29 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Milan, Italy.

Some people say to skip Milan altogether or just spend a short period of time there. Well, I just got back and here's everything that I wish I would have known before going. And some of these might surprise you. We're going to talk about some common mistakes in money saving tips. A couple things about like where to hang out and how to avoid most of the tourists. I'm going to talk about some paid and free things to do in the city because you don't have to spend a ton of money. I'm going to talk about some food recommendations. And of course, my top regret because I definitely do have a regret. First thing to note has to do with the train station. If you're traveling in or out of it, just make sure that you schedule some extra time to admire how beautiful this thing is. I move to a new country every single month. I've been in a lot of train stations and this is by far the most beautiful train station I've seen anywhere in the world. Just make sure you give yourself some extra time there. It really is special. Now, a really common mistake that I see tourists make is hanging out in the Galleria and saying, wow, the Galleria is fantastic. And it is. It is beautiful. It is a work of art. But recognize that most of the dining options and shopping options in there, they're catering to the tourists. They're trying to take advantage of you. You're just going to find way better deals literally anywhere else in the city. So be cautious there. And also, I find a lot of tourists get sucked into that main area circled here where all the tourists hang out. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't see those things, but just recognize that, hey, this is the tourist trap area. So if this is the spot that you're going to limit yourself to, you're probably not going to love Milan as much as you could. Because to me, the real beauty is outside of this area. And I'll show you where to get to in a minute. Now, if you do have that desire to explore the other parts of Milan, you probably want to know how to get around. And yes, the whole city is very walkable, but it's very big. And I'd really recommend using the public transit. It's a great system here. They have a metro underground. They also have these adorable trolleys that kind of remind me of Lisbon. I don't know who did it first. Lisbon might have copied Milan. But it is really picturesque. But the metro is a great way to get around the city. And it's super simple. You don't need to buy a ticket in advance. You can just tap to pay with your credit card or your phone just like this. And when you tap in, also make sure to tap out. That's how they're going to calculate how much to charge you, which is just a couple of dollars for a single ride. Now, if you are going to be doing a lot of exploring and using the metro a ton, you can save some money by getting a 24-hour pass. I think that's somewhere around $7, $8. So if you're going to use it more than three or four times in a day, you're probably going to save money getting that pass. Now, if you're wondering where to actually go and find those local areas, these spots that I circled, these were some of my favorite places to explore that didn't feel completely touristy. Locals, you can correct me if I'm wrong. And if you think there are other places that we should be exploring. But these are the hot spots to me. But let's talk about some of those hot spots that you aren't going to miss that are those touristy spots that are well worth visiting. The first is obviously the Duomo. And oh my gosh, this place is just unbelievable. Probably the top church I've ever been to anywhere in the world. And I have been to quite a few. This thing is just, it's incredible. Now, a few tips around this that a lot of tourists don't realize. You can pay for access to go up on the roof. A lot of tourists do know that. I want to note that it is well worth going up on the roof. But there's something else that I think is worth it, especially for folks who are not prepared to climb a ton of stairs. You can buy a package that includes an elevator ride. So you can skip most of those stairs. And we felt like it was very worthwhile for a couple of reasons. One, obviously you skip the stairs. But two, maybe more importantly, is most people who do choose to take the stairs and don't pay for the elevator. They're going to end up about halfway around the roof. Which means when you take that elevator up, you're actually going to have like this first section where they never have access to. And it's much, much less crowded. It's a great area for pictures and just to take things slow and really explore. Because once you catch up to everybody, it kind of does become one of those things where everybody's just in a slow moving line. That's not how it was when you first get off the elevator. Now, another mistake that I saw lots of tourists make is, hey, you get up there, you take the elevator, and they're just flying through because they're trying to see everything. Take your time. There's a lot of little nooks and crannies that are interesting to explore that aren't always easy to see unless you're taking that slow pace. So take things slow and you'll be rewarded. Now, recognize that even if you do take that elevator up, there is an extra part of stairs that gets you to that highest level that there's just no elevator option. Now, the tip here is that if you're somebody with low mobility and you're just not feeling up to the stairs, if you wanted to, you could skip that top level. We actually found it to be the least rewarding just because you don't have as much of a view because you're just looking at the top. We found the perimeters to be a bit more scenic, but hey, don't let that stop you. Just be prepared for those steps if you are going to go all the way up. Now, the next thing that you might want to be aware of is close by to that touristy section, there is a theater that a lot of tourists just blow by because they don't recognize it. And this theater really is worth your time. It's gorgeous. You can pay to just go and kind of walk around. But the real key tip here is go online in advance. They actually show you half hour by half hour what's going on. And the reason that's important is a lot of times there's rehearsals, which means the main theater is actually going to be dark. It's cool to see the rehearsals or lighting, but it's much better once the lights actually come up. So schedule your time around when the lights are going to be turned on. That way you're going to make the most of your time. Now, one last paid attraction that I do think is well worth your time is this museum is just absolutely phenomenal. I love museums, but this one stood out for a specific reason. It's just so well curated. Next to most pieces of art, they state why they put it in the museum and what purpose it serves in the museum itself. And it makes sense that they're taking this approach because this museum is kind of integrated with the university. And it's just really special. It's very small and a manageable museum to do. And I really recommend it if you're into that sort of thing. Now, if you're on a budget and you don't want to pay for the museum, that's okay. I'd still recommend going there for one thing. This garden, again, is the university garden. And it's just, it's adorable. I mean, it's super cute. Just a great spot to take a breather from all the tourists, walk around and just admire. It's completely free and I'd highly recommend it. Now, let's talk about the castle because a lot of tourists end up going to the castle and you can absolutely pay money to see it. And it is wonderful. But if you are that budget traveler or just are short on time, you can go to the castle without paying for admission. And you can just kind of walk the grounds. It's very accessible. It's beautiful to just walk the grounds. Like there is a lot to see without having to pay. And yes, there are going to be quite a few tourists, but I do still think it's well worth your time. Now, if you're over in that area, you should not miss the rest of the park, which is just gorgeous. Yes, you'll find some tourists there, but also a lot of locals on this end of the park. Just again, another scenic place to take a breather from the big crowds throughout the day and admire some nature because it really is special. So don't miss that. Now, obviously, there are a lot of churches that you can explore in Milan. And outside of the Duomo, this one stood out to me the most. It's completely free. And what's unique about it is it is just like covered from top to bottom and just beautiful art. There weren't large crowds in it. So it was really nice to just kind of wander through and explore. And it was just, again, very small and manageable. So I wouldn't miss that if you're walking by. These next three might surprise you. And the first is this canal. And raise your hand if you didn't know that there were canals in Milan. I will raise mine because I definitely did not know it. I found it and it was just gorgeous. Like it wasn't a very deep canal. And I guess they used to use it to transport marble into the city, which makes sense. But it's just beautiful. Wonderful spot to walk, especially at that sunset hour. Do note that the front part of it around here is a bit touristy. But you pretty quickly get to the more local area. And it's just a very worthwhile experience. Something that's different that I think a lot of tourists miss. Another spot that might be of interest is Bar Luce. This is actually a bar slash cafe created by Wes Anderson. It's all in his style. And it's kind of like you're stepping into one of his movies. So I'll let you decide how well they pulled it off. I thought it was pretty cool. So if you're into that, you might enjoy checking it out. But our number one most underrated and completely free thing to do in Milan was walking through this cemetery. Now, I didn't film inside the cemetery for obvious reasons. But hear me when I say this because this is important. This cemetery is the best expression of life that I've ever seen in any cemetery. It's so uniquely beautiful that it's just worth seeing. And I'll leave it at that. But let's talk about some food because there's great food in the city. Do note I'm just going to give you the highlights. All the rest of my recommendations along with most other things in this video are in a free digital guide that I made. It's completely free. You can check it out in the description. And I hope it's helpful for you. But if you're looking for a meal that's going to stick to the traditional dishes but still be cooked at a high level, there's a place called Don Gio. We had a fantastic dinner there. Do note that you're definitely going to want reservations. It is a popular place but popular for a reason. If you're looking for one of those much fancier meals but not quite at those like stupidly high prices but still really high, there's a place called Autumn. And I believe this place might have a Michelin star within the next couple of years. They were doing some pretty incredible things. Again, all very traditional to the region but very innovative and high, high prices. Like go there for a special occasion. If you're looking for a place to enjoy an aperitivo because why wouldn't you when you're in Italy? And if you didn't know, an aperitivo in Italy is basically think of the pre-dinner meal. It's where you're going to go have some drinks, small bites. It's going to take place somewhere between 6 to 7.30 p.m. somewhere in that range. It's going to be great. Most of the locals, they're going to eat later like 7.30, 8 p.m. and beyond. So that's a way that you can kind of screen for tourist traps as if a place is open from like 5 to 6.30, probably not the spot the locals are eating at. So if you are wanting to try an aperitivo, we found this place called Vin War. Think of this as just a really cute wine bar. There were no tourists. It was just locals, which is exactly what we're looking for. Very kind staff. Awesome small bites. And just the wine was fantastic. Now, if you're a coffee lover like me, there are two spots that I'll recommend. The first is Orsonaro. This was in a very local area of town. Trendy, cute. Just that's exactly what I'm looking for in a coffee shop. Really high quality coffee. And man, they had a cinnamon roll that was punching. It was punching above its weight class. It was fantastic. And the second place is called Lost. This one's a little bit more trendy. Closer to where the tourists are going to be hanging out, but just another really good spot. Fantastic pastries and well worth your visit. But let's talk about my biggest regret because God, I screwed up. And you've probably noticed I have not mentioned The Last Supper. That's because I didn't get to see it because I did not realize that you literally need to book not just like weeks but months in advance if you can. So do your booking ahead of time for that. But if you find yourself in a situation like me where you're like, shoot, there's no tickets, your last resort option is going through one of those third parties like Get Your Guide or somewhere else that's going to be a tour operator. I guess a lot of them buy the tickets up in advance and they did actually have a single ticket available for the day that we were going. But obviously I was with Sarah. We didn't want to split up. So we said, hey, we'll do it next time. But if you are a solo traveler or somebody with a group where you have one member that's like, man, I really got to see it, maybe check that out. It might be a good last option for you. But if you're going to any other cities in Italy like Venice or Florence or Rome, I have videos on all of those as well. You can find them right here. I hope all this was helpful. If you have questions, leave them in the comment section. Thanks for watching and we'll catch you guys next time.