As you may already know, a few months ago I completed my study abroad semester of my Master of Finance degree at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. I spent half a year in the bustling city and really enjoyed my time there. By most standards it’s a much more fun place to live than Frankfurt (where I lived for a year and a half before) despite the fact that Italians bash the city constantly.

This is a list of my favorite places and not intended as a “must-see” list. These are the places that I stumbled upon and fell in love with for one reason or another. If you have some extra time in the city (something that seems to happen quite frequently since there’s not as much to do there as people think when planning their trip around Italy) you can check some of these places out.

All links are non-affiliated and go straight to Google Maps for your convenience!

Shopping

• Specchio di Alice – you’d know this already if you read my thrift shopping post
• La Rinascente Annex – the separated annex of a big department store with super hip and trendy clothing and lifestyle brands as well as a beauty section containing a lot of brands that are impossible to find in Italy/Europe
• Lui & Lei – this shop is so cute, super trendy and modern for extremely reasonable prices. I’d take it over H&M or Zara any day!
• Flying Tiger – they’re all over Europe so it’s not really specific to Milan however, I had a really hard time finding cheep housewares. They were a lifesaver a couple of times and so I feel they earned a place on this list

Food/Cafes

• RAB; Questo Non È Un Bar – translation “this is not a bar.” Get it? RAB is “bar” spelled backwards and therefore “not a bar.” A really fun, hip and eclectic place for coffee, breakfast or lunch. They have live music sometimes, and of course, it is in fact, a bar at night (but I’ve only ever been there to study during the day)
• Steak ‘n Shake – if you’re American and feeling homesick for a real American burger, fries and shake, this is THE place to go. If you’re not from America, even if you feel like you know what American food is all about, you MUST give their mushroom burger a try. Best American food I’ve had outside America hands down!
• kimpap – if you’ve never had Korean sushi then this is a great place to try it. The tofu kimpap is my favorite and is seriously addicting. A bit expensive but totally worth it!
• Betto – this little cafe is super cute and traditional and the best in the neighborhood (on Tram 3 for reference) for real Sicilian granitas. If you’ve only ever had the slushy-like drink with syrup flavor then you MUST try a real granita which is more like a sorbet than a drink. The melon flavor is seasonal but to die for!
• I Love Poke –  I had never had Poke (or most trendy foods for that matter) before coming to Milan. Germany seems a bit too conservative to have an abundance and everywhere I lived back in The States were just too small so (if you couldn’t already tell) I went crazy in Milan trying new foods. While a bit expensive, I Love Poke makes a delicious and filling bowl that you build to taste.
• MAMAstrEAT – it’s basically a Chipotle away from home… need I say more?

Other

• Indro Montanelli Public Gardens – I like this park better than Parco Sempione (the big park that tourists see because it’s behind the “must-see” castle). It’s much more relaxed and with less peddlers and more dogs/runner.
• Fondazione Prada – the most instagramable art museum in Milan (find my pics from there on Instagram)