This weekend saw us taking a flying visit to Milan with kids, and what a lovely weekend we had.
Mr DaisLikeThese was attending a conference out there and so the kids and I joined him. It meant that I had to travel alone with the children but it was definitely worth it!
Where we stayed
We stayed in a stunning Air BnB loft apartment which as well as being in a great location, had the perfect balance of modern luxury and being amazingly family friendly. With a kids bedroom, a travel cot and bedding, highchairs and lots of kids plastic crockery and cutlery, it was ideal for us. But the open plan loft design, with luxury bathrooms and kitchen meant it felt like a hotel penthouse at more than half the price! It was on the fourth floor of an old Milanese building, with a grand and beautiful art deco stairway (but thankfully had an elevator!). We were all so happy there.
As we were only there for two full days we decided that our priorities were: targeted sightseeing to keep us adults happy, a visit to the city’s football stadium to keep the boys happy, and copious amounts of pizza and pasta to keep us all happy!
Piazza Del Duomo and Galleria Vittorio
Visiting the Piazza Del Duomo was top of our sightseeing list as we could tick off the Duomo itself as well as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. We were blown away by the size and beauty of the Duomo Cathedral. After snaking through backstreets on our search for the cathedral, when we finally emerged onto the Piazza, it took our breath away. The weather was beautiful so we grabbed an ice-cream for the kids and wondered around taking in the view. We had planned to climb the stairs to the walkways at the top of the cathedral but when we saw the size of the queues, we quickly vetoed it. We instead headed into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is one of the world’s oldest shopping mall’s. The ornate buildings, topped with a vast domed glass ceiling were simply stunning.
Via della Spiga
We headed back via Via della Spiga, which is a pretty pedestrianised street home to some of the super high end fashion stores such as Prada, Hermes, and Roberto Cavalli. But for me it was Dolce & Gabbana that stole the show along this street. Not only did they seem to have occupied the majority of shop units along the street, they filled their windows with some wacky and fun displays which we all enjoyed having a look at. This is a window shoppers paradise.
A tour of the San Siro Football Stadium
Our trip to do a tour of Milan’s football stadium, the San Siro, filled the boys with such excitement! We navigated Milan’s metro system out to the stadium (we bought a day pass for 4.5oeuro but you can also get a 90minute pass for 1.50euro) where we walked straight up to the gates with no queueing. Unfortunately the museum part of the tour was not operating, so it was straight into the stadium – I’m not sure the boys minded that too much!!
I wasn’t aware that the stadium is home to both of Milan’s football teams; AC Milan and Inter Milan, so I learnt something new straight away. We visited both dressing rooms (AC Milan’s was definitely the better of the two in my eyes!), headed down the tunnel to the pitch, sat pitch side in the managers seats and then up into the stands to get a fan’s eye view.
If you can’t get to a game at the stadium, then doing a tour is a great alternative and will keep any football crazy boys happy.
Fabulous Family Friendly Restaurants
We ate out at every meal, but for me two restaurants stood out. Close to our apartment was an old school Italian restaurant, La Porta Rossa, with walls covered in ornaments and pictures of the owners greeting guests (I assume famous guests – the only one we recognised was Bruce Willis!) from the 1970’s onwards. The boys were super adventurous and had spaghetti with prawns which they wolfed down – it was impressive! The staff was friendly and helpful, proved by the fact that when we asked if there was a shop near by to buy milk for Baby DaisLikeThese they gave us a carton of milk from the kitchen to take home and refused to take any money for it!
Our favourite meal was at Ristorante Pepe e Sale which we stumbled across after taking the wrong Metro and deciding to walk for a bit as the next one was a 10minute wait. And I am so glad we did! It is in a very residential area, which on a Sunday was very quiet, definitely off of the tourist beaten track. But despite that it was busy and buzzing inside, full of local families enjoying their Sunday meal. The boys shared the cheesiest, stringiest Margherita pizza, Mr DaisLikeThese had a Milenese breaded veal dish with a beautiful fresh tomato salad, and I pushed the boat out and had spaghetti with truffle shavings which was just divine! Washed down with a glass of red, surrounded by happy Italian families, it was just a perfect lunch. I would definitely return.
Corso Como and Piazza Gae Aulenti
On our final evening we walked to the Corso Como area, which is a pedestrianised street lined with bars, restaurants and shops. We were in search of a rooftop bar that we had read about but unfortunately it wasn’t open. We instead had a lovely stroll along this lively street where we discovered 10 Corso Como, which is a stunning courtyard behind the buildings of the street which is home to a cafe, a bar and art galleries. We walked back through the modern sky-scraper development of Piazza Gae Aulenti, which despite not being traditional Milan, gave the boys a great space to run around in!
All in all, our flying visit to Milan with kids was a great success. At only 1.5hrs from Heathrow and then a very quick and cheap taxi ride into town, it was a very simple getaway for us. I’d love to return, maybe with some girlfriends to enjoy the stylish bars and window shopping!
Sounds like you had a brilliant time, and that all of you enjoyed your time. I didn’t know the stadium was home to two of the clubs either, but I really don’t know much about football. I love that you got stuck right in with all the touristy things, and trying out the foods. It’s really lovely to see children enjoying culture. Oh and stunning pictures! #brillblogposts
Author
Thanks! Yep, they definitely got stuck into the food and culture.
Thanks for reading.
X
What an incredible trip, nothing like the gift of travel and I adore Milan. I’ve not taken the kids though so will now, bella post x
Author
I loved it too – but definitely want to go back sans kids! I have my eye on the Aperol terrace bar over looking Piazza Duomo, but that is definitely a girls weekend plan!
Thanks for reading and for hosting. X
Author
I loved it too – but definitely want to go back sans kids! I have my eye on the Aperol terrace bar over looking Piazza Duomo, but that is definitely a girls weekend plan!
Thanks for reading and for hosting. X
wow! what an amazing experience for you all!
Author
It certainly was! Looking forward to the next adventure.
Thanks for reading. x
We’ve been to Italy countless times but have never visited Milan. I’ve no idea why either as it looks and sounds so interesting. I have to say i’m pretty jealous of your San Siro visit.
David – Potty Adventures
#MondayEscapes
Author
I’d definitely recommend Milan. And a stadium visit is a a bit different but great fun.
Thanks for reading. x
That must’ve been a challenge travelling with kids alone but I bet it was so worth it. I’ve always wanted to stay in an Air bnb, so jealous! Milan looks amazing. Thanks for linking up to #MarvMondays. Kaye xo
Author
We’ve stayed in a few Air BnBs now and have been so lucky to have found such gems. The last two I’ve described as “like a hotel penthouse but at more than half the price!” Definitely worth giving it a go.
Thanks for reading. x
My family loves Italy. Have never been to Milan (except for flying in on our way to Venice), but it’s on the list! #mondayescapes
Author
I’d definitely recommend it. It’s also only about an hour and a half to Lake Como on the train, which I wish we’d had time to do.
Venice is on my wish list…along with loads of other places in Italy!
Thanks for reading. x
What a lovely mini break away! Reading your post has reminded me that we need to be much more adventurous with our little ones and sqeeze in more adventures like these, especially whilst im on maternity leave. It sounds like you all had a lovely time, theres nothing like finding some real local places to eat and explore in on holiday 🙂 Thanks for sharing this on #MarvMondays. Emily
Author
We’re trying to squeeze in more adventures before our youngest turns two and we have to pay for a seat on flights!!
Thanks so much for reading and for hosting. x
What a fabulous break! I love the sound of your Air BnB loft apartment. I still haven’t yet tried out Air BnB but I keep hearing great things about it!! The stadium tour sounds great fun too. Thanks for linking to #MondayEscapes
Author
We’ve stayed in a few Air BnBs now and have been so lucky to find great properties with amazing hosts. Tip is to look for ones with reviews and comments to make sure you’ve found a good one. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go.
Thanks so much for reading. X
I love the photos! Looks like a great trip! Love the restaurant tips, sounds like my cup of tea. X
Looks amazing Daisy I’ve never been to Milan but after looking at all your fab photos I really want to go, as I love Italy. Looks like you crammed everything in great post xxxxx