Fodor's Expert Review Hotel Gran Duca di York

The spare but classically elegant and efficient rooms at this hotel are arranged around a courtyard—four have private terraces—and offer good value for pricey Milan. The 1890s building was originally a seminary, though today's level of comfort and service is far from monastic. The included breakfast and free nonalcoholic drinks in the minibar get high marks from guests, and the location, a few steps west of the Duomo and around the corner from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, is ideal for shopping and sightseeing.