Milan with teens: 10 things to enjoy together when visiting Milan with teenagers.
Spending time in Milan with your teens is a great way to enjoy some shared experiences. Italy’s economic powerhouse, Milan has not always featured on the typical tourist trail, often being overshadowed by nearby Verona or even Venice. However, in recent years, Milan’s appeal has begun to be recognised and making a trip to Milan with teens is the perfect way to see what this unsung city has to offer.
While Milan is a big city, most of its highlights can be enjoyed in a couple of days. So, we recommend making this trip to Milan with teens as a weekend city break, or as we have often done, begin or end a trip to Italy with a couple of days in Milan. Milan has two main airports (Malpensa and Linate) and another smaller one in Bergamo. This means that there are an abundance of daily flights to the city and as a result these come at very competitive prices.
Public transport is easy to navigate, with the city centre being served by both an efficient metro and tram system. When travelling in Milan with teens, we’ve often found that teenagers really enjoy exploring the city using public transport. It can be a great way to instil a bit of independence in your teenager and the metro can now be used with any contactless card.
All of this makes Milan with teens a perfect place to spend some quality time together and have some fun!
1. Climb the Duomo
Milan’s world famous cathedral dominates the equally iconic Piazza Del Duomo. While enjoying a guided tour is an essential for any Milan itinerary, for a trip to Milan with teens, head to the roof and get a kick of adrenaline with the bonus of the most magnificent views of the city. Tickets sell out quickly so book yours here in advance to avoid disappointment.
2. Go shopping
Milan’s shopping pedigree is world renowned. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIÂ has to be one of the most architecturally beautiful shopping centres in the world. However this class is also matched in the brands which occupy this super-chic space. So unless your teens have a budget for Prada and Armani we suggest heading over to Milan’s City Life district. Here you’ll find Italy’s largest urban shopping district and all of your teen’s favourite stores. What’s more, there’s an abundance of eateries, a cinema and a very nice park to explore too. The area’s contemporary architecture creates a striking contrast to the city’s more historic buildings and ours teens loved it!
3. Enjoy an evening  I Navigli
With just two canals left in the city, the I Navigli district has a monopoly on waterfront aperitivo in Milan. This is a great place to spend an evening in Milan with teens. Bars and cafes spill out onto the lively streets serving early evening snacks and then more substantial meals as the night wears on. This is the heart of Milan’s cocktail scene. It’s also a fabulous people watching spot. Our favourite bar is Zog – their virgin mojitos and creative take on the Italian classic bruschetta were a hit with us all.
4. Visit the San Siro Stadium
To the west of the city centre but easily reachable on the M5 purple metro line, this is a great way to spend a few hours with a teenage football fan. The tour takes you to areas of the stadium usually reserved for players. Discover the places that for decades have made football history and experience the stadium from the perspective of your footballing heroes. Book tickets in advance here.
5. Eat!
It will come as no surprise to read that you can eat some incredible food in Milan. After all, it’s Italy! A highlight for a trip to Milan with teens has to be the Panzerotti Luini. This is a small bakery nestled just behind the Duomo, famous for its panzerotti. This Italian delicacy resembles a calzone pizza, but is deep fried rather than baked. It is so good that often you’ll find a queue out the door but it’s worth the wait. Grab a snack, take a seat in the piazza and soak up the atmosphere! Milan also has some amazing gelaterias and many of them create some seriously Instagramable ice cream. If your trip to Milan with teens is in the summer, then this will be a very popular way to stay cool!
6. Take a pizza making class together
Master the most delicious of all Italian arts and learn how to make authentic pizza together with your teen in Milan. Meet an expert “pizzaiolo” who will demonstrate how to make a perfect pizza. Located in central Milan, your master chef will teach you all the tricks of the trade to impress your friends when you get home and you’ll get a to eat a delicious pizza in the process. Book your place in advance here.
7. Enjoy a canal boat tour
Why not enjoy a boat tour of the canal? Believe it or not, you can even imagine yourself in Venice and enjoy a cruise aboard a Venetian gondola! And after your cruise, you are perfectly placed to enjoy the buzz of I Navigli’s bars and restaurants and watch the sun set from one of the city’s best vantage points. These tours are very popular so we recommend booking tickets in advance here.
8. Visit the Bosco Verticale
We were completely wowed when we first laid eyes on the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). This contemporary pair of residential towers containing more than 900 trees, 5000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants, rise above the more typical urban architecture. They really are quite and impressive sight. There is a also a park nearby with a couple of nice cafes to grab a drink or a snack.
9. Explore the City Life district
This area of the city is not just a mecca for shopping but also a great place to admire some seriously contemporary architecture. It’s also our recommended area to stay in the city (read more about this below). While it is dominated by the City Life shopping centre, there is also a lovely park to relax in, where there’s a great cafĂ© in which to enjoy an early evening aperitivo together.
10. See the city’s highlights on a bike tour
Cycling is a great way to see any city. By joining a bike tour while in Milan with teens, you can enjoy a peddle with a passionate guide who will keep you entertained as you explore the city. Not only will you see the ‘big sights’ but also get the chance to see some of Milan’s hidden gems too. Book here to reserve your tour in advance.
Accommodation in Milan with teens
Hotels
For a city break in Milan with teens or advice is stay as centrally as you can and try to make it close to a metro station or tram stop. Milan’s City Life district has a good selection of hotels for all budgets and is an easy hop into the city centre by public transport. There are also a few secure car parks in this district. If your trip to Milan with teens is part of a longer holiday in Italy and you already have your hire car, this can be very useful.
Travelling to Milan with teens in the summer months can mean you are faced with some very hot days. We still think it’s great time to see the city as everyone heads outside for aperitivo and the blue skies certainly make those Instagram posts shine. Our top tip is to try to find a hotel which has a pool. Having somewhere to cool off and relax can be a real bonus. Our favourite is NH Collection Milano City Life. The architecture of this converted church is fascinating. The designers have done a fabulous job of contrasting old and new and the result is a sophisticated, contemporary vibe that still oozes history and charm. Paolo and his team are wonderfully helpful and did everything they could to make our stay in Milan with teens perfect. Book here for the best rates.
Self-Catering Accommodation
Opting for self-catering accommodation is the optimum way to gain flexibility and save a bit of money too when travelling as a family. As Italy’s northern powerhouse, Milan is very well connected by rail and road to the surrounding regions and these can be excellent places to stay. By choosing to stay in a villa or apartment in the Italian Lakes, you can find yourself enjoying a wonderful self-catering holiday, amongst the stunning lakes and mountains, yet also be in the heart of Milan in less than 1 hour.
For our most recent trip to Milan with teens, we chose to stay in Villa Caruso. A Bookings For You favourite. Set in the lush green hills above Luino and the magnificent lake Maggiore the views from this villa are spectacular. With three bedrooms, a lovely modern kitchen and stunning terrace, it’s the perfect place for a family to relax after a day in the city.
If you’re looking for more information about travelling to Italy with teenagers click here for all of our top tips and advice. And, if you need help finding accommodation or your trip to Italy contact us here at Bookings For You.