The canal district in the south — Milan's nightlife heart, where the towpaths of the old Naviglio Grande fill each evening with buzzing bars, aperitivo terraces and restaurants. Younger, livelier and better value than the centre, a short metro ride in; the place to stay for eating, drinking and the buzz.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€100–170
typical per night in Italy
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Milan — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Navigli and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Leonardo's Last Supper19 min walk1.6 km
- The Duomo & rooftop21 min walk1.8 km
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II23 min walk1.9 km
- La Scala25 min walk2.1 km
- Sforza Castle & Sempione Park25 min walk2.1 km
- The Quadrilatero della Moda7 min taxi2.4 km
- Pinacoteca di Brera7 min taxi2.4 km
- Bosco Verticale & Porta Nuova12 min taxi3.9 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 5.Aperitivo on the Navigli — Milan gave the world the aperitivo — a pre-dinner drink that comes with a generous free spread of food — and there's no better place than a canal-side terrace on the Navigli at dusk. Order a Negroni or a spritz, graze the buffet, and watch the towpaths fill; the essential Milan evening.
- 13.Fondazione Prada — A striking contemporary-art complex in a converted distillery south of the centre, part gold-leafed tower, part cutting-edge gallery, with a Wes Anderson-designed café straight out of a 1950s film. Bold, surprising and very Milan; a favourite of the design crowd, well off the tourist trail.
- 15.The Navigli canals — By day, the old canals designed in part by Leonardo are a quieter pleasure — a Sunday antiques market along the water, art studios in the courtyards, and the pretty Vicolo dei Lavandai, a preserved old washing dock. Stroll the towpaths before the evening crowds; the last romantic trace of watery Milan.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Navigli; flights via Google Flights.