Discover the best hotels in Milan and choose your ideal accommodation, from the Quadrilatero della Moda to the nightlife in the Navigli district.

Milan is often referred to as the World Fashion Capital, due to its historical reputation in design and fashion style. But the city also offers art, culture, traditions and events, not to mention one of the most vibrant nightlife in Italy. 

So, which are the best hotels in Milan where we can set out and enjoy all its beautiful attractions? Let’s find out together on a journey through the main neighborhoods in search of the perfect place to explore the city.

tickets banner

Best Hotels in Milan: the perfect neighbourhoods where to stay overnight

Best hotels in Milan: historic center and Castello Sforzesco

Milan historic center and Castello Sforzesco in the background - Image by IgorSaveliev via Pixabay

Milan is a complex and multi-faceted metropolis, probably the Italian city with the most international atmosphere. Each district has its own soul and tells a story of its own made up of culture and traditions, but also of innovation and modernity. 

For this reason, when we visit a large city like Milan, it’s very important to choose very carefully the place to stay. Tourists who love to visit monuments and museums can not help but choose a hotel in the historic center; those who want to enjoy the vibrant nightlife, instead, can stay near the Darsena, in the Navigli district; while the ones who are in town to indulge in shopping sparing no expense, will have the opportunity to stop in one of the luxurious hotels of the Quadrilatero della Moda.

So let’s start looking for the best hotels in Milan, travelling between the various neighborhoods to discover the secrets of the Lombard metropolis.

Discover the perfect itinerary to spend 3 days in Milan

Piazza Duomo and San Lorenzo area: best hotels in Milan in the heart of the city

Duomo, Milan

Duomo, Milan - Image by FOTOKALDE via Pixabay

Choosing a hotel in the Piazza Duomo area, or going south along Via Torino to the historic Colonne di San Lorenzo, means staying in the heart of Milan.

This is undoubtedly the most characteristic area of the city. Piazza Duomo is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, crowded both day and night. Adjacent to it, we can find on one side Palazzo Reale, a splendid building in Neoclassical style; on the other, there’s the spectacular Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which leads to the famous Teatro Alla Scala.

The Castello Sforzesco is also a short distance away (less than 1km from Piazza Duomo, a few hundred meters more from San Lorenzo). In short, this is the perfect location for those visitors who want to discover the most iconic tourist places of Milan. Of course, in this area it’s easier to find luxury hotels rather than cheap accommodation.

A hotel with not too high price but great comfort and located in a fantastic location is ODSweet Duomo Milano Hotel: directly overlooking Piazza Duomo, it is located right above the homonymous sweet shop of which proposes the theme through its own design (for example, with the Marshmellow Room!). Even those who are not interested in the peculiarity of the structure will appreciate its extraordinary location, or the picturesque bar overlooking the rooftop terrace, from which to admire the Duomo in all its architectural splendor.

If instead we want to move a little south of the square without leaving the historic center, we can choose the Hotel Regina, a stone’s throw from the Colonne and the Basilica di San Lorenzo: we are less than 1 km from the Duomo and 200 meters from the beginning of Via Torino, one of the city’s shopping streets. It is a perfect location for those who want to be in the center of the action, but not too much! In fact, while remaining close to the main tourist attractions, we are in a quieter area where prices are also lower. Anyway, comfort remains excellent, thanks to services such as the lounge bar or the picturesque interior garden.

Discover the history and secrets of the Duomo of Milan

Spend the night among the shopping streets of the Quadrilatero della Moda

Boutiques, jewellers, exclusive clothing, furniture and design shops: this is what we can find in the district known as Quadrilatero della Moda, enclosed within Via Monte Napoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia

The Quadrilatero della Moda is a real mecca for luxury shopping enthusiasts, among historic buildings that host prestigious brand stores or events of the famous Milan Fashion Week.

The hotels in this area are very refined and luxurious, with prices increasing accordingly. It’s the ideal place to stay if shopping is our main reason for visiting Milan, and if we do not mind paying a little more to have access to particularly classy services.

The Corner Duomo Hotel is a perfect accommodation both because of the elegance of its rooms and furnishings, and for the presence of a spa with sauna, jacuzzi, emotional shower and more. This hotel is located outside the Quadrilateral area, but only 200 meters from Via Monte Napoleone, the most famous shopping street of the city and one of the most "expensive" of the world.

The Hotel Manzoni is located in Via Santo Spirito, right in the heart of the district, halfway between Via Monte Napoleone and Via della Spiga. This hotel also offers a luxury accommodation, with a discreet value for money when compared to the cost of rooms in other hotels of this area. An additional convenience is the presence of the metro stop M3 Montenapoleone at less than 300 meters.

Discover the top 10 experiences to live in Milan in 2023

Museums and art galleries: best hotels in Brera

Brera is a district rich in art and culture, home to the Academy of Fine Arts and the Pinacoteca di Brera, a splendid and famous national museum of ancient and modern art. We are located just north of the Teatro alla Scala, not far from Piazza Duomo, which is easily accessible on foot, and near the Castello Sforzesco.

In this area we can find many venues, in particular a lot of restaurants of the Milanese tradition. In Brera there are also many art galleries which, together with the presence of the students of the Academy, contribute to create a sort of bohemian and picturesque atmosphere.

Two of the best hotels in the area are located slightly north of the heart of the district, a short walk from the metro stop M2 Moscova. These are the Urban Hive Milano and the Vmaison Brera Milano.

The first is a 4-star hotel located under the arcades of Corso Garibaldi, a street full of shops, galleries and restaurants, and very lively in the evening. Among the services offered, we point out in particular the excellent breakfast buffet, generally very appreciated by guests, and the possibility to bring your pets into the room with a small supplement. The price of the rooms is less challenging than the hotels around Piazza Duomo or in the Quadrilatero della Moda area, but keep in mind that we are still a short distance from the center, so the costs will not be trivial.

The Maison Brera Milano hotel, for example, has a slightly higher price, also justified by its 5 stars (and by the nice entrance garden). The location is basically the same as the Urban Hive, just a little further west, near Parco Sempione, where there’s also the Arena Civica dedicated to the great journalist Gianni Brera.

7 ideas to discover the city like a real Milanese!

The Navigli District, the hotels not to be missed for nightlife lovers

Milan, Navigli district

Milan, the Navigli district

In the setting of the historic Darsena, the artificial basin that connects the Navigli canals, we can find a neighborhood that over the years has become one of the nerve centers of Milan’s nightlife.

Along the Navigli there are so many restaurants and pubs crowded with both tourists and locals, especially around aperitivo time or during the weekend.

This is the perfect location to stay overnight for those who want to visit the cultural attractions of the city during the day, moving comfortably among the various neighborhoods with the metro or another public transport, while in the evening prefer to stay in an area easy to walk around, vibrant, where you can have fun and mingle among the groups of young people who crowd the various restaurants.

Maison Borella is one of the best hotels in the Navigli area, located along the banks of the Naviglio Grande in a building with a beautiful 18th century architecture. Despite being at the heart of the neighborhood’s nightlife, it offers very quiet rooms. The value for money is one of the best for this area. 

An alternative is represented by Aethos Milan, a hotel a few steps from the Arco di Porta Ticinese, a famous neoclassical monument. It offers spacious sports-themed suites, each one with its own distinctive design. Once again, this location is great for enjoying the best nightlife in Milan, and the area of the Colonne di San Lorenzo, where the actual historic center begins, is still less than 1 km away.

How to use public transport in Milan

An alternative and trendy accommodation: best hotels in the young and cheerful area of Isola

Finally, for visitors who like to discover neighborhoods different from the usual tourist routes, the Isola district can be a great alternative, not only for accommodation but also to spend some pleasant evenings.

In fact, it’s an area that has developed a lot in the last decade, with the opening of countless venues frequented by a young and fashionable customer base. To reach Isola, we have to go towards the northern part of Milan, leaving behind the Biblioteca degli Alberi and the skyscrapers of Piazza Gae Aulenti.

Most of the hotels, however, are not located within the neighborhood, but just outside, near the station of Milan Porta Garibaldi, which is a sort of gateway to Isola, making it very convenient to travel by public transport from here to other parts of the city.

A very beautiful and elegant design hotel is undoubtedly the Hotel Tocq, which has the lowest price among all the accommodations we have seen so far, but still offers a very refined atmosphere, with modern and spacious rooms. In addition, the hotel is located just 100 meters from the famous pubs and discos of Corso Como, while to enter the trendiest area of Isola we need to go just past the station.

A short distance away there’s also the last hotel on our list, Milano Verticale | UNA Esperienze. This hotel, in particular, has a fitness and wellness center, a bar with a very refined garden, and a private garden of 1000 m².

Different accommodations, in different areas of the city, all united by the ability to offer visitors to Milan the most suitable and personalized services, to live the best experience while travelling in the World Fashion Capital.

Spend a magical evening in one of these 10 beautiful restaurants in Milan

We recommend


LA DOLCE VITA
LA DOLCE VITA

Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter dedicated to the Italian culture, art and traditions.

We recommend