Where to stay · Milan · Italy
Where to stay in Milan
7 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: John Picken, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Centro Storico. The Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the main shopping streets. Best alternatives — budget: Navigli; nightlife: Navigli.
Key facts
- First visit
- Centro Storico
- Families
- Centro Storico
- Budget
- Navigli
- Nightlife
- Navigli
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Centro Storico | The Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the main shopping streets |
| Families | Centro Storico | The Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the main shopping streets |
| Couples | Brera | Cobbled artists' quarter of galleries, boutiques and candlelit restaurants |
| Budget | Navigli | Canal-side bars, vintage shops and the monthly antiques market |
| Luxury | Centro Storico | The Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the main shopping streets |
| Nightlife | Navigli | Canal-side bars, vintage shops and the monthly antiques market |
| Food lovers | Brera | Cobbled artists' quarter of galleries, boutiques and candlelit restaurants |
| Solo travellers | Navigli | Canal-side bars, vintage shops and the monthly antiques market |
| Shopping | Centro Storico | The Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the main shopping streets |
| Quiet stays | Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | Elegant residential streets around The Last Supper and Sant'Ambrogio |
Milan neighbourhoods in detail
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping, luxury and families
Centro Storico
The historic centre radiates from Piazza del Duomo, with the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II leading to La Scala and the Quadrilatero della Moda a few minutes away. Metro lines M1 and M3 meet at Duomo station. Hotels here are expensive but put every main sight within walking distance.
- Good
- Walk to the main sights; Metro hub at Duomo; Busy streets into the evening
- Watch out
- Expensive hotels and restaurants; Tourist-focused cafés around the piazza
- Nearby
- Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala, Museo del Novecento
$$$$ · Best for couples, culture, first-timers and food lovers
Brera
North of La Scala, Brera's pedestrian streets such as Via Fiori Chiari and Via Madonnina are lined with galleries, antique shops, small restaurants and aperitivo bars. The Pinacoteca di Brera and the Brera Botanical Garden sit inside the Palazzo di Brera. It is Milan's most charming base, and the Sforza Castle is a 10-minute walk away.
- Good
- Picturesque, walkable streets; Excellent restaurants and bars; Close to the centre
- Watch out
- Pricey; Busy on weekend evenings
- Nearby
- Pinacoteca di Brera, Sforza Castle, La Scala, Brera Botanical Garden
$$ · 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
$$$ · Best for food lovers, nightlife, shopping and solo travellers
Isola and Porta Nuova
Milan's new skyline rises around Piazza Gae Aulenti, with the UniCredit Tower, the plant-covered Bosco Verticale towers and the Biblioteca degli Alberi park. Next door, Isola keeps neighbourhood trattorias, street art and live-music bars. Garibaldi station has metro, suburban and Malpensa Express connections.
- Good
- Modern architecture and green spaces; Good restaurants in Isola; Excellent transport links
- Watch out
- Fewer historic sights; Corso Como can be loud at night
- Nearby
- Bosco Verticale, Piazza Gae Aulenti, Corso Como, Monumental Cemetery
$$ · Best for nightlife, budget, shopping and food lovers
Porta Venezia
Around Corso Buenos Aires and the Giardini Indro Montanelli, Porta Venezia mixes Art Nouveau facades, the Natural History Museum and Villa Necchi Campiglio with a busy bar scene around Via Lazzaretto, the centre of Milan's LGBTQ+ nightlife. Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurants are another local speciality.
- Good
- Good-value hotels near the centre; Lively bars; Parks for running and children
- Watch out
- Corso Buenos Aires is crowded at weekends; Some streets noisy at night
- Nearby
- Giardini Indro Montanelli, Villa Necchi Campiglio, Corso Buenos Aires, Natural History Museum
$$$ · Best for families, quiet stays, culture and couples
Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
West of the centre, Corso Magenta is lined with grand palazzi, old pastry shops and churches including Santa Maria delle Grazie, home of The Last Supper, and San Maurizio. The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and the science and technology museum are close by. It is calm, central and convenient for the Cadorna station of the Malpensa Express.
- Good
- Quiet but central; Malpensa Express at Cadorna; Near the science museum for children
- Watch out
- Fewer bars; Limited budget hotels
- Nearby
- The Last Supper, Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Science and Technology Museum, Sforza Castle
$$ · Best for budget and first-timers
Stazione Centrale
The area around Milano Centrale, an enormous 1931 station, has the city's largest concentration of hotels, many of them good value outside trade-fair weeks. Airport buses to Malpensa and Bergamo leave from beside the station, and metro lines M2 and M3 reach the centre in minutes.
- Good
- Airport buses and trains on the doorstep; Wide choice of hotels; Good for day trips
- Watch out
- Little charm; Station surroundings feel rough late at night
- Nearby
- Milano Centrale, Pirelli Tower, Porta Nuova
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Centro Storico | $$$$ | Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala, Museo del Novecento |
| Brera | $$$$ | Pinacoteca di Brera, Sforza Castle, La Scala, Brera Botanical Garden |
| Navigli | $$ | Naviglio Grande, Darsena, Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio, Porta Ticinese |
| Isola and Porta Nuova | $$$ | Bosco Verticale, Piazza Gae Aulenti, Corso Como, Monumental Cemetery |
| Porta Venezia | $$ | Giardini Indro Montanelli, Villa Necchi Campiglio, Corso Buenos Aires, Natural History Museum |
| Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | $$$ | The Last Supper, Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Science and Technology Museum, Sforza Castle |
| Stazione Centrale | $$ | Milano Centrale, Pirelli Tower, Porta Nuova |
Getting to your hotel
Malpensa (MXP), about 50 km northwest, is linked to Cadorna and Centrale by the Malpensa Express train in about 35–50 minutes, and by coaches from Centrale. Linate (LIN), about 7 km east, is connected to the centre by metro line M4 in about 15 minutes. Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY), about 50 km northeast, is served by coaches from Centrale taking roughly an hour.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Milan for first-time visitors?
Centro Storico. The historic centre radiates from Piazza del Duomo, with the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II leading to La Scala and the Quadrilatero della Moda a few minutes away.
+Where should families stay in Milan?
Centro Storico: Walk to the main sights.
+Which area of Milan is best for a budget stay?
Navigli ($$): Canal-side bars, vintage shops and the monthly antiques market.