Luxury things to do in Milan
Tasting menus, gilded bars, and the Quadrilatero at full speed.
This is Milan at its most unrestrained: mornings in great museums and the city's most storied courtyards, afternoons in luxury flagships, and evenings built around tasting menus. It suits anyone who wants to see exactly what this city looks like when you take cost entirely off the table.
Day 1: Brera, La Scala, and Seta
Coffee at Jamaica, the Brera gallery, a courtyard lunch at Il Salumaio, La Scala in the afternoon, then Antonio Guida at Seta and a glass at N'Ombra de Vin.
- 9:30 AM
Jamaica
Historic Brera café beloved by artists and intellectuals, the perfect first espresso of the trip.
Map - 10:15 AM
Palazzo di Brera
Home of the Pinacoteca di Brera, one of Italy's greatest painting collections, steps from the café.
Map - 12:30 PM
Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone - since 1957
Milan's most storied lunch address since 1957, legendary cold cuts, truffle pasta, and a courtyard inside the Quadrilatero.
Map - 2:30 PM
Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala, visit the world-famous opera house museum and gilded auditorium while it's quiet in the afternoon.
Map - 7:30 PM
Seta by Antonio Guida
Antonio Guida's tasting menu at the Mandarin Oriental: refined Italian cooking with southern roots.
Map - 10:00 PM
N'Ombra de Vin
A Brera wine bar in an old cellar, open late; pick a bottle from the shop shelves and drink it there.
Map
Day 2: Galleria, Duomo, and Arengario
A grand Marchesi cornetto under the Galleria sets up a cathedral rooftop climb and an early-Christian church detour, with the evening split between Giacomo Arengario's view-loaded dining room and a final Campari Seltz at the most legendary aperitivo counter in the city.
- 9:30 AM
Marchesi 1824
Historic Milanese pastry café in the Galleria, the perfect grand start with a cornetto and cappuccino.
Map - 10:30 AM
Duomo di Milano
Milan's iconic Gothic cathedral, climb to the rooftop terraces for the city's best skyline view.
Map - 12:30 PM
Langosteria Café Milano
Langosteria's seafood café: crudo, fritto misto and a cold glass of white, a short walk from the Duomo.
Map - 2:30 PM
Basilica San Nazaro in Brolo
Basilica San Nazaro in Brolo, beautiful early-Christian church with the Trivulzio chapel, a stone's throw from lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Giacomo Arengario
Dinner on the top floor of the Museo del Novecento, with the Duomo's spires lit up outside.
Map - 10:00 PM
Camparino in Galleria
Camparino in Galleria, the city's most legendary aperitivo bar for a final Campari Seltz under the Galleria vault.
Map
Day 3: Porta Venezia, the Quadrilatero, Andrea Aprea
A morning in the Montanelli gardens, lunch at Il Baretto, the Quadrilatero flagships, then Andrea Aprea's tasting menu and a nightcap at Alla Concorrenza.
- 9:30 AM
Pavé
Bakery café near Porta Venezia known for its brioche; a cappuccino and a pastry before the walk.
Map - 10:15 AM
Giardini pubblici Indro Montanelli
Milan's grandest public gardens, a leisurely morning stroll through the park right on the doorstep of the neighbourhood.
Map - 12:30 PM
Il Baretto Milano
Il Baretto is the city's iconic fashion-week power lunch in the heart of the Quadrilatero, the table everyone wants.
Map - 2:30 PM
Quadrilatero d'Oro
The Quadrilatero d'Oro, Milan's golden rectangle of luxury flagships, is the city's most famous luxury shopping strip, right after lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Andrea Aprea
Andrea Aprea's Neapolitan-rooted tasting menu on the top floor of the Fondazione Luigi Rovati.
Map - 9:30 PM
Osteria Alla Concorrenza
A small osteria and wine bar for one last glass, a short taxi from Corso Venezia.
Map
Where to stay
Bvlgari Hotel Milano
Sits right on the edge of Brera and the Quadrilatero, which is exactly where this itinerary lives, and the bar is among the most serious in the city.
Mandarin Oriental, Milan
On Via Andegari, a short walk from La Scala and Il Salumaio; a spa downstairs and Seta in the building.
Make Milan your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Duomo di Milano: weeks ahead
- Cenacolo Vinciano: months ahead
- Pinacoteca di Brera: a few days ahead
- Teatro alla Scala: weeks ahead
- Stadio Giuseppe Meazza: weeks ahead
- Lake Como: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Eating or drinking seated on Piazza del Duomo or in the Galleria at terrace prices for mediocre food.
- Any restaurant with a tout, laminated photo menus and a tourist menu in six languages.
- Aperitivo buffets chosen for size rather than drink quality.
- Como coach tours giving one rushed hour in Bellagio in August; go self guided to Varenna instead.
The full Milan travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around