Planes

The closest airport is Milan Linate, which can be reached from most large airports across Europe. It takes around half an hour to drive from there to the hotel; the concierge can arrange transfers for two from €95 each way. The next best option is Milan Malpensa, around an hour’s drive away; one-way transfers start at €190. There’s also the Malpensa Express train, which takes an hour to reach Milano Centrale station.

Trains

A total tour de force of 1930s architecture, Milano Centrale is an international hub and one of the biggest stations in Europe. Services arrive daily from all over Italy and its neighbours, with high-speed lines running between Milan and Rome, Naples, Venice and Bologna. Once you’re at Centrale, hop on the M2 Metro line to Duomo; the station exit is right outside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Automobiles

Those unaccustomed to driving in an Italian city may find the experience a little taxing, with unannounced lane changing, liberal horn usage and scooters slipping past at every opportunity. If you do choose to hire some wheels, the hotel has valet parking for €64 a night.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Considering the hotel's location, you’d be forgiven for wanting to drop your bags and head right out the door again. Given the breadth of the hotel’s art collection, it’s well well worth setting aside some time for the art tour, led by the resident expert. The treatment room provides relief from the trials of shopping, as does a window seat in restaurant Vikissimo, where you can sip wine high above the crowds passing over the tiled floors of the Galleria.

Art, fashion and design make up the Milanese triumvirate, and you’ll find endless opportunities to immerse yourself in all three… beginning right outside the hotel’s doors. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to vast Gucci, Prada and Versace flagships, and is right next to the Duomo di Milano, a dizzyingly ornate masterpiece that was 600 years in the making. Go early if you want to see inside, as the queues grow by the hour. Shopping needs little in the way of pointers, with boutiques of every description arranged throughout the city centre. The concentration is highest in the Quadrilatero della Moda, four intersecting streets that make up one of the world’s foremost fashion districts. For those with leanings towards contemporary and avant-garde design, there’s the Fondazione Prada, worth seeing as much for its beautiful buildings as the art displayed within. To the north of the centre, there’s the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, which has taken up residence in the grand Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte. Another worthy contender is the Gallerie d’Italia, which warrants a visit for its decorative floors and ceilings alone. Outside, you’ll see a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci, credited with designing many of the improvements to the navigli (canals) that snake their way through the city centre. The Navigli Grande is a particularly buzzy place to be around aperitivo hour (any time between 6 and 8.30pm).