Solo travel · Milan · Italy
Solo travel in Milan
How to enjoy Milan at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Milan is straightforward for solo travellers: efficient transport, aperitivo culture that makes eating alone easy and a range of hostels near the Navigli and Centrale. Many solo travellers base themselves in Navigli.
Key facts
- Base
- Navigli
- Getting around
- Metro
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Language
- Italian
Solo travel tips
- Aperitivo bars are ideal for solo dinners; you order one drink and graze.
- Stay near the Navigli or Porta Venezia for sociable hostels and nightlife.
- Day trips to Como and Bergamo by train are easy to do alone.
- Watch your bag in the metro and around the Duomo and Centrale station.
- Join a free walking tour or a guided Last Supper visit if individual tickets are sold out.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, budget and solo travellers
Navigli
Around the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese canals in the south-west, old washhouses and courtyard workshops now hold bars, restaurants and vintage shops. The Darsena dock at the top of the canals is a popular evening hangout, and the Mercatone dell'Antiquariato antiques market fills the Naviglio Grande on the last Sunday of most months.
- Good
- Lively aperitivo scene; Good-value food; Atmospheric canals
- Watch out
- Noisy late into the night; Mosquitoes on summer evenings; 20–30 minutes from the Duomo
- Nearby
- Naviglio Grande, Darsena, Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio, Porta Ticinese
Great on your own
Religious site · Centro Storico
Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces
Go up to the terraces in the late afternoon for softer light, and on clear days look north for the Alps.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Gallery · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
The Last Supper
Spend the first minutes standing at the back of the room to take in the perspective before moving closer.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes inside, 45 minutes total
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
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Architecture · Centro Storico
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Walk through after dark, when the arcade is lit and much quieter than in the daytime.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Castle · Brera
Sforza Castle
If time is short, buy a ticket just for the Rondanini Pietà museum and walk the free courtyards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Kids
- Architecture
Architecture · Centro Storico
Teatro alla Scala
For a performance on a budget, look for gallery seats or same-day tickets sold at the box office.
- Time needed
- 1 hour for the museum
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- After dark
- Couples
- Rainy day
Gallery · Brera
Pinacoteca di Brera
After your visit, walk through the palazzo's courtyard to the small Brera Botanical Garden behind it.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Meeting people
- Aperitivo on the Navigli — Between about 6pm and 9pm, canal-side bars serve a drink with snacks or a buffet; it can replace dinner on a budget.
- Risotto and ossobuco lunch — Order the classic Milanese pairing at a traditional trattoria for a long weekday lunch.
- Navigli and Darsena — Canal-side bars and crowds spilling onto the towpaths, busy every night in summer.
- Corso Como and Garibaldi — Upmarket bars and clubs with a dressy crowd near Porta Nuova.
Sensible precautions
Milan is generally safe, but pickpockets work the metro, trams, the Duomo square and Stazione Centrale. Watch for people pressing bracelets or pigeon feed on tourists near the cathedral, and keep phones out of reach on terraces.
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Good mobile coverage, including in the metro; EU roaming applies to European SIMs, and free municipal Wi-Fi is available in some public areas.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Milan good for solo travellers?
Milan is straightforward for solo travellers: efficient transport, aperitivo culture that makes eating alone easy and a range of hostels near the Navigli and Centrale.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Milan?
Navigli: Canal-side bars, vintage shops and the monthly antiques market.