Milano is the city of fashion & shopping: use this quick guide to suss out the shops that suit your tastes, and discover new trends.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, set in the heart of the city close to the Duomo, is ‘the’ iconic shopping destination in Milano. Italy’s oldest ‘mall’ is sumptuously decorated with mosaics and sculptures, designed as a porticoed arcade to connect Piazza Duomo to Piazza della Scala. This is the ideal place for a leisurely stroll, an aperitivo or for post-opera dining.
Here you’ll find a sublime choice of luxury brands shops, historic restaurants or eateries run by starred chefs, pasticcerie that create delicious edible works of art, a bookstore that has been in business since the end of the nineteenth century, and the legendary Camparino bar.
Design detail: all the premises inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II must use retro gold lettering on a black background for their business signs, in line with the gallery’s original design.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II is the legendary window-shopping street. This large pedestrian area connects the central Piazza del Duomo to Piazza San Babila, and gives you the option to enhance your shopping experience with a tour of local monuments and museums.
Lined with shops, particularly clothing stores which cater for all budgets including the younger market, this vibrant street is where low-cost chain stores have teamed up with highly-respected designers to create trendy and accessible collections within everyone's reach.
Guests to the city love to frequent the outside bars, sitting under the large porticoes side by side with the Milanese, for a relaxing break within sight of the iconic Madonnina.
Corso Venezia is the long street that unites two of the most important shopping hubs in Milano: Piazza San Babila, the entrance to the fashion district, and Corso Buenos Aires, a natural reference point for city shopping.
Walking along Corso da San Babila from the centre, you can admire the contrast of shop windows where the big fashion brands trade alongside the ‘traditional’ boutiques.
Pause to appreciate the Art Noveau buildings along the entire street as this is one of the main areas of Milano in which to admire edifices decorated in this elegant and distinguished style.
Absolutely not to be missed on your shopping trip is the newly-named ‘Piazza del Quadrilatero’: after having been a private location for 500 years, the former seat of the Archbishop's Seminary has now opened to the public, with its vast courtyard that has become a beautiful walkway and a setting for exclusive events.
In addition to a hotel, numerous high-end shops are interspersed with bars and restaurants to provide gourmet options beneath the sixteenth-century colonnade. The boutiques display handcrafted creations, major fashion brand collections and cutting-edge streetwear.
Corso Buenos Aires, always bustling at any time of the day, has something for everyone whether you’re shopping for clothes, spectacles, a good book, jewellery, shoes or sporting goods.
It extends from Piazzale Oberdan (Porta Venezia) to Piazzale Loreto, as a direct continuation of Corso Venezia, and is served by 3 stops on the M1 (red) metro line (Porta Venezia, Lima and Loreto). If, by chance, you have some free time, an attractive selection of bars and pizzerias will entice you to take a pause from your shopping spree.
Heading towards Piazzale Loreto, you’ll find Corti di Baires, a courtyard area with shops and outdoor tables that invites you to enter into calmer retail experience, stepping away from the main street shopping buzz.
Starting from the city centre, via Torino is one of the most important commercial arteries that connects Piazza del Duomo with the Navigli district.
Strolling amongst the monuments and artistic gems, such as the Basilica of Santa Maria presso San Satiro, you’ll be enticed by the kaleidoscope of colours and trends in all the shop windows.
Formerly home to artisan workshops and studios, today Via Torino changes face at the speed of light.
It always offers something to suit everyone, especially young customers, and you can make the most of the sheer variety of styles on offer to immediately update your look.
There’s certainly no shortage of pavement cafes for a quick snack as you enjoy watching the comings and goings of the tourists and the Milanese.
This is a shopping zone for indie boutiques, alternative shops, designer street-wear and limited-edition or collectable objects, the upshot of artisanal expertise. Cult places for niche clothing or footwear, perfect for those looking for original merchandise.
It is ‘the’ street for vintage garments, bespoke styles or ethnic and natural products; ideal for shoppers looking for fashionable but original accessories. Shoes, clothes, jeans and sporty chic accessories… a vast array all waiting to be discovered.
Teeming with lofts, photography and design studios, showrooms, creative workshops and fashion ateliers, this is one of the new and characteristic faces of the city.
Disused areas and buildings constructed with simple materials such as iron and brick, fitted with large windows and skylights, characterise this zone.
Via Tortona, Via Savona, Via Bergognone are not only some of the most interesting areas for design, but also a point of reference for unique and quality shopping.
In addition to the mega fashion brands, pop-up shops have become the new trendy phenomenon: stores that open exclusively for a limited period, usually for a few weeks. Their success is due to multiple factors: novelty, focusing the consumer's attention on a brand or product to connect on a more personal level, and the temporariness that offers a sense of urgency and entices visitors to take advantage of the opening period.
Brera, with its cobbled streets and atmosphere of calm beauty, is the perfect place to browse the small boutiques of emerging artists, vintage shops, art galleries, bookstores and perfume stores offering exclusive fragrances.
There is an abundance of jewellery shops, showrooms and concept stores, shops selling bespoke footwear and unique interior design objects.
Enter into the famous Via Madonnina, Via Fiori Chiari or the lesser-known Via Montebello and Via Mirabello streets so as not to miss anything the neighbourhood has to offer.
Stop for a break and discover the ideal places to savour this bohemian atmosphere famous throughout the world.
In the heart of the Isola district, which acts as a bridge between tradition and modernity at the foot of the Piazza Gae Aulenti skyscrapers, you can enjoy a slower shopping experience by browsing ceramists and jewellery designers where artisan craft is the soul of these workshops.
Two streets not to be missed are Via Borsieri and Via Thaon di Revel: a long shopping stretch to stroll along and soak up the atmosphere of the district which feels more like a small town.
Between one purchase and another, treat yourself to a trendy alternative vegan aperitivo in one of the many local venues.
Classic but not too much so: Corso Vercelli is an area where you can enjoy some window shopping to admire the large shops selling jewellery and watches, men's and women's fashion, from the big names to the most commercial, alongside specialized brands in the children's world, comprising clothing and toys.
Slightly outside the centre, it offers a shopping experience for everyone to enjoy alongside ‘the sciure of Corso Vercelli’, as they are known to the Milanese, the elegant ladies who have always frequented these boutiques creating their very own style.
Sports cars parked at the curbs, the buzz of arriving celebs, a hint of frenzy plus, of course, the shop windows. These are just some of the ingredients that characterize Via Montenapoleone, a name that stands alone as an international business card, epitomising the lure of luxury.
It can be undoubtedly said that via Montenapoleone represents the living symbol of Made in Italy, and is the quintessence of a great city that attracts visitors from all over the world. Here you are guaranteed to find exclusive high-fashion, jewellery, watches and everything that represents the current moods in top-quality excellence, with an extensive variety on offer.
But the street can also flaunt its vibrant side: on the occasion of the big fashion shows, models from around the globe, VIPs, influencers and even the general public all flock here to savour a unique experience in the shopping district of the world capital of fashion.
Want to know which are the most refined, luxurious and elegant products? Tempted by anything in particular? Feel like treating yourself to something you've been wanting for ages? This is the city’s sweet spot.
Via Sant'Andrea intersects with Via della Spiga and is parallel to Via del Gesù so, we are right in the heart of the celebrated fashion 'quadrilateral', where the ancient courtyards host the fashion houses’ ateliers and showrooms.
The street is also home to Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine, a museum dedicated to the city of Milano, to the exhibition of clothes and costumes from the Civic Historical Collections and a venue for exhibitions and events.
As you enter via della Spiga you are immediately struck by the beauty of the shop windows and the presence of the most renowned brands in the fashion sector. The courtesy of the super-elegant staff inside the stores contributes to the rest.
The intimate atmosphere of the street, a true pedestrian oasis, invites you to admire the shop windows in complete tranquillity. The pavé paving and the sheer luxury of the buildings all contribute to a tone of particular refinement.
But a walk along Via della Spiga is anything but 'tranquil', because the vast choice of design coupled with taste and creativity stimulates the senses.
More intimate than the other streets of the Quadrilateral, Via del Gesù hosts the shops of renowned international designers and the pearls of Italian craftsmanship, the upshot of a great manufacturing tradition. A rare commodity that is not found in many cities.
The renowned Four Seasons Hotel is located here, a temple of hospitality that exudes a characteristic intimate and refined atmosphere, and the famous Bagatti-Valsecchi house-museum, which houses a large collection of modern art.
Via Manzoni starts from Piazza della Scala, it is one of the most popular shopping destinations in the city for its variety of up-market merchandise and its utterly Milanese elegance.
Even a simple stroll here is a treat. Showrooms and boutiques are set decorously side by side on the street which follows the ancient route that led to the Roman Porta Nuova.
The elegant neoclassical edifices flank the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, which displays important costume collections and works of art.
Along the route you will find buildings that have made the history of Milano, such as the Hotel et de Milan which has hosted truly illustrious guests such as Giuseppe Verdi.