In a city with so many must-have experiences – half a day might not seem like much. But with your local host and a caffeine kick from an extra-strong espresso, you’ll whiz through several of the city’s top attractions. Maybe centuries-old architecture like the gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and the 15th-century Sforza Castle is on your list of must-sees, or perhaps the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Italy’s oldest mall) and Via Monte Napoleone – Europe’s most expensive shopping street – are calling your name. Either way, the tradition of aperitivo at a canalside local haunt is the only way to end your day.

Milan is a city of many ‘mosts’: home to Europe’s most expensive shopping street and some of history’s most significant landmarks. In the city center alone, you’ll see it all for yourself. You could get familiar with the elegant Brera district, the artistic heart of the city, where galleries and sidewalk cafes line quaint cobbled streets, or maybe the relaxed Navigli neighborhood in the city’s southwest, formed around a group of canals dating from as early as 1179, is more your scene. Here, fashionable locals gather at sunset for canalside aperitivo at the buzzing bars and trendy restaurants along the waterways, and your host can lead you down backstreets past graffiti-covered walls to secret vine-covered courtyards.