[Europe] First Day in Milan - Duomo di Milano and Around

Milan is one of big and famous city in Italy. This city become a must visit place for people who travel to Europe for the first time. And Yes! It was the first time for me to go Europe. So i put Milan into my itinerary and we explored this city in 2 days.

We came to Milan after a visit to Barcelona , with RyanAir. RyanAir is one of budget airline (beside EasyJet) that could be an option while traveling in Europe. It doesn't take a long time to fly from Barcelona. It took around 2 hours until we landed at Milan Bergamo Airport. From the airport we took Terravision Bus (it costs €5 one way) and it's going straight to Milano Centrale Railway Station which takes 1 hour to reach it. From here you can take any public transportation to reach your destination. Our accommodation is very close with this station, so we decided to just walk. During our trip in Milan, we stayed at Hotel Berna and i really recommend you to stay here. The price is not really cheap but it's also not too high for a 4 stars hotel. We paid €134 for 1 night (city tax not included). Honestly, it's quite hard to find a good accommodation with affordable price in Milan. At the first time we were looking for a hotel around Duomo, but the room rates is too high. Probably it's because we travelled in summer. At least, we found Hotel Berna and decided to stay here because the location is really close with the station, so it's gonna be easy for us to reach this hotel with our luggages.

First day in Milan, we decided to go to Duomo di Milano, the famous landmark in Milan. Going to Milan is not complete without visiting this cathedral, which is the one of largest cathedral in the world. Next to this gothic cathedral, you'll find Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the popular places for shopping in Milan. This place become one of my favorite places for shopping because they have different ambience with another shopping places. As a world's oldest shopping mall, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele still have a European classic design for the interior. It doesn't looks like another shopping mall. It's an outdoor place but with a roof and it's a perfect spot for take pictures. There's a lot of famous high end brand in here, such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, but that's not what i'm looking for. I've done shopping with those fashion brands while in Paris . When in Milan, there's 1 store that you must visit, it's Ferrari store.

OK, i'm not a big fan of automotive. But we're in Italy, the place where Ferrari was born. Visit the store to buy their merchandise i think it's a must things to do. Beside only for shopping, there's a Ferrari simulator at the basement which is good for you who wants feel the experience of racing. By paying €25, you'll feel the true feeling of speed and movement of a race car (over 300mph). Even though it's only for 10 minutes, but it remains a good experience, especially if you're a fan of sports car.

Shopping in Milan is not always expensive. Right across Duomo di Milano, you'll find Via Torino street, which has a lot of stores selling affordable stuff. You can find many fashion stores in this street such  as OVS, ZARA, H&M, Terranova, and another Italian local brand. Not just a clothing store, but you also can find a beauty stores such as Kiko Milano, Essence, Shaka, Kiehl's, and Lush.

Terranova at Via Torino Street

(Also read : Cheap "Fashion & Beauty" Shopping Guide in Europe)

Hopping for one store to another of course made us feel exhausted, especially it's summer!! The heat really made me sick. However, thanks God, we're in Italy, and this place has a perfect "medicine" for me. It's Gelato!! Around Duomo, i found many gelato shops. I've tried some of them, but my favorites are Cioccolati Italiani, Grom, and Savini.

Stracciatella & Cherry

Chocolate & Pistachio

Beside gelato, we also found some tasty foods around Duomo. We bought it as a quick bites to restore our energy. There are  panzerotti from Luini Panzerotti, and also pizza from Pizzeria Spontini which is located right across Ferarri Store. I also found another takeaway retaurant that you will like (especially if you're Asian). It's Musubi. To be honest, i never thought that i will eat Japanese food in Europe. But after 2 weeks exploring Europe, my Asian blood told me to grab those Japanese rice boxes for a quick bites lunch. Thankfully i found this Japanese "mini" restaurant, because the foods are so tasty.. (You can read more about quick bites food around Duomo here)

Aurelia enjoyed her panzerotti

My shopping route ended at Via Torino street. However, before we went back to hotel, we decided to have a dinner at Nerino Dieci Trattoria. This restaurant have a top place at TripAdvisor , and has accepted many certificates for their food. For having a dinner (or lunch),  you need to make a reservation before because this restaurant is always full. We arrived 20 minutes before they opened, but people have started to queue, waiting for the door to open. I'll reviewing this restaurant at the next post.