Italy’s fashion capital is not just a parade of haute couture emporiums. Yes, you shouldn’t pass up on window shopping (or dreaming) in the Quadrilatero della Moda, Milan’s premier fashion quarter. But buying without a side of bankruptcy is possible in areas like the Brera district where you’ll find quirky boutiques, independent galleries, and up-and-coming design stores. That said, fashion fiends can find a steal even in the high-end stores by timing a visit with the winter and summer sales where you might nab some Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana at 70% off.

Milan’s cuisine is as chic as its clothes, so leave pizza to Naples and carbonara to Rome. The city's signature dish is risotto alla Milanese, flavored with the finest saffron and often topped with literal gold leaf. Breaded veal cutlet is also traditional. You can find plenty of basic versions (which some connoisseurs disparagingly call an elephant's ear) but upscale eateries produce gourmet schnitzel with meat aged up to 40 days, tenderized steaks, and imported French butter.

Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic fragile masterpiece is a must-see, but tickets get snapped up sometimes months in advance. If you miss out, remember Milan has plenty more for the culture vulture. The richly carved, spire-adorned Duomo is the largest church in Italy and took nearly 600 years to build. Next door is a flamboyant glass and steel shopping arcade known as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with historic stores like shirt and tie vendor Cadè and bookstore Bocca. The Pinacoteca di Brera is a gallery housing prized masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini, Raphael, and Caravaggio while contemporary art can be sought out at the Fondazione Prada with a whimsical Wes Anderson designed cafe.

Before dinner, the Milanese partake in the aperitivo ritual, a happy hour stretching between 6 and 9 p.m. where diners whet their appetite with bitter cocktails and salty nibbles. Across the city, whole districts come alive with buzzing crowds spilling onto the streets. The waterside bars of the legendary Navigli—a network of canals laid out in the medieval period—have to be experienced, but for a more bohemian atmosphere try Porta Venezia or for cosmopolitan wine bars wander the chic Brera neighborhood. The cocktail of the moment, negroni sbagliato, was also created in the city’s 1970s-inspired Bar Basso after a bartender allegedly mistakenly added prosecco to the tipple instead of gin.

Milan is a city where you should spend time high up. There are myriad vantage points to choose from. By climbing 251 steps, you can weave around the spires on the Duomo rooftop and get fabulous views of the city. The Gio Ponti-designed Torre Branca inside Parco Sempione—the city’s green heart—gives another panoramic view while fashionistas can pause their purchasing at the department store La Rinascente’s seventh floor for a vista. Being Milan, you can naturally pair your viewpoint with an aperitivo at bars like Radio Rooftop or Terrazza Aperol.