The best Milan hotels
Italy’s financial capital is also the country’s most cosmopolitan city, bursting with creative flair and cultural panache. Over the last few years, smart hotels have sprung up throughout. Bourgeois palazzi harbouring leafy courtyards (a typical feature of Milanese architecture) have been converted into sleek properties, some belonging to big-ticket international chains such as Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons.
This being Italy’s fashion capital, there’s no shortage of glamorous hotels to act as a base for a little people watching (the Bulgari is a prime example). Yet Milan isn’t all about fashionistas satisfying their craving for the limelight. Tucked away here and there are welcoming B&Bs and affordable family-run hotels that won’t break the bank. Here are the best hotels in Milan to bed down during your stay.
How we choose the best hotels in Milan
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We're always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
Portrait Milano
Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
Over the last decade, Italy’s now-leafy design capital has transformed itself from a grey business blur into a dashing contemporary feather in the nation’s cap. It’s a must-do weekend with a raft of museum expansions, “centralissimo” restaurants, and a second wave of hotel openings just a five-minute whoosh away from Linate Airport on the city’s high-speed sustainable metro. Portrait Milano places visitors at the city’s physical, spiritual, and luxurious heart with the restoration of this baroque religious college hidden in the lauded Fashion Quadrilateral. Its vast private courtyard was inaugurated as a new public piazza by Milan’s mayor in December 2022. Meanwhile, its ground floor is set to be a new Milanese playground with a roll-call of Italian fashion, spa, and restaurant coups. Suites are roomy Milanese mid-century apartments in walnut and cardinal red velvet, with luxe details like antler-like leather handles by Florentine craftsmen and comprehensive vanity kits in the powder rooms. Stephanie Rafanelli
For more, see our full review of Portrait Milano
Hotel address: Corso Venezia, 11, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
GEORGE APOSTOLIDISMandarin Oriental, Milan
Best Milan hotel for: hip luxury
Set in an early 20th-century residence a few steps from the Fashion District, the Mandarin is all soft, mellow tones and elegant boiserie crafted by Italian artisans. Locals and guests flock to the Mandarin Bar & Bistrot to sip on inventive cocktails in a bold geometric setting (in summer, the action moves outside to the leafy courtyard). At Michelin-starred Seta, Executive Chef Antonio Guida crafts creative Italian dishes influenced by his Apulian roots. Wellness seekers make a beeline for the soothing spa, complete with a swimming pool, saunas and steam rooms, and holistic treatments that combine the best of Eastern and Western therapies.
Address: Mandarin Oriental, Via Andegari 9, 20121 Milan, Italy
Roberto BonardiBulgari Hotel Milano
Best Milan hotel for: devoted fashionistas
In summer, the jet-set gather in Bulgari’s gorgeous gardens shaded by horse chestnuts and plane trees to sip cocktails at one of Milan’s best aperitivi – there is, after all, no better place to see or be seen. Inside, all is sleek black Zimbabwean marble, bronze and Burmese teak wood. In the rooms, light floods in through soaring windows while handsome bathrooms have granite bathtubs and flashes of travertine stone as well as, of course, divine Bulgari toiletries. Head to the spa for a little pampering 4there’s a 12-metre gold mosaic swimming pool) before indulging in classic Italian dishes at the restaurant, overseen by acclaimed chef Niko Romito.
Address: Bulgari Hotel Milano, Via Privata Fratelli Gabba 7B, 20121 Milan, Italy
Four Seasons Milano
Best Milan hotel for: refined elegance
Housed in a 15th-century convent, Four Seasons Milano exhales a peaceful serenity, with a cloistered courtyard adorned with laurels and box trees. The location can’t be beaten – step outside and you’re on Via Gesù in the heart of Milan’s Fashion District. Original features have been beautifully preserved, including stone carvings, stucco ceilings and frescoes. The décor is classically elegant, with rich Fortuny fabrics, burl and pearwood cabinets and Carrara marble bathrooms. There’s a beautiful spa in the convent’s former cellar, with a swimming pool where you can do a few laps beneath elegant, vaulted ceilings. Top tip: on Sundays, the hotel hosts a popular brunch, with sweet treats laid out in the Chocolate Room, a room entirely coated in 300kg of chocolate.
Address: Four Seasons Milano, Via Gesù 6-8, 20121 Milan, Italy
Niall CluttonHotel Principe di Savoia
Best Milan hotel for: traditional grandeur
This is one of Milan’s grande dame hotels, with resplendent interiors marrying classic and Art Deco features. A huge Murano glass chandelier and classical paintings by the likes of Luca Giordano hang in the lobby lounge, while the elegant bedrooms are embellished with frescoes and bespoke Italian furnishings. As the sun sets, celebrities and socialites sip cocktails at Principe Bar, characterised by an eye-popping sculpted tinted crystal bar and back-lit mirrored wall, before nipping over to Acanto for Italian dishes supported by one of the finest wine lists in Milan. In the mornings, you’ll find early birds working out at Club 10, the hotel’s swanky 10th-floor fitness centre, getting a sweat on as they soak up city views from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Address: Hotel Principe di Savoia, Piazza della Repubblica 17, 20124 Milan, Italy
Baglioni Hotels & ResortsCasa Baglioni
Best Milan hotel for: an arty, rooted stay
Brera – Milan's art district – is not shy of a big-name hotel opening. In February 2023 – just in time for fashion week – Casa Baglioni officially opened its doors, joining the ranks of Bulgari, Armani and Mandarin Oriental along these narrow streets stuffed with designer boutiques and hidden art studios. It's part of the Baglioni family, of course, and the Italian-founded brand thrives most when on home turf. This is a supremely comfortable place to bed down. But the fact that its greatest charms – its celebration of mid-century Milanese artists everywhere you turn, from the enormous chandelier in the lobby to the little art pocket-guide left in your room – creeps up on you rather than slaps you in the face is a welcome relief from some of the more overtly flashy hotels in the neighbourhood. All has been meticulously curated and the result is stylish and grown-up. The team are proud of their new location; Brera is still a locals' district, really, and one of the artiest in Italy – book a tour with one of the exceptional tour guides the team has found to get under the skin of the place, from private museum tours to the chance to poke around fascinatingly quirky artist studios. Sarah James
Address: Casa Baglioni, Via dei Giardini, 21, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Martin MENDEZ / Ludovic MAGNOUXRoom Mate Giulia
Best Milan hotel for: vintage lovers
It’s all quirky design features with bright pops of colour at this hotel smack in the centre of Milan, steps away from the imposing Duomo. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola took inspiration from 1960s Milanese residences, giving life to retro interiors in bold hues that burst with personality. Walls are brightened up with works by local artists, photographers and illustrators, while the colour-coded rooms come in shades of green, light blue and terracotta, with furnishings in bright palettes contrasting with geometric designs. Breakfast is served until midday, with a colourful display featuring fruits in market crates and, while there’s no restaurant, there’s no shortage of dining options nearby. There’s a small gym in the basement, along with a steam room, sauna and treatment room.
Address: Room Mate Giulia, Via Silvio Pellico 4, 20121 Milan, Italy
Robert HoldenSenato Hotel Milano
Best Milan hotel for: a sleek boutique stay
This sophisticated bolthole is a world away from the frenetic thoroughfare of Via Senato; cross the road and you’ll be swallowed up into the cobbled streets of the Fashion District. At the entrance of the hotel, a shallow courtyard pool exudes an aura of calm, while handcrafted lamps in the shade of ginkgo leaves hover above the reception area. Black, white and brass feature heavily, with all-white rooms decked out in contemporary Milanese furnishings. This sleek den is run by the Ranza family (the five-storey Neoclassical building was formerly their private residence), who were keen to lend a strong Milanese stamp – furnishings are made by local craftsmen, while ingredients at Senato Caffè are carefully sourced from small and medium-sized producers in Lombardy.
Address: Senato Hotel Milano, Via Senato, 22, 20121 Milan, Italy
Armani Hotel Milano
Best Milan hotel for: fashion week
Set within the city’s discernibly glitzy Montenapoleone district, Giorgio Armani’s self-styled hotel serves as a bolthole for the international catwalk scene come fashion week. Expect the same level of high-end minimalism as you would from the clothing line, with floor-to-ceiling windows, rooms flooded with natural light, and a calming, modern palette of grey, powder blue, and pearl. The whole room is also iPad operated – curtains, lights, even room service. Come sundown, guests head to the Michelin-starred Armani/Ristorante, for Italian plates with international influence, such as the lasagne with langoustines, baby squid sauce, and tomato confit. There’s also the adjacent Armani/Bamboo Bar, with postcard-worthy views across the city and to the Duomo, and a bespoke Milanese cocktail list (try the herb-infused Bosco Verticale). Top tip: book a table on a Sunday evening for its live jazz sessions.
Address: Armani Hotel, Via Alessandro Manzoni, 31, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Matteo SerpiVico Milano
Best Milan hotel for: sophisticated urbanites
With only seven bedrooms, Vico Milano serves as the perfect Milanese pied-à-terre a short walk from trendy Via Tortona. Set in a former racing bike factory (it later became the fashion studio and showroom of the Baccheschi Berti family, who today run the hotel), the furniture here is handcrafted by Tuscan and Sicilian artisans. Decorative items were sourced from far and wide (think Persian rugs and Balinese wall hangings), while velvets, woods and marble exude a sexy vibe. In the rooms, teak floors, off-white walls and potted plants continue the serene ambience, while in the bathrooms Moroccan glazed tiles in vivid hues of pink, emerald and burgundy bring zest and verve. Descend the glass-encased staircase to the den downstairs where barmen shake up drinks and serve wines from the family vineyard in Tuscany.
Address: Vico Milano, Corso Genova 11, 20123 Milan, Italy
Giacomo SattiLaFavia Milano
Best Milan hotel for: stylish comforts that won’t break the bank
In a 19th-century residential apartment block, this delightful B&B mixes vintage and Art Deco and is within striking distance of the financial district of Porta Nuova. The apartment brims with character, decorated with finds that owners Marco and Fabio have acquired from their travels over the years (Indian rugs from Darjeeling; a Mexican statue depicting La Catrina; a palm-shaped lamp and wicker chairs from Barcelona), along with items of furniture passed down by family members. The rooms feature charming touches with playful designs including ochre flowered wallpaper and hand-painted Sicilian tiles in the bathrooms. We especially like the delightful terrace where breakfast is served during the warmer months of the year.
Address: LaFavia Milano, Via Carlo Farini 4, 20154 Milan, Italy
Ostello Bello
Best Milan hotel for: night owls on a budget
This lively hostel bursts with character, with knick-knacks and curios, snapped up at antique markets lending the interiors a homelike feel. It’s decidedly laid back, with some guests lounging about playing board games and others strumming tunes (there’s a piano and a few string guitars knocking about). Guests can bed down in private doubles or comfortable dorm rooms, complete with en-suite bathrooms, while the kitchen is stocked with freebies – fruits, greens, pasta – for guests to rustle up a meal when hunger strikes. The bar is hugely popular, hosting a myriad of regular events, with quiz nights, poetry slams and live music gigs attracting a local international crowd.
Address: Ostello Bello, Via Medici 4, 20123 Milan, Italy
Locanda Pandenus
Best Milan hotel for: affordable chic
You’d be forgiven for missing the entrance of this little bolthole tucked away above a bustling bistro-slash-café. Squeeze your way past the busy bar to the sound of coffee machines humming and whirring and head upstairs to this hideaway with only four rooms. You’ll find thick velvets in bold hues of terracotta and turquoise, retro geometric motifs and smart fabric wall coverings, while the elegant bathrooms with monsoon showers are fitted with white and black marble to exude a timeless appeal. There’s an itsy-bitsy lounge where you can sit back and unwind although the action is at the bistro – pop downstairs for a bite or an aperitivo as the sun begins to set.
Address: Locanda Pandenus, Via Mercato 24, 20121 Milan, Italy