The best tips for Milan – according to me.

Over the years, I have paid several visits to Milan, both for business and leisure. During one of the first holidays with my wife on which we traveled to Siena and Florence as well (read on our karaoke DJ story and the night I knew I wanted to marry her), we were stuck in Milan for several days. So here are the best tips for Milan – according to me.

Why you’ll love Milan

My best omakase experience in Milan

The Japanese habit of omakase (お任せ) when you’re ordering at a restaurant pretty much means, “I’ll leave it up to you”, inviting the chef to be innovative and surprising in the selection of dishes. I try to do it in every city I visit, and apply the idea behind to everything between how I pick my runs, how I pick my food, how I plan activities with my kids, how I explore cities and how I travel in general.

My best omakase experience in Milan was actually near Milan’s Malpensa airport. During the 2010 ash cloud, my wife and I were stuck in Milan with flights throughout Europe being cancelled. With hotels fully booked, we ended up in a small town near the airport, in a hotel named Albergo Fontana in Varallo Pombia. It was a small family-run hotel, with a pizzeria connected to it.

We stayed there for almost half a week before we could leave via train back home, and in that week we got to know the family owners as extremely friendly, caring people. We had the most amazing breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with some of the best pizza I ever had (apart maybe from Naples).

The best hotels in Milan – according to me.

Hotel Indigo Milan is on the edge of the city’s high-end clothing district. Most Indigo hotels try to embed local elements (like the Indigo in Antwerp and the Indigo in The Hague), in this case: fashion. Rooms in the former palace showcase exclusive fabrics that wouldn’t be out of place on a catwalk. Also really nice in the hotel: rainfall showers, rooms overlooking the rooftops in Milan’s ancient centre and a courtyard bar for pre-dinner aperitivi.

The best bars in Milan – according to me.

The best coffee in Milan – according to me.

The best things to do in Milan – according to me.

• Visit the Bosco Verticale. The Vertical Forest consisting of two residential towers of 110 and 76 m height was realized in the centre of Milan, on the edge of the Isola neighborhood, hosting 800 trees (each measuring 3, 6 or 9 meters), 4,500 shrubs, and 15,000 plants.
• La Scala might be one of the best opera buildings in the world. Try to get a spot there, but make sure to buy in advance.
• As in many cities (like Madrid), there’s a lot of value in just spending time in specific areas of the city – to live like the locals. Areas like Brera (an area with plenty of artists, mainly because of the nearby Accademia delle Belle Arti) or Isola (plenty of bars and nice restaurants).

The best places for a run in Milan – according to me.

Parco di Trenno allows different longer runs, including a 13-14 km run around different areas in and around the park.

So, what are the best tips for Milan according to you?