When in Milan

What do you do with a little over 48 hours in Milan? See the main attractions of the city and take a day trip to Lake Como of course! This is exactly what we did this summer and although we covered a lot in a short amount of time, I think we did a pretty good job of getting a feel for the beautiful sights of Milano while we were there.

Overall, public transportation was very convenient and was all we used to get from place to place with an occasional Uber here and there. The metro is really easy to use with trains running every 7-10 minutes even late at night and connects you to Milano Centrale, the main station from which you can catch a train to other nearby cities and countries. We even took the bus from the airport to a stop nearby our hotel and had no problem transporting several bags each. Below I take you through each day with everything from food, to photo spots, and transportation.

Day 1: Lake Como

If you are visiting Milan, you must spend a day taking in the beautiful views surrounding you everywhere you cruise on Lake Como. From Milano Centrale, take the train to the charming town of Varenna. If you sit on the left side of the train, you will have the best views of the lake and the mountains guaranteed on the 1 hour travel to the city. Varenna is where you will start your journey out on to Lake Como but I highly recommend spending about an hour here exploring the town and grabbing some sweets at Cafe III Binario right as soon as you step off the train.

Once you follow the street signs to get down to the ferry dock, you'll find an office close to the water selling tickets for the ferry that leaves about every 40 minutes. Every city on the lake has a central port and office at which you can ask questions, get more information, and buy tickets to your next destination. From Varenna, take a 15 minute ferry ride to the beautiful town of Bellagio.

In Bellagio, most of our 4 hours here were spent roaming the cobblestone stairs and streets leading up to the central town square. Once at the main square, we walked into Basilica di San Giacomo, a parish church dating back to the 12th century. As you walk around this town, you will find no shortage of photo spots as every street is truly picturesque with colorful buildings and beautiful storefront displays all surrounded by mountain cascades and glistening water. Across from Trattoria San Giacomo, you'll find a small wine bar. As you look out at Lake Como from this spot, you'll quickly see why this just may be the most photographed spot in the entire city. Making your way back down the streets towards the water, you'll find multiple waterside restaurants at which you may want to stop for lunch. We chose to dine at Ristorante Bellagio at Hotel du Lac and were treated to the perfect meal consisting of penne arrabiata, spaghetti with cream sauce and porcini mushrooms, risotto with fresh lake fish, and an aperol spritz.

Next, we opted to take a 1 hour 45 minute steam boat ride to the city of Como. This leg of the trip had the most beautiful sights as you stop at several cities along the way and navigate through the emerald mountains. You can even see Villa Carlotta and Villa Balbaniello on your way to Como. Once we reached the city, we walked around the beautiful streets, again all of which make for great photo spots, and stopped at Cafe Luisita for some gelato and a cappuccino. I wish we had more time to explore the city itself as there were so many wonderful boutiques, restaurants, and cafes along every street welcoming visitors into their doors. We choose to walk along the water and took the funicular up to the small town of Brunate. If you're looking for an aerial view of Como, the lake, and mountains, you will absolutely love stopping by the main viewpoint at the top. There are also trails you can follow, mountain top restaurants to dine at, and churches to explore in Brunate as well. Just keep in mind that the later you stay in the town, the longer you may have to wait to take the funicular back down to Como as more people start leaving the city around 7:30 pm. After spending time in Brunate and taking the funicular down the mountain to Como, we took the bus to San Giovanni railway station from which we boarded the train back to Milano Centrale.

There are several restaurants both in Milano Centrale and right as soon as you exit the station. We choose to walk outside to enjoy some pizza and tiramisu at Caffè Panzera dal 1931 before returning to our hotel for the night.

Day 2: Piazza del Duomo

Day 2 was devoted to exploring the city itself. We were only able to cover the major attractions as our flight to our next destination was later that evening but if you have an extra day in Milan, there are so many beautiful cafes, restaurants, and boutiques with amazing interior design that are well worth the trip (I definitely need to go back someday just for this). After taking the train to the stop Duomo, we climbed up the stairs and found ourselves in the center of the main city square. Facing you is the iconic Duomo di Milano with no shortage of pigeons or tourists taking in the sight.

Designer boutiques line every street, leading your eyes to the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with more cafes, restaurants, and stores.

Walking through this mall, you'll find yourself at an intersection which each wing leading to a different street. If you turn right and continue towards the entrance, you'll find yourself at the entrance of the Ferrari store where you can actually test drive the vehicle in their simulator. Further up the street, you'll find Cioccolati Italiani. Stop in for some really great gelato served creatively for you to enjoy from top to tip.