I’ve got from about 4:00pm onwards on my own in Milan on Friday. Not enough time to do any proper sightseeing so just planning to wander around the centre a bit, grab a couple of beers and find myself an eatery the sort of place the locals would go to.

Any suggestions from those in the know especially anything in residential type areas that would be less frequented by tourists

There’s a nice roman palace – apart from that it’s apparently a very dour city (my partner was there for a week earlier this year)

The Prosecco is nice tho!

Lots of locals around the canal area Navigli when I was there in the spring. Didn’t eat though but there were plenty of nice spots for a beer.

Thanks redmist, will have a look at Navigli. Milan is the richest city in Italy so there must be great places to go. Losing my faith in the STW massive – cmon guys some of you must have been there on business or holiday

Go to the amazing concrete Fascist masterpiece of a railway station, and find one going to Turin. Much nicer, though I realise this is a minority view

The Gold Quarter is fun to walk around at weekends and observe the outrageous fashionistas posing about the place. The Friends Pub (food, real(ish) ale, football screens) sounds improbable but is populated by friendly boozy Italian Anglophiles. Check Tripadvisor for restaurants, nice bit of street music and sitting around people watching near the Armani Hotel. I never bothered with the Duomo, queues too long and lots to see on the outside of it.

Much nicer, though I realise this is a minority view

No, I think most people probably agree. But Milan is not without attractions as well. Apparently you now have to book to see The Last Supper, but I think you can still see the Caravaggios at Pinacoteca Brera without planning ahead for years.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. As per my original post, I’ve only got from about 4:00pm to about 9:00pm so I’m not going to Turin or visiting any historic sites, and being in Italy I am not going to head for an English bar.

Any more suggestions on nice areas with some local bars and eateries, preferably the kind frequented by locals?

I had a very similar experience of Milan. i stayed at a hotel by the Indro Montanelli park. arrived as it was getting dark, ditched my bags & headed out for a quick stomp round town. really not much going on in Milan i found? not so many bustling bars & restaurants you usually find in big cities – just loads of handbag shops! Anyway, had a mooch past the Il Duomo, wandered through Vittorio Emanuele II n’that then ended up eating here https://www.pizzeriamaruzzellamilano.it/ as it was near my hotel.

I have to say it was fantastic. definitely rustic too, certainly no tourists knocking about when i was there, its intimate, tables so close together its almost like bench seating! pretty interesting watching what the locals order.. cant remember what i ate, probably a pizza, but washed down with beer, wine, coffee and limoncello. bang on.

Second the Navigli. We had a good night there. There’s also this café which looks interesting but I didn’t see when we were there. http://www.upcyclecafe.it/ I really liked Milan.

If you’ve never seen it, I would book and see the Last Supper, it’ll be quiet on a Friday night.

Looks like the Navigli is worth a try then. I reckon Milan is one of those cities where there’s not much for tourists to do which is why you need some inside information. Milan is probably the richest city in Italy so there must be literally thousands of good bars and restaurants