Things to do in the evening in Milan: four experiences – something for everyone

Milan is Italy’s nightlife capital and offers entertainment for all ages and tastes. Regardless of your age; whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure; alone, with your significant other, or with your family: if you’re in doubt about what to do in the evening in Milan, you’re spoiled for choice! Here are a few ideas.

Apéritif and happy hour

Milan’s establishments were the first to combine the Italian-style “aperitivo” with the typically Anglo-Saxon concept of the happy hour. Nowadays, it has become an unmissable ritual if you happen to be in Milan with a group of friends, with your sweetheart, or even if you’re out networking with other professionals like yourself.

You absolutely must try the “ Negroni sbagliato” – a cocktail mix of sparkling wine, Vermouth and Campari – right there where it was invented in the 1960s, at the Bar Basso in Via Plinio. Another place to enjoy an apéritif in Milan are Hugo sui Navigli; the enchanting side show is the view of Milan’s canals. If you love to experiment with inventive cocktail mixes, the Elettrauto Cadore on the street of the same name is for you. Are you more of a beer person? Don’t miss the La Ribalta Craft Brewery in the Bovisa area!

© Birrificio La Ribalta

Let yourself go in the disco

For dancing in Milan, there is something for everyone every day of the week. A tough Monday at work? Kill it and have some fun! Head for Old Fashion or the LoolaPaloosa. Are rock and heavy metal your thing? The Alcatraz awaits you, with its line-up of concerts and international evenings.

How about an evening on the dance floor of Milan’s most historic clubs? You can choose from Toqueville, Just Cavalli or the Hollywood. If, on the other hand, you want to go wild in one of the most original and popular scenes of the moment, you must head to the Fabrique.

© Fabrique, Milano

Still undecided? All the options are listed in the Nightbook.me app – we told you that in Milan in they do things seriously, right?

Some art and culture? In Milan, you can enjoy some high-brow time also in the evenings

Your options range from art galleries to photography exhibitions, if you are a lover of contemporary art, Milan has a lot to offer also in the evenings. The HangarBicocca, for example, regularly hosts exhibitions of great interest. The exhibition areas of the huge Pirelli Bicocca complex are open until 10 pm, Thursday through Sunday, with the bar and restaurant open until midnight on weekends.

© Pirelli Hangar Bicocca

Do you prefer more traditional exhibitions and do not want to travel very far from the center? Palazzo Reale, home to prestigious temporary exhibitions, is open until 10.30 pm on Thursdays and Saturdays. Same timetable for the nearby Museo del Novecento, with a breathtaking evening view of Piazza Duomo.

© Museo del Novecento – Comune di Milano – Ph. Thomas Pagani

Not far away, the Gallerie d’Italia awaits you every Thursday until 10.30 pm, with their works housed in the precious setting of the former Banca Commerciale Italiana.

© Gallerie d’Italia

Cinema, theater, opera

© Museo Interattivo del Cinema Milano

Perhaps you don’t want to miss your favorite director’s latest film while you’re away on business? Or how about the thrill of watching a superhero action movie in a high-tec theater with a state-of-the-art sound system? Did you know that in Milan, there are more than fifty theaters where you can enjoy an evening watching a good movie: from the latest blockbuster to arthouse cinema, including original language and film club screenings. The most interesting retrospective movie sessions? Those of the Anteo theater or the Interactive Cinema Museum!

© Anteo SpazioCinema

If instead you’re a stage buff, you must experience the emotion when the lights are dimmed and the curtain rises at the Piccolo Teatro. Founded by the celebrated director Giorgio Strehler, the Piccolo has contributed the greatest talent to Italian theater. Today, it is universally recognized as one of the best prose theaters in Europe. Performances of all kinds are staged in its three permanent venues almost every evening, usually Tuesday through Sunday.

©Masiar Pasquali – Piccolo Teatro

And ultimately, can you resist the timeless allure of melodrama and music? You must book a ticket for La Scala! Boasting a heritage of more than two hundred years, the season of Milan’s famous opera house welcomes the best opera singers and internationally renowned ballet and classical music professionals every year.

© Anna & Michal via Flickr

Reach Milan comfortably by train

Whatever brings you within sight of the spires of the Duomo, with Italo getting to Milan by train and discovering the city is fast and inexpensive. Discover all the timetables and ticket deals for trains to Milan. There are many connections every day from Turin, Bologna, Florence, Reggio Emilia, Salerno and Naples. And from Rome? Of course, and it takes less than three hours!