where to stay in Milan
 

First trip to No. Italy. Flying in to Milan & spending a couple nights before going on to Bellagio.

What area of Milan should I stay in to be able to conviently see the sites, without a car? I want to be in the center of things if that is possible.

Well, you have a number of options here. The hot nightlife district of Milan is called the "Brera" and it's great for happy hour-because in Milan, you can literally get a full meal at happy hour in addition to 2 for 1 cocktails-so keep that in mind, when you're thinking of dinner, as it's a great deal!

There is also the shopping/fashion district around Corso Buenos Aires, Via Montenapoleone to see all the great Italian fashion houses, where many of them have cafes and full restaurants these days-particularly the house of Armani-this area can be reached by Milan's underground metro, or on foot from the Duomo area.

There is also a hop on/off bus for Milan-around 16 Euro for 24 hours I believe, that will take you around by the Duomo, the Castello, Santa Maria della Grazia (where Da Vinci's "Cenacolo" (Last Supper) is located-tickets some weeks in advance must be reserved), Pinacoteca di Brera Art Museum, among many other places.

I have to emphasize the diversity of nightlife to be found in Milan-it all starts with the cocktail and the "aperitivo" hour- you've martini bars, great jazz clubs, discos galore, enoteche, Irish pubs, regular bars-literally, everything you could want in terms of a nightlife are to be found in Milano.

I think, however, if you want to be in the center of things, you would want to be around the Duomo/La Scala opera house area, that is the center of town, for sightseeing purposes. I would recommend HOTEL AMBASCIATORI, located in the Galleria, right by the Duomo, big rooms, high ceilings, fairly reasonable rates for this city of very high hotel rates.

ttp://www.hotel-milan-ambasciatori.com/booking.htm

My only warning about hotels in Milan is that you really need to book in advance during the year at the popular hotels, otherwise, you won't get in. You don't say when you are traveling, but the season, and the week, will make all the difference in the world for this city's availability and rates.

A couple of others to try:

HOTEL BRUNELLESCHI-4 star-walk to the Duomo, Santa Maria, shops

Very good 3 star-HOTEL STAR-on via dei Bossi-location between the Duomo and la Scala opera house, fairly spacious rooms, helpful staff, full buffet breakfast, a good value in Milan's center:

http://www.go-milan-hotels.com/hotel-star.php

Girlspytravel, thanks for the recommendations. The Hotel Star looks good & is in my budget range.

I was also looking at the Hotel Canada. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this hotel?

I would certainly appreciate any first hand information on hotels in the 150-200 euro/night range (or lower) as close to the center of Milan as possible.

When I try to get rates & availability through any of the internet sites, like Venere, several hotels, including the Star, come back with no rooms available for my dates. I am trying to book in May of ‘08. Is this because many hotels there don’t take reservations for next spring until later this year?

We’re still looking for suggestions on a good area of Milan to book a hotel and hotel recommendations.

We have never been to Milan. We could really use some help here.

Here is some background information. We are staying only 2 nights. We land mid morning and hope to be settled in to a hotel by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. We will have the entire next day and will take the train sometime mid morning to Varenna/Bellagio the 3rd day. We are hoping to keep the hotel cost under 250 euro/night and it would be nice to find a place for under 200 euros/night or less.

We are a couple in our 50's. We want to see the usual sites, Duomo, Last Supper. We also like good food and drink. We like nightlife but not the loud dance clubs or clubs so packed you can't move or even talk to your partner. The wife will probably want to check out the shopping area. We know 1½ days is not much time and we will not run around trying to do too much, just whatever we can fit in comfortably.

There, you have a lot of information for our short stopover in Milan. Again, the request is for suggestions on an area in Milan to book a hotel. Specific hotel recommendations would be very much appreciated. TIA for your suggestions and recommendations.

Stayed at the starhoetl and loved it. Also remeber to get reservations in advance to see the Last Supper. It is a must

You might try Antica Locanda Solferino. It is a very small hotel, and was about 250 euros a night when we were there in 2006. Read the reviews on TripAdvisor -- opinions vary widely as to whether it is quaint or just run down. We had a good experience there, with some minor complaints. There are lots of good restaurants in the Brera area, and it is walking distance (a long walk, but walkable nonetheless) to the Duomo, Galleria, La Scala, etc. It is pretty close to the central train station -- we took the train from the airport and just had a short cab ride from the station to the hotel.

We stayed at the Hotel Star last October. Great location near the Duomo. The room decor was fairly blah, but the room was quiet and comfortable. The bathroom had been recently renovated into a small but efficient and attractive space. The staff was very helpful and spoke fluent English. Very good buffet breakfast.

I prefer to book directly with hotels and booked with the Star using the form on their website. I have no idea whether Venere was offering a better rate, but we ended up in a higher category room than the rate we paid.

We recently stayed in Milan at the Hotel Spadari al Duomo. Wonderful location right next to Peck, the gourmet food store, and about 1 1/2 block from the Duomo and the Galleria. Great area for walking around, people watching, shopping. The rate for a standard room is 238/night. From there, we walked to the Brera area for dinner one night, which is a great area for cafes and restaurants for dinner (though there are also restaurants closer to the Duomo area), and during the day, to the Pinocateca di Brera (very nice museum - keep your eyes open for the Rembrandt in one of the last rooms). We walk a lot; we even walked from The Last Supper back to our hotel. The hotel is pretty contemporary, qand has a nice breakfast and very helpful staff.

Hello o/s:

I second Lexma's recommendation of the Spadari; the comments mirror our experience. We were especially taken with the staff. Gradyghost

Thanks for the recommendations. I just booked a room at Hotel Spadari al Duomo. This hotel was also recommended in Frommer's & Rick Steves' Italy guides (I have the 2002 editions).