1. Unlock exclusive shopping
Planning a trip to Milan, Turin, or the Italian Lakes? Make space in your itinerary for Vicolungo The Style Outlets, a premier shopping destination in northern Italy. Inside, you’ll find more than 300 leading brands – such as Armani, BOSS, Nike and Adidas – featuring everything from fashion trends and sportswear to footwear, accessories and a vibrant selection of dining options. Shoppers can take advantage of daily savings, offering up to 70% off original retail prices, with even deeper discounts available during special promotions.
Reaching the centre is seamless, as it sits directly off the A4 motorway near Novara, with dedicated shuttle connections from Milan and Turin. Tax-free shopping is available for non-EU visitors. Mark your calendar for SuperThursday on the last Thursday of each month, alongside seasonal sales, Black Friday events and year-round exclusive promotions!
And as you’re visiting Italy, an extra 10% discount is waiting for you at the InfoPoint!
Vicolungo The Style Outlets – Piazza S. Caterina, Ang.Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 28060 Vicolungo (NO)
2. Visit a wellness oasis in the heart of the city
QC Spa Milano is located within the 16th-century Spanish Walls of Porta Romana, in an Art Nouveau complex spanning over 2,500 square metres. Elegant architecture and modern technology combine to create a multisensory journey featuring over 30 wellness experiences. These include saunas, relaxation rooms and immersive pools, such as the iconic Thunderstorm Pool, where an evocative setting engages all five senses, creating unforgettable emotions. Just 10 minutes from the spa, QC room Milano Porta Romana offers the perfect setting for a memorable stay, combining design and innovation for guests and visitors exploring the city.
QC Spa of Wonders was born from a dream: to revolutionise traditional thermal bathing by transforming conventional body care into a magical journey of wonder. This collection of fairytale spas and hotels can be found in unique locations across Italy, France and the United States.
P.le Medaglie D’Oro, 2, 20135 Milano MI
qcterme.com
3. See the city in style with Milan Open Tour
The easiest way to see Milan over a day or a long weekend is from the open top deck of a Milan Open Tour bus. Departing from Piazza Duomo, the hop-on hop-off service links 33 stops across the city, from the Gothic spires of the cathedral and the Castello Sforzesco to the Navigli’s canal-side bars and the glass towers of Porta Nuova. Football fans can ride out to the legendary San Siro stadium. Hop off wherever something catches your eye and rejoin the next bus when ready. Onboard audio commentary in 11 languages – plus a kids’ version in three languages – brings the city’s art, fashion and history to life. Tickets are valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours from first use, and buses run every day of the year. Combined tickets with duomo rooftops, San Siro and Casa Milan are available.
Via E. Fermi 9, Assago, 20057, MI (our main stop, at which customers can start their journey with us, is in Passaggio Duomo, 2, Milan)
milanopentour.com
4. Strike a pose at Fondazione Prada
Milan is so fashion-forward that even its museums are couture. Founded in 1993 by Miuccia Prada – granddaughter of legendary label founder Mario – the Fondazione Prada is a sprawling gallery complex showcasing historic design artefacts and contemporary art installations. Some details must be seen to be believed, like the mad, gold-leaf clad building – or ‘haunted house’ – right by the entrance. Better even than that, its in-house Bar Luce is a surreal yet plush boozer designed by none other than visionary film director Wes Anderson. You’ll need a stiff drink to get your head around it.
2 Largo Isarco
fondazioneprada.org
5. Feast your eyes on Da Vinci's Last Supper
Make time for a brush with celebrity as you gaze upon one of the world’s most famous paintings. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece isn’t mounted in some stuffy gallery – indeed, it’s still exactly where the great man left it, covering the old refectory wall of a former Dominican convent at Santa Maria delle Grazie. It’s as beguiling today as when Leonardo painted it in the 1490s, and still poses so many questions. Not least, why is everybody sat on just one side of the table? No wonder that Judas chap looks sheepish.
Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie
Admission via guided tour, various prices/iterations
6. Grab a bite – and a bottle – at Peck
A peerless icon of the Milanese food scene, uber-grocer Peck sells a frankly mind-melting array of pralines and pastries, cheeses, chocolates, gelato, pasta, fish, succulent meats, caviar, pâté, olive oils and upscale balsamic vinegars. Make sure you buy a couple of bottles of nice local vino to sneak home, too. For the full-flavour experience, dine at Peck’s on-site restaurant and order a Milanese risotto. Just the thing for that mid-shopping-spree energy slump, or if you’re simply feeling (wait for it) peckish.
9 Via Spadari
peck.it
7. Hit the high notes at Teatro alla Scala
For nigh-on 250 years now, Milan’s grandest opera house has resonated with music from the world’s greatest singers, conductors and performers. Legendary diva Maria Callas kickstarted her singing career performing at La Scala, as did old-school violin whizzkid Niccoló Paganini. Patrons are a famously sniffy lot, who applaud greatness with the same gusto as they hurl scorn at mediocrity. For a night out with unmatched style, drama and showmanship, put on your gladrags and don’t leave until the plus-size lady sings.
2 Via Filodrammatici
teatroallascala.org
8. Commune with the divine at the Duomo
Perhaps Milan’s most grandiose sight, this almighty downtown cathedral sums up the city’s vibe rather elegantly – in that it’s stylish and powerful, as well as meticulously laid out and organised. Well over 600 years old, the Duomo is said to be encrusted with more statues than any other building on Earth, while its interior is propped up by 52 titanic columns – one for every week of the year. Don’t miss the viewing platform – a one-of-a-kind opportunity to peer at the distant Alps in ludicrously Gothic splendour.
Piazza del Duomo
9. Buy into the concept at Corso Como 10
The so-called ‘concept store’ against which all others are judged, Corso Como 10 is a fantastical place to while away an afternoon. Arranged around an elegant hidden courtyard, this chic designer oasis incorporates a posh frock shop, bookstore, gallery, a trendy bar, a high-end restaurant and an extremely exclusive hotel with just three swanky rooms. In a city crammed with pretty little boltholes and ultra-fancy nooks, this place somehow still stands out – a perfect 10.
10 Corso Como
10corsocomo.com
10. Nibble a panettone from Pasticceria Marchesi
If the same bakery shop has somehow earned its crust on the same premises for 200 years, well, they probably know what they’re doing, right? For two centuries, Pasticceria Marchesi (aka Marschesi 1824) has been whipping up tempting treats, sweets and Milan’s signature panettone – a kind of giant bready cake, with dried fruit and candied citrus peel, very popular at Christmas. If you’re laying off the carbs, worry not – it also does cocktails. Or, when the hour is stubbornly early, the coffee is also a bit spesh, served in proper gorgeous Art Deco surroundings.
11/a Via Santa Maria alla Porta
pasticceriamarchesi.com
11. Chill with the cool kids at Zona Tortona
Back in the day, Zona Tortona was all clattering industry and smoky factories. Nowadays, smoky eyes are the order of the day, as hot young creatives have moved into lofts and industrial units abandoned during the sixties, gussying up the place with their trendy fashion startups. Each year in April, Tortona hosts Milan Design Week, but there’s plenty of hip stuff going on all year round, from LabSolue perfumery to the Museo delle Culture – a one of-a-kind art and anthropology space.
12. Go green in Parco Sempione
Modelled on the classic English landscape garden that was so in vogue around 1893 when it opened, this enchanting expanse of greenery beside Castello Sforzesco is adored by loved-up local couples for its stately old trees and collection of Neoclassical buildings. Among them: the dinky civic aquarium, the Napoleonic triumphal arch at Arco della Pace, and a popular amphitheatre at Arena Civica, where classical concerts and contemporary live shows keep happy throngs entertained. It’s like a park, for people who think they’ve grown out of enjoying parks, but actually haven’t.
Piazza Sempione
13. Sip a negroni sbagliato at Bar Basso
No other cocktail exemplifies the Italian character quite as effectively as the negroni. Made from equal parts gin, vermouth and Campari liqueur, negronis are rich, dark and sophisticated. For an idiosyncratic local take, swing by Bar Basso, where they actually invented the negroni sbagliato – or ‘bungled negroni’ – entirely by accident, after a careless barman inadvertently poured in prosecco instead of gin. They serve it in a fishbowl too, so nobody minds – talk about a happy accident.
39 Via Plinio
barbasso.com