It’s a big city and although most of the main attractions are close together the metro is great for getting to places like the canal area or the Brera if you happen to be staying near the station where most cheap options are. Metro is excellent every 5 minutes during the day and at worst every 10 minutes on Sunday evenings. Amazing number of tram and bus routes but difficult to get to grips with the routes so perhaps stick to the metro.
Milan hotels are expensive and mainly cater for Business Travellers and it is difficult to find places reasonably priced in areas where you really want to sat www.venere.com is a good site to use.
Hotel Due Giardini ,Via Benedetto Marcello 47 One star hotel five minutes from the station very friendly owners and in a nicer street than many in the area. Rooms are basic but perfectly OK all with facilities and cheap (unless there is an event in Milan when most rooms seem to almost double) €
Hotel Arisoto in the Magenta Area just round the corner from Conciliazionestation on Metro Line 1 (red) Very cosmopolitan style, simple and tasteful with a fantastic continental breakfast.
Hotel Dei Cavalieri Piazza Missori is a four star hotel five minutes from the Duomo and next to Missori Metro at certain times of the year it is available at a good price for the quality and situation via Venere
Another option is an aprtments and a recommended company have started offering apartments in Milan, check out www.friendlyrentals.com
Anema e Cozze Via Palermo 15 Metro Moscova- another off Piazza Cinque Giornate & another corner off Alzaia Naviglo Grande (see canal area below) very modern pizza restaurants also excellent fish popular places €€
Brek Piazza Cavour and Piazetta Giordano & Corso Italia 3 very cheap self service restaurants ideal for lunch also open at night pasta and salads, desserts and fruit €
Canal Area Navigli, Porta Genova FS Metro
L’Osteria, Alzaia Naviglo Grande 46 Excellent Local Osteria specialises in plates of cold meats and cheeses but also some hot dishes, very friendly, very reasonable €
Clam’s Club Alzaia Naviglo Grande 36 Great Bar Restaurant large menu of different types of dishes from one dish type of Mussels and Spaghetti to Veal Cutlet Milanese to specialities of sizzling meat dishes very friendly staff and reasonably priced €€
Next door to the above is a lovely bar & restaurant don’t have the name but they do excellent specials mainly pasta dishes chalked on a blackboard they do great happy hour cocktails with a free excellent buffet
Premiata Pizzeria No 2 in the same street as all the above gets quoted as one of the best pizza places in the city
The other side of the canal the Ripa di Porta Ticinese 23 also has many recommended restaurants
Al Pont De Ferr, Ripa di Porta Ticinese 55, excellent canal side restaurant in the Navilgi with a great selection of dishes, good cooking and a cheese board that cannot be beaten €€
Best areas are the Brera, the Navigli (canal area) and along the Corso Porto Ticinese (Leading to the Navigli) there is a good selection of bars particulalrly at Apperitivo time lots with free buffets
Lots of the bars although they may seem slightly expensive for say a glass of wine will also include some excellent free snacks at lunchtime
Peck - Via Spadari (Metro Duomo) is an amazing grocers shop with a bar & resturant upstairs where after you hacve ordered your glass of wine you receive you own plate of snacks
Bar Magenta Via Carducci 13 (Metro Cadorna) has been recommended by other visitors to Milan and is in most guide books
Many bars have a happy hour where for the price of a cocktail you can help yourself to a free buffet however they are not always as good as they look
Bar Straf has been recommended close to the Duomo a funky bar with cocktails and buffet
Bacci and Abacci Via Edmondo de Amicis near S.Ambrogio metro bar and restaurant recommended for its atmosphere and excellent service
The streets of the Brera area have a lot of smart trendy bars in Via Firo Chiare & Via Brera Metro Monte Napoleone
Da Claudio, Via Ponte Vetero 16 Metro Cairoli is a very smart Milan Fish Shop which also serves drinks and raw fish, seafood at it’s bar in the shop. Full of very smart Milan locals and fabulous fish and cheap white wine a great experience
Le Tre Marie Café Via Edmondo de Amicis nr the Duomo good local café serving excellent paninis
La Rinascente Department Store by the Duomo has a great roof top café with excellent views
The Duomo, the Galleria Vitorrio Emanuelle II, Castello Sforzesco, Pinacoteca de Brera Gallery, The Last Supper which must be booked in advance and of course the designer shops
