One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

One day in Milan is for sure not enought to explore the city, but there are still many things to do in Milan to make you busy. Some knows Milan for the high fashion, some for shopping, others for football, EXPO or even food… Even though we have known Milan for all its stereotypes, this was our first time to be traveling there. We only spend a bit more than one day in Milan, but what we saw, was better than we excpected.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Enjoying the dolce vita lifestyle (One day in Milan)

The best one day in Milan

Everyone needs a reasons for traveling somewhere and we we needed one for Milan as well. Spending a little bit more than one day in Milan had been on our radars for long, but we traveled there on MasterCard invitation.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

The old yellow trams are a symbol of Milan (One day in Milan)

As users of MasterCard, we were invited to try-out their relatively new product Priceless cities. If you are an owner of the MasterCard, you can sign-in in the Priceless cities program for free and have different kind of advantages all around the world – lower prices for hotels, tickets for unique events, welcome drinks in restaurants and lots more. We did have a bit more than one day in Milan, but with the Priceless cities offers, we managed to enjoy it even a bit more.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Who would knew Milan can offer such cute streets (One day in Milan)

Because we are based in Slovenia, traveling to Milan is close – in fact we needed only 4,5 hours by car to reach it from Ljubljana. The closeness was great for a short weekend getaway. We actually spent only one day in Milan.

We reached our gorgeous hotel Grand Visconti Palace at around noon. It was pre-booked via MasterCard’s’ Priceless cities, what gave us a bit lower price than anywhere else. The Grand Visconti Palace hotel was around 30 minutes on foot or 4 metro stops to the Milan’s famous cathedral. If you are without a MasterCard, you can still book this beautiful, vintage looking like hotel also via booking.com. The location is great was great for exploring Milan in one day and there’s even private parking available if you are traveling to Milan by car.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Vintage look of the Grand Visconti Palace hotel (One day in Milan)

Even though we only had one day in Milan, we wanted to make the best of it and enjoy the benefits of the MasterCard’s Priceless cities program. We booked our dinner in one of the traditional Milanese restaurants. Receiving the voucher, we had free booking of the table with a welcome drink. We loved the fact, that almost all the restaurants in the Priceless Cities program were not typical touristic places, but more popular among locals. We wanted an authentic experience, without flashing white tablecloths, so we went for Grand’ Italia Restaurant, where they served typical food for Milan, including Milanese pizza Al Trancio, which was delicious.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Typical Al Trancio pizza (One day in Milan)

Spending only one day in Milan, we did not just enjoy its food, but we were determined to explore some of the most famous Milan tourist attractions and feel the city’s vibe too.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

You cannot get to know the city if you miss its food (One day in Milan)

Things to do in Milan in one day

  • Il Duomo

Having only one day in Milan or not, your very first stop should awlays be the famous city’s cathedral. You will not be able to miss it as it stands in the city center, at the Piazza del Duomo. You will notice it from a far. It is truly magnificent sight, even more if you are familiar with the fact, that 6 centuries were needed to be completely built. The Milan’s cathedral is also the third largest in the world. (Entrance ticket: 2€/pp)

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Magnificent cathedral in ghotic style (One day in Milan)

  • Galerria Vitorrio Emanuele II

Even though you are not keen on shopping, you have to stroll through the grand galleria Vitorrio Emanuele II. A walk under the glorious arcades and the glass roof is truly a walk you will not forget easily and being just steps away from the cathedral, it is perfect when you only have one day in Milan to see the sights.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

A gorgeous place for shopping high fashion brands (One day in Milan)

  • Sempione Park

If you want to avoid hustle and bustle on the busy streets of Milan, you won’t be wrong when visiting the city park Sempione. It is especially nice during the summer, where locals are here to enjoy the sun – sunbathing, picnicking, jogging and hanging out with friends. There are also two tourist attractions, worth the attention – Arco Della Pace (arch) and Castello Sforzesco (castle). We did have only one day in Milan and explore mostly on foot, but we are glad not to skip the park.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Arch at the end of Sempione park (One day in Milan)

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Milan has full of historical buildings (One day in Milan)

  • Naviglio Canal

If you really want to experience the typical »dolce vita« lifestyle and having only 24 hours in Milan, make sure not to miss the Naviglio Canal. There are loads of bars, restaurants and gelateries with normal, local prices, as this is the place to hang out if living in Milan. There were 5 canals in Milan once, which were constructed in 12th century due to transportation and irrigation, but now, the two (Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese) are more or less the ones, you can enjoy at. If we will be ever back in Milan, we will come here for sure.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Picturesque Naviglio canal (One day in Milan)

  • Last supper

Who doesn’t know Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco of the Last Supper? If you are keen of art and Leonardo da Vinci, make sure to book the tickets in advance and see this magnificent piece of art yourself. Booking tockets in advance is cruisal if you only have one day in Milan, as the queues are always long.

One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Even Milan hs peaceful spots (One day in Milan)

Travel tips for a perfect one day in Milan

  • It is best to plan your Milan trip for the weekend to avoid the crowds and traffic on a daily, working day., especially if you only have one day in Milan. It would be a shame to spend hours in traffic.
  • If you are traveling to Milan by car you will need to pay for parking – 1,20€-2€/hours for a parking space. Be careful to park only at the blue lines, as the yellow lines are only for residents. Milan also has many parking garages, but they cost more than open parking spaces. If you are spending one day in Milan, get a hotel (our suggestion Grand Visconti Palace) with private parking to avoid the hustle.
  • Your best choice to explore Milan is by local transport – we would suggest metro (1,50€/ride or 4,50€ for 24 hours ticket). The city center can be easily explored on foot too – eventhough you only have one day in Milan.
  • If you are tight with budget on your Milan trip, avoid eating and drinking near the tourist attractions. Just few streets away from the touristy areas, everything becomes more affordable.
  • Visiting cafés and gelaterias, you will soon realize there are two different prices – for take-away or for sitting behind the table. It is cheaper to drink your coffee at the bar than to sitting down. If you are spending only one day in Milan, choose take-away and enjoy it in a park to feel the vibes.
  • No matter which restaurant you will choose, you will not be able to avoid paying for service. The cost of this is different from the restaurants, but 3€/pp is often a minimal fee.
  • When you visit Milan for shopping and are mad on prestigious brands, you go straight to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, at the main square, near the cathedral. If you are looking for more affordable brands, the street (via Dante) is the place, which connects the Piazza Del Duomo and Park Sempione. There are also different outlets at the outskirts of the city.
One day in Milan, Milan in one day, Milan travel blog

Fountains are a good place to cool down during hot summer exploration (One day in Milan)

Even though we only had one day in Milan, this day was full of adventures and unforgettable memories. We were pleasantly surprised about Milan, as we did not expect such colorful and picturesque place, but rather gray and heavy industrial feel. I guess we can also thank MasterCard – because of it and its Priceless cities offers; we visited less known and less touristy areas in Milan, which we probably would never even bother to visit. And we can easily say this was really priceless and hoping we can spend more than one day in Milan next time we are there.

Watch the perfect fun one day in Milan in our video here.