A weekend in Milan is always a good idea especially if all my friends from London are having a party weekend there and Anette is having her 40 B day ( looking for a reason to travel to Milan? )

In this post, I will try to give you some tips about Milan that are not the usual tips you read when you go there ( and some regular tips – always good to have some )

Arrival: we took a flight to Malpensa airport.

From the airport, you can take a taxi ( expensive ) A bus (depends on traffic hours) Or a train – Malpensa express: 13 euros and 45 minutes to the city ( for more info)

Once in the city, you can use the: Underground / Bus/ Taxi or just walk ( the city is not too big)

Where to stay: my tip when you come for a weekend in a city is always to choose a very nice hotel that will make you feel good.

This time I chose the Hotel Maison Borella and this turned out to be the best decision:

Hotel Maison Borella is located in the best night area in Milan on the banks of the Naviglio Grande canal (yes, you have canals in Milan ) its a small boutique hotel, simple but elegant with different types of rooms. The staff was superb and helped me with my special requests and was always very nice while we were staying there. The room had everything we needed, The buffet breakfast was much more than we needed and the hotel feels like you are at home. I recommend this hotel for a great experience while staying in Milan.

Book it now! it’s a great hotel 

For more hotels in Milan 

Where to Go & What to Do in Milan:

There are several areas in Milan, We did a lot of walking in Navigli ( where we stayed )

Tortona ( the design district near Navigli and very upcoming)

Duomo ( the center of Milan where you’ll find all the big shops and the Duomo – A must see)

Brera ( the boutiques and the restaurants)

Wherever you go you will find a lot of street art… and great coffee.

The places you should not miss in Milan:

Como Corso 10 – A well-known shop that became one of Milan’s symbols. Opened in 1991 ( I was there than with my mom cause our Italian friend took us and I remember it as a beautiful place ) In the past it used to be a garage,  you can find in COMO CORSO from fashion to Lifestyle, Design, Art, Restaurants and a small hotel – its an all experience and this shop particular marks the beginning of total shopping.

High-Tech – Next to Como Corso and Eataly Once an ink factory became a must visit for the design lover. But don’t be fooled by the first space, this shop is spread out over 3 floors and you can find everything you want or never thought you wanted from gadgets to gifts, kitchenware, home decor and so on.

Eataly – Started in NY now you can find in every city in Italy. A great concept store for the best food you can find in Italy. When I enter this place I just want to eat everything there. this time we had lunch there and it was very good.

As I mentioned the Duomo is a must visit in Milan- its the central piece and next to it you have other important buildings such as Grand Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala and many more But many might not know about the surprise you will find in La Rinascente.

La Rinascente on the left side when you are facing the Duomo. is a shopping mall, But this one has 2 surprises: -1 floor is full of designed items… and the rooftop on number 7 is full of small restaurants and lots of goodies from Italy But that’s not all… it is facing the Duomo and has the best view of it. Go have some drinks during the day. 

Museums to put on your list in Milan:

Mudec – Museum of cultures. located in the Tortona area was acquired by Milan in the 90s in order to promote culture and creative activity in the city. It’s a very impressive space divided into 3 floors. The museum hosts lost of temporary exhibitions.

Fondazione Prada – An institution that is all about contemporary art & culture. located in  Largo Isarco, south Milan.  founded in 1993

Armani Silos – Fashion art museum – Armani style. Was open In 2015 by  Giorgio Armani in Via Bergognone 40 to mark 40 years of his career. He decided to call the museums also Silos because of the building it was built in, that used to store food. and for Armani clothes are a part of life such as food is essential for life.

Pirelli HangarBicocca –  An institution for producing and promoting contemporary art,  a site for contemporary art exhibitions, located in the Bicocca district outside of Milan. a non-profit foundation since 2004. 

Museo del Novecento – 20th century Italian cultural and artistic heritage. Located near the Duomo, with the idea to promote 20th century Italian cultural and artistic heritage with the final aim of reaching an ever wider audience.

What about some food in Milan:

Langosteria Bistrot – Fine dining. the best and the freshest from the sea. Great place to have lunch – must book in advance.

Angelo’s Bistrot –  Great stop when visiting the Tortona area, full of design details that give a nice touch to the place. Homemade food with a touch. we enjoyed our lunch there.

Temakinho – Brazilain Sushi… when you had enough with pasta .. located in several areas in the city.

Eataly – If you are there you will probably eat something… ( they serve food on the second floor)

Just Cavalli Milan –  More for dancing, drinking and mingling with beautiful people.

My Milan Map

Since we were with a group we didn’t manage to do it all ( you never manage to do it all)  Attached here is my map of Milan – please tell me what you managed to do and send me more recommendations.

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When people ask me where to eat in Venice – I always say NO WHERE, because it’s true,
even the locals think so. However my recent trip to Venice has changed my mind because I
discovered new places to eat……

After I prepared my list of recommendations from local people that I trust I can share with
you and you read all about my experiences here. 

And now you can enjoy my list too.

I used to walk from the train station to San marco the main square and back… because I
didn’t have google maps back then but is a must in order to not get lost.
This time I had Carla with me and a Google map.

Rialto Bridge

On the way to the Rialto bridge we walked through the Mercato Ittico di Rialto full of fresh fish and vegetables and near the market Carla told us there are many small bars to have tapas and A Spritz typical from Venice, now very trendy in the world.

Caffè Florian

When you are in San Marco there are many ways to take, We sat at Caffè Florian.

This place is truly an historic cafe and entering it feels like going back in time, it was opened since 1720.

Don’t forget to have a coffee and a delicious patisserie and feel the atmosphere as it was 100 years ago.

Near San Marco you can also find Harry’s Bar Cipriani, also very famous with the Venetians.

Osteria Nono Risorto

A very homey place to have your dinner. Food was excellent. They have a garden for the summer time.

Osteria al squero &  Squero di San Trovaso

A very small and crowded place But has the best tapas, yes, tapas in venice for 1 euro each and they are just delicious that you can’t stop eating them. take 5 with a glass of wine and go sit outside in front of the gondola traditional boatyard (squero di San Trovaso). yes, here they fix and build gondolas, such a great view.

On the same street you can also find another great and famous “tapas and wine” place

Cantine del Vino già Schiavi

Ristoteca Oniga

If you love seafood dishes Oniga is the place for you, don’t forget to book in advance it tends to be full.

Pasticceria Tonolo

Coffee is good in most of the places in Italy, in venice we found a very good patiserie with great Bombolone ( my favorite one- a must try if you are in italy). it was the time of the panatone (famous cake for christmas)  and they were making hundreds of them a day.

To the full Venice Guide press here 

until next time 

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I must admit – Venice was not my favorite city… I came to visit many times, with many friends (since I used to live in italy and everyone who came to visit had to see venice …) It was always for a day and we walked from the train station to san marco and back, YES, it was beautiful But it was always full of people… the shops where so touristic And the food was bad.

But this time I took Melly for her birthday and my moms friend gave me her apartment in the middle of venice and came to show us the city on the first day… it was a whole new world. I fell in love with venice as we met for the first time.

The Gondola 

Probably one of the biggest and oldest  symbols of the city. it’s very famous world wide.

Taking a ride with a gondola it’s a dream come true for many people and for venetians it’s basically a taxi

My favorite part of the gondola ( beside taking many photos of them ) was the iron piece in the front of the gondola, it’s just a beautiful part and very important for the stability of the gondola.

Where to walk and what to see in venice

As I said, I used to walk from the train station to San marco the main square and back… it was also because I didnt have a google map ( a must in order to not get lost ) But this time I had Carla with me and a Google map.

Rialto Bridge

On the way to the Rialto bridge we walked through the Mercato Ittico di Rialto full of fresh fish and vegetables and near the market Carla told us there are many small bars to have tapas and A Spritz typical from Venice, now very trendy in the world.

The fondaco dei tedeschi by DFS

Just next to the Rialto Bridge on your left side ( if you are walking from the station) you will find The fondaco dei tedeschi, now a very nice shopping store. What you should know about this place is that it was built in 1228 and used to be the headquarter for the German merchants.

In the 20th century the it became Venice post headquarter building and in 2012 was bought by the Benton group that renovated it to the beautiful designed place it is today.

The most important part – don’t miss out on the view from the rooftop.

Piazza San Marco

We continued to walk to the most important spot in venice – Piazza San Marco, for me it was the biggest memory of venice with all the pigeons flying around and full of tourists. ( just as I remembered )

In the piazza you can find many museums. we went to the correr museum  and got some more historical information about venice.

Caffè Florian

When you are in San Marco there are many roads to take, We wend to sit in Caffè Florian.

This place is truly an historic cafe and entering it feels like going back in time, it was opened in the year 1720.

Don’t forget to have a coffee and a delicious patisserie and feel the atmosphere as it was 100 years ago.

Near San Marco you can also find Harry’s Bar Cipriani, also very famous with the Venetians.

Carla showed us her favorite places ( the ones we managed in a day )

One of them was the Doge’s Palace museum – we went in a day after and were very lucky to find a beautiful diamond exhibition.

Doge’s Palace museum

Accademia Bridge

From San Marco we headed to the Accademia Bridge, a beautiful wooden bridge that has a great view on the grand canal, on the other side you have the Accademia Gallery. The walk was nice and I took some window photos.

Ca’ Rezzonico

Carla’s favorite palace in Venice. it was build in the middle of 17th century, after many owners was eventually  bought by the city of Venice, more history you can find here .
We walked in this beautiful palace – right on the grand canal and saw the fantastic decors.

Just next to the palace you can find Ca’ Macana  a very known carnaval mask shop.

What and where to eat in Venice

My answer to people that asked me where to eat in venice was always – there is no where good to eat in venice. But this time it changed and I have some recommendations.

osteria al squero &  squero di San Trovaso

A very small and crowded place But has the best tapas, yes, tapas in venice for 1 euro each and they are just delicious that you can’t stop eating them. take 5 with a glass of wine and go sit outside in front of the gondola traditional boatyard (squero di San Trovaso). yes, here they fix and build gondolas, such a great view.

On the same street you can also find another great and famous “tapas and wine” place

Cantine del Vino già Schiavi

Ristoteca Oniga

If you love seafood dishes Oniga is the place for you, don’t forget to book in advance it tends to be full.

Pasticceria Tonolo

Coffee is good in most of the places in Italy, in venice we found a very good patiserie with great Bombolone ( my favorite one- a must try if you are in italy). it was the time of the panatone (famous cake for christmas)  and they were making hundreds of them a day.

In my google map you can find all the places I mentioned + more restaurant friends told me about and I didnt get to visit.

Please tell me what you thought about the post and if you have more recommendations.

until next time 

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