Navigli

Such a hip little area to explore while in Milan! I stayed in the Navigli district during my visit and it was definitely the best decision that I made. First off, the views of the canal (Naviglio Grande) are stunning! It's safe and a wonderful place to get your stroll on. Every morning I'd see people out running, walking their dogs, and taking a stroll up and down the canal. Public transit is so easy to access and will take you to any part of the city from here. Also, there are a ton of cute restaurants, bars, and shops! This is the place to be at night. If you want a nice aperitivo, you HAVE to check out Navigli in the evenings! There are literally tons of bars and restaurants advertising their aperitivo hour and trying to scoop you up into their places. The music is bumping and there are live street performers and several vendors out on the street selling all kinds of things. This is the epicenter of Milan's urban nightlife and it's so fun! When in Milan, you should definitely make some time to check out Navigli.

A recent tour guide recommended the Canal neighborhood and her recommendation was definitely 5*. There are so many options to choose from. They specialize in "Happy Hour" (Italian word apparently) with snacks and drinks. They also have lots of restaurant choices with patio and inside options. Lots of street vendors. Definitely make time for a walk both before and after a meal or snack. It is really close to the green line Genova stop. I'm very glad to have made this a part of my Milan trip, it is a must go!

I stopped by this beautiful canal while visiting Milan and it was super stunning at night. There were restaurants lined up on both sides of the canal and also souvenir shops. You can easily cross over to the other side of the canal by crossing a mini bridge. This is a great place to unwind and take a nice stroll. Naviglio Grande has amazing views and is worth the visit!

What a wonderful nightlife area this is! We loved it so much that we came here both nights of our stay in Milan. It's an area full of restaurants, bars, shops, and lots of people at night. I thought it was just a touristic area, but I was very pleased to see that it's an area frequented by locals too. Besides the wide choice of cuisines that it offers, it's a nice place for just a walk alongside the canal, where sometimes you can see some performances from boats. It's easily reachable by subway, which runs "only" until midnight. No worries if you miss the last departure though: it's replaced by a bus (at least on the weekends), which will stop at almost the same stations.

Fun location on the canal themed inside with antique nautical items. Great pizza and pasta selections.

Head quite a bit east along the canal from where this spot is on the Yelp map. Then, you will find the most exciting neighborhood in Milano! Don't miss it! I found this area in a tour book 20 years ago and headed to Porta Genova, the local subway stop. Just a few steps away down Via Casale and you literally have restaurant row and bar/insanity row, right on the sometimes scenic canal. Even if you get lost, you can quickly find another way by listening for the sounds of people enjoying life! Now, you are in the know. Do what you need to do but come on down and join the party! Don't forget the flower market or antique market on some but not other weekends!

Had such a fun time here, lots to see and plenty of places to eat. We ate at a Pizza and Pasta place right off one of the canals which was relaxing and very picturesque. Plenty of photo op places with the canals and the old world architecture. A pretty busy tourist area, but I definitely recommend an evening or daytime stroll though. Plus it's a short walk from one of the Milan City bus tour stops.

One of my 2 favourite neighbourhoods in Milan! It's an area I could picture myself living in. I mean it's got an old world feel but not really. It has a canal that surrounded by bars, restaurants, and lounges. It has art stores and clothing stores by local artists and possibly designers. Did I mention all this surrounds a canal? ;) The Navigli has quick access to major streets, subways and parks. At night the bars and lounges spread onto the streets and the beautiful people start crawling into the Navigli to get their drink on as well as some apertivo into their bellies! The neighbourhood has a lot of character!

Like its smaller cousin (the Pavese), the Naviglio Grande is a man-made canal, joining downtown Milano to the Ticino River. It is little less than 50 km long and it runs sputh of Milan towards Tornavento (Sesto Calende). It was used to facilitate the navigation of the marble needed to build the Duomo Gothic church (which was started on march 13th 1386). Though the Naviglio is no longer used as a mean to reach the Darsena (the port of the city of Milan), it is currently being used by ducks as a source of life and pleasure. The main Naviglio is the ever so pulsing heart of the nightlife of the city. Many are the bars, pubs, restaurants that offer entertainment and good ways of sipping on drinks and eating during happy hours. Worth mentioning the "Vicolo dei Lavandai", one of the rare examples of how the old Milan can still be on display in the ever busy modern life.