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A Walk on the Navigli
Follow our itinerary along the canals, among shops, museums and places to see
The Navigli are two canals (Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese) which merge in the Darsena basin and characterize the Ticinese neighborhood built around them.
They are crossed by numerous pedestrian bridges and are the backdrop of countless novels and films. Navigli are an unmissable classic for your visit to Milano, especially for aperitivo, dinner and after-dinner.
In summer, you can navigate it by canoe, SUP (Stand Up Paddle), riverboat, while various rowing associations train rowers and organize rowing tournaments on the Naviglio Grande.
The banks (Alzaia Naviglio Grande and Via Ludovico il Moro) are the perfect place to sip an ice drink or have a great meal in good company, while the recently renovated Darsena hosts a fresh produce market and plenty of stalls and cafés catering to people chilling on the quay.
The sunset is always suggestive here, the signal for young and fun nightlife to start on the Navigli.
Walking or cycling, this is how you go through the ideal stages of a truly Milanese neighborhood that never fails to excite and surprise.
The Darsena is the medieval river port of the city. It's nice to get here by tram (lines 9 and 10) or bicycle and relax by the water and the Ticinese Gate.
Boat trips on the Naviglio Grande depart from Darsena, while long bike lanes running along the banks of Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese take you deep into the Lombard countryside.
Enjoy a Campari Spritz at sunset, in the magical atmosphere created by the lights and waters of the Navigli.
A characteristic and iconic corner of Milano, where the men and women of Milano did laundry in the canal for the propertied classes. An almost obligatory stop to have a postcard from Navigli on your smartphone, perhaps after visiting the various shops selling books, records, comics, antiques...
Taking place every last Sunday of the month along the canals, il Mercatone dell’Antiquariato sui Navigli, is the largest street market for antiques in the city: over 380 stalls giving life to an almost floating market where you can find classical pieces and modern design furniture, jewelry, porcelain, paintings: the perfect place to find a gift, an out-of-print book, or a particular accessory.
Milano was capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402 AD and this Corinthian-style colonnade is one of the best-preserved signs of the city’s imperial glory. It’s a historic hangout for young people, who meet to drink and chat by the columns, and a quintessentially Milanese experience.
Located in front of the same-name Basilica and the statue of Emperor Constantine, who legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milano (313 AD), le Colonne di San Lorenzo lie halfway between the Duomo and the Navigli and are a perfect starting point for your exploration of Corso di Porta Ticinese and the rest of the neighborhood. Just go across the medieval gate and another world opens, as you meander through the park of Piazza Vetra to reach the belltower of the Romanesque Basilica of Saint Eustorgio, where the Three Kings are buried, or so the legend goes.
MUDEC, the museum of the arts and cultures of the world, was born in 2015 and has quickly become a major cultural destination for visitors and locals, attracted by its unique blend of art, ethnography, anthropology and popular culture. It is the latest addition to burgeoning Tortona Design District, where the concentration of designer studios, fashion rooms, and night clubs make it the heart of the Milano Design Week.
Explore the Tortona Design District behind the Porta Genova train station (M2 P.ta Genova FS). Walk along Via Tortona or Via Savona, and across an industrial archeology landscape you will find a succession of creative ateliers, lounge bars, refined restaurants and fashion hotels.
Come for an event or a party, or simply to plug in your laptop and sip a cup of tea at BASE, the city’s innovation and co-working space that was created in Via Bergognone inside in the former giant Ansaldo factory.
The city’s historic rowing associations are all based on Naviglio Grande: Canottieri Milano, Canottieri Olona and Canottieri San Cristoforo, sporting associations which have always taught and promoted the culture of rowing, without neglecting canoeing and kayaking. Now you can also do a romantic gondola outing on the Naviglio!
Get on your bike or canoe and see where the Navigli take you in the Lombard countryside.
Metro M2 P.ta Genova
Trams: 3, 9, 10, 14