And finally, the shopping is as good as it's reputation suggests. Contrary to what my guidebook said, the major clothes shops are open on Monday mornings and a number of them on Sundays too. I was very glad that I hadn't done much shopping for my trip before I left, the shoe shops were particularly fantastic.

As the other's have said; you do not really need a guide. It's easy to walk everywhere. And the museums are not crowded as in some other cities; we were there in September, and there were very few people in the places that we visited. January will be even more quiet.
this is my post about last year's visit; http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2
If you want a very nice central hotel, then go to the Four Seasons which is absolutely beautiful, but absolutely expensive too. Last time we stayed at the Spadari al Duomo, which I can highly recommend.

Sorry, that link doesn't work; type in Tulips Milan in the search box and you will find the report.

Okay, I DO have to echo the question-are we talking about the same Milano? I recently did a reasessment of this city, and I'll be going back for more-it is FAB!

Besides the historical sights mentioned, of course Da Vinci's Last Supper, located in the beautiful Santa Maria della Grazie (the Last Supper in Italian is called the "Cenacolo Vinciano"-www.cenacolovinciano.it-call or email to make a reservation) there is THE SHOPPING DISTRICT-the so-called "Golden Rectangle" along Via Montenapoleone/Manzoni/Venezia-this is a great area to browse, of course, along the elegant cobblestone streets, since all the Italian designer flagship stores are located here, with unique features not found in their other international stores-how about that D & G Martini Bar, located in the back of the shop in a garden, with a gorgeous Murano chandelier and red and black leather couches? or Armani's garden cafe for a quick bite at lunch-and whose store seems to sell everything from chocolates to clothes? Not to mention my favorite, the flagship Prada store, or Valentino, and a dozen others-love this area, but do go smartly dressed-the Milanese are not Parisians-they do tend to dress rather well to go out shopping.

And Milano is all about the nightlife-and their emphasis on THE COCKTAIL. This is all-important, and not only cocktails, but the Milanese do a "happy hour" like no other-wander over to the boho Brera district, (within walking distance from the Duomo, or accessible by metro) to Bar Brera and others of its ilk, to experience an entire buffet (and we are NOT talking light appetizers here) FOR FREE along with reduced prices on cocktails- you don't need to go out to dinner after you do this-usually held between 6:30-to 9:00pm-really late!

And as far as chic, trendy bars, there's CHANDELIER-which is crammed with same, along with Baroque furniture, all of it for sale, Bar Jamaica, also Roberto Cavalli's glass restaurant-JUST CAVALLI CAFE-with animal print chairs, (of course, signature Cavalli!) supermodels, and a garden -food of course, but again, the emphasis is on the cocktail.

There are lots of great jazz joints, free classical concerts at some beautiful churches-(see Chiesa di San Maurizio for its lovely frescoes), and of course there is the most well-known opera house in the world -La Scala-which you should at least do a tour of, if not get tickets to a performance-it's sure to be a highlight of your trip.

Try to spend some time in the Naviglio area, with its canals (even in January, which would be very lovely) and known for the aforementioned jazz clubs.

As for nice, well-located hotels: I would suggest two: GRAND HOTEL E DE MILAN -located in the Fashion District on Via Manzoni. This hotel was once the home of the composer Verdi, as well as housing other famous artists through the last century. 5 star-over 300E/nt. Another not so expensive, but quite stylish, small 4 star hotel, right by the Duomo, is SPADARI al DUOMO, doubles run around 200E, many rooms with balconies, and/or Duomo views. I know someone who stayed there not too long ago and really liked it-the stylish room, and the location.

So, yes, I think there's plenty to do in Milan, and I'm sure you'll agree, after spending some time here-your daughter will LOVE it, I'm sure!

Topping for HawaiiMoon

Topping for Mar2-Mar2-all you have to do is click on your screen name, and you will see your post-you have posted your question twice.

I reiterate what the others said: I lived in Milan for 13 years (and now live on Lake Como, lucky me!) and it's a great city. The overall impression is gray, but there is great beauty in the details - you just have to look a little harder.

A few of our favorite restaurants in Milan and elsewhere are listed on http://www.beginningwithi.com/food/rest.html

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com

Papagena -- or others -- Could you give me help with the http://www.cenacolovinciano.org/ website. I can get it in English and can get to the day I want, but can't figure out how to put in a time, number and price of tickets, and credit card number. Where on that page (with the date that I want up) do I type in anything? TIA Kristin

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We visited Milan last July, and found it very underrated! We loved it!

Here are our highlights:

1. Brera Neighborhood: Very charming, walkable neighborhood with great places to eat and snack.

2. Gelato: Chocolate -- the shop, not the flavor. Our cab driver said the gelato here was the best in Europe. It was pretty incredible.

3. Food: two outstanding dinners at Bebel and Le Torre di Pisa. Both sort of medium-range in terms of price, but incredibly delicious. (found reviews in NY TIMES) Also enjoyed Obika Mozzarella Bar (I think it's actually a chain). Had drinks and mozzarella buffet during "happy hour" -- Fantastic!

4. Seeing the Last Supper: the audio guide made all the difference for adults and teens alike. Amazing. (reservation made 6 months in advance!)

5. La Scala: Wow! We paid admission to the museum to gain access to the various boxes in the theater. Like nothing we’ve seen before. Beautiful! Next time we'll get tickets to a performance.

6. The roof of the Siena duomo: We took the elevator to the top (no line at 5pm) and walked among the buttresses and spires. Unbelievable! It took almost 500 years to build this place. Don’t miss it!

7. Walking along the main fashion streets: I thought they were quite charming -- cobblestone, some pedestrian only. My teenage fashion-conscience daughter was a bit disappointed. I guess she was expecting too much for “the fashion capital of the world”!!

8. Day trip to Lake Como: Very easy and inexpensive one hour train ride direct to Varenna. (something like 5 euro each?) Loved Varenna and had an amazing lunch at Bilicus in Bellagio.

9. Westin Palace: This was a lovely hotel. Conveniently located near the subway, which was pretty easy to use. Also walking distance to city center. Great service, too. We would stay here again without hesitation.

10. Checking out the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele: beautiful! There is a great book store, as well, with a nice English book section.

Have a great trip!!

hello, I live in Italy but far from Milan, but I love to visit Milan every winter, passed CHristhmas time. This city is very exciting, not as monumental as other towns, but very stimulating: nightlife, concerts, exibitions, fashion, shopping, restaurants.
No other italian town displays such enjoyment!
And wintertime is ideal, january and february are dense with events. Just have your coat and gloves, but last year we had very mild weather.
Only, Milan is very expensive for lodging. Last september I stayed in a short rent apartment very close to city center, on a Metro station. It was very comfortable, with a full kitchen, much more convenient than a hotel.
If I don't mistake, the owner was at [email protected]

good luck!

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