Travel Guide: 24 hours in Milan

Disclaimer: Spending just 24 hours in Milan definitely isn't the best way to see this city!

A little bit of background if probably needed as to why we only had 24 hours in Italy's fashion capital. During our mini road trip of Northern Italy we spent a few days enjoying Venice before catching the train to Milan for a night ahead of our final stay on Lake Como.

How we got there

We were already in Northern Italy so caught the super quick inter city train from Venice, across the countryside to Milan. Clean, quiet and efficient - a heavenly train trip, just wish we had researched it a little more so we could have jumped off at some of the amazing stops on the way. 

Where we stayed

We were looking to stay as close to the central sights of the city as possible. On trusty Booking.com we found My Bed Montenapolene which is based just outside of the fashion district and no lie 3 minutes walk from the Duomo, the location and room were both fantastic. Think modern white marble floors and huge beds at a fairly low cost, it was perfect for what we needed. 

Places we visited 

Duomo 

Have you even visited Milan if you have climbed the hundreds of steps to the roof of the Duomo? The cathedral was definitely our highlight of Milan. We bought our tickets from the museum across the square and waited for around 15 minutes before entering. It is just as stunning from the inside as it is from outside. There a few different ticket options available, and two different options for reaching the roof terrace, we chose to take the steps instead if the lift, which was a little cheaper and more fun! The roof itself has views spanning across the city, definitely not a view to miss!

Galleria Vittrio Emanuele

Probably one of the most elegant shopping centres in Europe, if not the world. You've probably seen it feature in a million Instagram posts but it was still well worth a visit - just don't expect to do any shopping unless you have a few thousand Euros to spend!

Whilst we were in Milan I read in our Rough Guide book that Milan was really badly affected during World War 2, I won't get into specifics, although it is really interesting and well worth a read, there is a lot of history in Milan which I think seems to be overshadowed by it being the fashion capital.  Googling photographs of the Galleria during World War 2 was fascinating - amazing to see how well it has been rebuilt.

Castello Sforzsco and Sempione Park

A wonderful park and castle just a short walk from the central square - but so much quieter.

Speidini

Heavenly pizza and so reasonably priced. The perfect afternoon snack!

Our final thoughts on Milan

It almost seems a little unfair to be judging this huge city on such a small visit. There were areas that we loved, the old buildings in the centre are stunning, but we just really didn't have enough time to truly fall in love with Milan - guess we'll just have to come back again to decide!