Room with a View
I will start with my favorite – a room with balcony and Duomo View. I do not think it can get any better for Milan, to be honest. As I said above, I am at my 5 or 6th visit in the city, but it was a dream of mine to stay there.
I found the perfect occasion – celebrating 3 years since I have been with Hubby – and I thought was the perfect time for spoiling ourselves. And it was such a magical decision. I would have stayed on that balcony all day long. We even ordered in just to enjoy that view as much as we could. Even though it was the end of January, we were lucky to have a sunny and warm weekend which made everything even better.
I have received many questions regarding the place we stayed at. It is called Glamour Apartments anded I have found it on Booking.com. I am sure you can also find it on Airbnb. To be honest, This was the place with the coolest view I have found in Milan. Be careful because they have many apartments in the area, but not all of them have Duomo View. You should read all the information so you can know exactly what you book. This was a two level apartment that could easily be used by 4 persons, but it meant no privacy at all since the upper room has no door.
Rooftops & Restaurants with a View
For many years though, I was not at peace with paying such a ridiculous amount for accommodation, so I will give recommendations for places with an amazing Duomo View: Terrazza Duomo 21 & Aperol Terrazza. I am sure you have seen these places on Instagram already and both deserve a visit.
I remember visiting Aperol Terrazza in 2011 for the first time with my bestie, Oana. We drank our first ever Aperol and we were not charmed at all since we thought it tasted so bad. Haha, I couldn’t say this right now since Aperol Spritz is my favorite drink for hot summer days.
Another cool spot in town is the Rinascente Rooftop where you will find several restaurants and cafes to choose from. I recommend paying a visit a sunset for the best view!
Last, but not least, I have to mention another popular rooftop restaurant in Milan: Ceresio 7 Pools & Restaurant, a good place to see Milan from above.
Piazza del Duomo
I have said it before: The Duomo is the most beautiful cathedral in the world for me this is why I love spending as much time as I can here: early mornings for sunrises and pigeons, eating gelato on the stairs at noon, finding accommodation & restaurants with Duomo view for dinner and night etc.
I don’t think I will ever get tired of this place. Dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete: construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965.
This being said, a trip to Milan is incomplete without a Duomo picture. But as you will see, Piazza del Duomo is also the crowdest place in the city. You can either wake up as early as you can and arrive there for sunrise (as we did) or go with the flow and accept this is how Milan looks like during the day. It is the Fashion City after all, crowds are absolutely normal.
The coolest spots I’ve found in the Piazza are the Metro exists because they will give you a place to stay and a cool perspective.
There are always some fake photographers ready to take photos of you for a ridiculous fee, but I suggest saying no to them. The quality of the pictures is very low and they have no idea about photography, they just care about your money.
PS: The Duomo Rooftop also offers great photo spots so it is well worth the climb!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The architecture of this place is simply insane. Every time I go through, I am amazed by all the details and how well they manage to preserve it. Even though it is supposed to be the coolest spot for shopping, I have to admit I have never bought anything from there and probably I won’t soon. But entering the Galleria is an experience itself.
As a plus, you can find restaurants and cafes and even a hotel where, to be honest, I would love to stay one day!
This is also a very crowded place so it will be hard to have all to yourself for pictures. If you are an early riser, I imagine this is possible. The coolest place for pictures and with bigger chances to be emptier, in my opinion, is on the side entry.
PS: In winter time, here you can find the cutest Christmas tree. I was so happy to see it 4 years ago. You can see more pictures and read about my Winter Experience in Milan HERE.
Naviglio Grande
Naviglio Grande, also known as the Venice of Milan, is a canal in Lombardy, northern Italy, connecting the Ticino river near Tornavento to the Porta Ticinese dock, also known as the Darsena, in Milan.
You can easily go there by metro – P.TA Genova FS station and walk around 8 minutes. There are many local restaurants and bars to enjoy and, if you are lucky as we were, you can also find an amazing flea market. I would have bought so many things for the house if there was a simple way to bring them to Romania.
Old Trams
Just moments away from Piazza del Duomo, on Via Dante, you will find the old trams passing and this means a great opportunity for Instagrammable pictures. You have two options: the classical yellow tram or the army green one that is in fact a restaurant called ATMosfera Ristorante. I would have loved to experience a dinner or lunch in the tram, but you have to book in advance. Good to know for next time!
I caught the ATMosfera Tram this time and the driver was extremely nice and he even waived back at me for the picture.
Colazione at Bar Duomo
This is the cafe with the best view in town, but also offers goodies perfect for a morning treat. You can obviously expect higher prices due to its amazing view, but spoiling yourself on holidays should always be permitted.
As a plus, a glass of Prosecco will always make you start the day in a better mood, right?
The good part is that they have exterior heaters and you can stay outside even on colder weather. And the view is sure worth it.
Pasta & Pizza Lover for the Gram
You cannot go to Italy without eating & taking a picture with a big portion of pasta or a slice of pizza. And you definitely shouldn’t miss that on your Italian trip.
I am the biggest pasta lover so when we travel to Italy, I could eat pasta 3 times per day. In fact, Milan has the best lasagna in the world in my opinion and I always pay a visit to Bar Madonnina for this.
You cannot go to Italy without eating & taking a picture with a big portion of pasta or a slice of pizza. And you definitely shouldn’t miss that on your Italian trip.
I am the biggest pasta lover so when we travel to Italy, I could eat pasta 3 times per day. In fact, Milan has the best lasagna in the world in my opinion and I always pay a visit to Bar Madonnina for this.
