Is Milan in Italy Really Worth the Hype?

On Instagram you'll find tons of great photos of Milan. But is Italy’s fashion capital really as great as it looks? Is it worth a trip? To find out, we visited the cathedral, the Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade and the trendy Navigli neighborhood.

00:00 Intro
00:57 Milan Cathedral
03:38 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
05:35 Navigli district
07:20 Conclusion

CREDITS:
Report: Andrea Horakh
Camera: Domenico Cannata
Editing: Monika Wenczel

We thank these IGers for their stunning pictures:

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[BluCircled]

I'm from Tuscany and I have visited Lombardy several times for work, pleasure and for visiting family. Milan is definitely worth a visit but in my opinion 2 days are sufficient. There are many worldclass places in Lombardy that are worth a visit and some of them are not well known by tourists: Bergamo and Mantova are two stunning cities, Sirmione on Lake Garda is a fairytale place, the other main three lakes (Como, Maggiore and Iseo) are magnificent, etc... So in short I would advise to do a little tour of Lombardy and not stay only in Milan, othewise you miss out on some of the most beautiful places on Earth. Also try the local food (casoncelli, cassoeula, polenta, cotoletta or risotto alla milanese, cheeses such as Gorgonzola and Taleggio, ecc.) and avoid eating famous Italian dishes that are from other parts of Italy such as Carbonara or Pesto alla Genovese ... Stick to local dishes so you can try something new and delicious while avoiding possible tourist traps.

[andreamartino]

As a Milanese I'm always suprised as Milan is often reduced to: "Cathedral, Gallery, Shopping". There are dozen of landarmarks that would fit the top 10 position of any other city in the world that I've never seen mentioned aniwhere (skulls & bones decorated chapel, an impressive roman cathedral, Saint Ambroeus Cathedral, a completely frescoed chapel by Giotto's school, LOT of famous art sparsed in gallerys, the castle and churches, the monumental cemetry, the art nouveau villas and palaces, churches with some of the first experimentation with prospect and the list goes on).

[antonios]

Milano has definitely changed over the years.
Its definitely become a lot tourist friendly, a lot more diverse, creativity outside of fashion has flourished in the last 10-15 years, the nightlife has become a lot more hedonistic and less pretentious, which i personally love.
You can’t really go to Milano and not see The Last Supper, but heads up, book a ticket in advance.
The fashion scene has also transformed from purely 60 year olds, dressing in designer clothing, to more eclectic thrifted clothing making more appearances on the streets, mixed with high fashion.

[MalaysiaBarista]

I visited Italy, and I can say that the place does look like the pictures you seen in paintings, insta, and others . This depends on the weather and time of day . During clear days, during sun rise and golden hour (evening/sunset) is the most beautiful.

[andysud]

I have visited Italy a dozen times. What makes a city is not its sightseeing and touristic landmarks, but its vibe, lifestyle, people, food, cultural life, services… which makes Milan the best city in Italy.

[jjchan]

Milan was a pleasant surprise for me. The cathedral is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. It is over-the-top kind of perfection. That said, Milan may not be the place for you if you are someone who feels out of place in a hustle and bustle city or among designer shops.

[maurichavez]

Milán has way more to offer. There are tons and tons of things to visit and see such as the ossario of San Bernardino, Castello Sforzesco, parco Sempione, Triennale, Cadorna, Brera district, Fondazione Prada, Tre Torri, San Maurizio, etc etc etc. Milan is a city with so much culture, things to do, to eat, to see, to visit.

[Phooeysphotos]

I am surprised that no mention of the last supper by Davinci and I would highly recommend going around Christmas. The decorations are over the top and a fun Christmas market

[saithiis]

No way Milan is better than Rome and Florence..

[carlo_berruti]

Side note at min. 2:18 (where it’s said you need to climb 164 steps to get to the Duomo’s roof): there is an elevator (or lift, whatever) from ground to top. The entrance is just 50 meters west than the stairs’ one — just need to look or read the signs.

[ehmzed]

6:29 there's a translation error here.
She said that there are many new restaurants/bars but a lot less shops than before.

[sydneylaroche]

Milano e meravigliosa, as is lake como, Rome and basically all of Italy. When it comes to going on a vacation you could throw a dart of a map of this country and have a wonderful time. Milano is the most modernised and forward thinking city probably (although ive heard Bologna is close), don't know if these people are correct in saying its better than Rome - both are great in different ways. Duomo is breathtaking especially up on the roof where you can see al the intricate details.

[UlliStein]

Don't forget the CityLife district and the area around the bosco verticale. And yes, then it is definitely worth a trip!

[Bellroysg]

Italy is so wonderful....was in Rome for a week and went to florence for a day trip too

[matteorinaldi]

The style and elegance you see and breath in Milan, you can't never experience in any German city, the opposite is true, you can only dream of, and that's a fact

[Eduard.Popa.]

Milan is beautiful, Rome - the beautiful city in the world,
if they deserve the hype ??
ABSOLUTELY YES !

[justhanan_official]

My friends always told me not to go to Milan because it wasn't worth a visit. Bloody they were wrong. I enjoyed every minute of my time in Milan. After watching this video, I think it's time to go back to Milan.

[CatsOfMarrakech]

Milan itself is fine. The train in from Saronno honestly there is so so much graffiti for the last 5 kilometers, along the train tracks and buildings...which they need to just spend money and clean it

[IceCream-hpmm]

I love Milan as I was a local there for a while, even close to Duomo and the Galleria you can take yummy food breaks for cheap, however Florence is the superior city, beautiful in any weather you visit unlike Milan or Rome, at least in my experience.

[schattenmefisto]

Milan is on my list to next travel - thank you for tips! 🙂