Book Milan hotels

Your wardrobe is beginning to resemble the land time forgot, and you can’t remember when you last bought a shirt. Quick! Before your friends and family sign you up for What Not to Wear, scoot off to Milan, the fashion capital of the world. Let lastminute.com.au get you started on your sartorial journey with flights to Milan and smart Milan accommodation.

Things to See & Do

Time is money in Milan, a town where all that glitters is most likely gold. From the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the famous Duomo to the jewellery in shop windows along Via Monte Napoleone, Milan has a long-standing love of glitz. Visit the tile mosaics and glass dome roof of the sparkling shopping arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Get blinged out by Italy’s most important designers in the fashion district Quadrilaterodellamoda. Some of the ritziest hotels in Milan are also in this quarter, so really live it up and stay in “Fashion Square”.

Make sure you scratch out an hour or two for some people-watching. It’s a Milanese pastime the eye-catching locals were made for—you’ll be lapping up fashion eye candy at every turn. Indulge the taste buds and stop into a gourmet deli. Treat yo’self to a serious bottle of red from the cellar at Peck and grab swanky picnic supplies from the impeccable meat, cheese, pasta and dessert displays. Take your pick of beautiful parks and have the best lunch of your life.

Refill your spiritual coffers at the Duomo. It’s the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and a truly religious experience. Walk the roof for the best views of the city, and feel history come alive beneath your feet. Continue raking in the beauty at La Scala, an 18th-century opera house known for its opulence. Sforza Castle offers sprawling public grounds perfect for an afternoon riposo (nap).

Wake up, refresh at whichever of the swanky Milan hotels you’re calling home, and don your new fine duds while sipping and snacking on apertivi. The party starts at 11 p.m. and continues until dawn at the clubs in the romantic, canal-lined Navigli district, so be prepared to break in those dancing shoes you just bought.

Getting to & Around Milan

Four airports serve Milan, but your best bet for international flights is Milano-Malpensa (MXP). Your fashion mission can begin at one of the many fine airport stores as soon as you land. You’ve got a range of options to reach accommodation in Milan: train, coach, taxi or personal driver if you’re really feeling fancy. If you’re rolling in from accommodation in Italy or other parts of Europe, lucky you! As a key hub for southern Europe’s trains, it houses five major stations. You’ll practically be hand delivered to your new life of style.

Within the city, AziendaTrasportiMilanesi (ATM) runs the public trams, buses and underground lines. ATM also offers the on-call mini Radiobus, GuidaMi car sharing and BikeMi bike sharing. With so many ways to get around, you’ll hardly put a scuff on your shiny new shoes.

Popular Events

If Milan isn’t on your list of fashion capitals of the world, you may have been living under a rock. Milan Fashion Week kicks off at the end of September and runs through the beginning of October, and in case you didn’t know it, it’s kind of one of the most important fashion events in the galaxy. Derek Zoolander and Hansel can’t hold a candle to the models strutting their “you know what” on these runways. Drool over the incredible clothes that probably cost as much as the car you drive.

Moving on into December, you’ll come across the Oh bej! Oh bej! It’s one of the most important Christmas fairs in the country. If you’re looking to feast on some of the best food in Milan, this is the place to do it. As someone in the office once said, “You can never have too many cannolis and zeppole”. This week-long feast and celebration is a must-do if you find yourself in town for the holidays.

Party Zone

Don’t be fooled by their smooth language of love—the Italians love to let their hair down and get wild. Begin on Como Avenue—Corso Como in Italian—and check out all the hippest clubs along this lively street. There are tourists and locals aplenty here, so check out places to stay in Milan in this neighborhood and get your people-watching on.

If you want to enjoy drinks in open air cafes along the canals, make your way to the Navigli quarter near Porta Ticinese Avenue. A few more bottles of wine and glasses of Sambuca later and you’ll be ready to move on to other hot zones like Colonne di San Lorenzo and Brea.

Weekend Getaway

We get it, Milan is beautiful, but it wouldn’t hurt to get out of town for a day or two. A mere 84km north of “The World’s Fashion Capital” is the stunning shoreline of Lake Como. You know the place. You’ve seen it in celebrity tabloid magazines because people like George Clooney and Madonna have homes on it. If you can shell out enough cash, rent yourself a lakeside villa and you’ll be next door neighbors with Richard Branson in no time.

You’ve always daydreamed about relaxing on a beach along the Mediterranean Sea while wearing a teeny-tiny bathing suit. Or maybe nothing at all? Either way, you should make the 114km journey south to “The Proud One”, aka Genoa. With its beautiful waterfront district and colorful architecture, this city is just as romantic as Paris, but flies under the radar for most lovesick travellers. Except you. You’ll revel in the gorgeous architecture along the city’s waterfront district known as Boccadasse. This is where you can shed your layers—all of them, if you want—and relax in the sand.

Some people live a lifetime when they spend one day in Milan. Think you can do it? If you do, treat your taste buds to a flavour extravaganza like never before when you take a Milan food tour to Brea, Corso Garibaldi and Peck. If you think you’ve already sampled the tastiest grub Italy has to offer, just wait until you try the pizza, gelato, pasta, and any number of olives. Of course, all this is accompanied with the finest wine of the region. And cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

When you book Milan holidays, the sky’s the limit. Pile on the style, take in the art, savour the cuisine and rest well knowing you’ve achieved your best self. Thanks to lastminute.com.au, you’ve never looked or felt better. You’re welcome!