If you have money, you can be called a wealthy person, but if you know what to spend it for – you’re a lucky person. Nowadays outlet shopping becomes increasingly relevant, so both foreign and Italian shoppers have long time ago discovered huge benefits of making purchases there. For example, would you like to buy men’s Calvin Klein shoes for 60€ or bathing suit from D&G just for 10 €? Well, you can easily do it making shopping in any of Milan’s Outlets.
FLIGHT FROM | DESTINATION | DATE | DEPARTS | ARRIVES |
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Seattle | Paris | 20 Dec 2012 | 10:00 | 20:40 |
Paris | Seattle | 28 Dec 2012 | 22:10 | 08:50 |
1. Serravalle Designer Outlet
Perhaps this is Milan’s most popular outlet. Upon arrival you’ll get a brochure with the map of the location of stores, where you can mark your favorite ones. Don’t hurry to buy everything at once. At first, check out your most desired brands, then set aside chosen items at least for an hour, and only after that finally make your purchases.
Advantages of Serravalle Outlet
– Plenty of shops (about 200 ones) in one place;
– The best selection of men’s luxurious clothing and footwear: exclusive shops like Alen Edmonds, Corneliani, Canali and Brioni;
– Availability of non-standard clothing sizes;
– Large selection of children’s brands;
– Excellent infrastructure (cafes, playgrounds, free parking);
– Great choice of shoes, casual and sportswear.
Disadvantages:
– Located 100 km away from Milan;
– Huge crowds and queues during the seasonal sales;
– Small variety of women’s luxurious and classic clothing;
– Irregular updating of product range.
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2. Fox Town Outlet
It’s difficult to call it an Italian shopping, as the Fox Town Outlet is located on Swiss territory. But despite this, this outlet is easily reachable from Milan (1 hour drive by car). Fox Town is a hi-tech shopping complex with passages and multi-storey layout, so you can really get lost in it. Fox Town is perhaps the biggest outlet located near Milan and it consists of 250+ shops of Italian and international brands. The range of goods is just fantastic, while weekly updates contribute to really amazing shopping opportunities at any time of the year.
Advantages of Fox Town Outlet:
– Wide range of luxury brands. Hogan, Dior, Jil Sander, Fendi, Gucci and Tod’s are presented exclusively in this outlet;
– Frequently-updatable assortment of items;
– Located relatively close to Milan;
– Seasonal sales begin 2 weeks earlier than in Italy;
– Free Wi-Fi throughout the outlet.
– Tax-Free compensation inside;
– Wide selection of sizes;
– Best choice of evening designer’s clothing;
Disadvantages:
– Prices are a little higher than in Italy;
– It’s really possible to get lost even if you have a map;
– Little number of boutiques offering “casual” clothes.
3. Fidenza Village Outlet
This is one more “island of happiness” for irrepressible shopaholics. Fidenza Village is probably, one of the coziest Milan’s multi-brand outlets and it presents more than 100 different stores on the territory. This is a perfect shopping spot for those who like to make purchases without bustle and hustle, because the outlet is usually not crowded. Designed as a straight street with stand-alone stores, Fidenza Village is very simple for getting around it.
Advantages of Fidenza Village Outlet:
– Clothing from Italian designers’ brands: high quality goods at affordable rates;
– Wide assortment of accessories: both for women and men;
– Easy and convenient location of the stores;
– Exclusive brands – Marni, Bolgeri (Zegna), Fossil and Paul Smith;
Disadvantages:
– Small number of stores;
– Bad choice of luxury brands;
– Located 108 km away from Milan.
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4. Vicolungo the Style Outlets
It’s impossible to imagine Milanese shopping without visiting the Vicolungo and the Diffusione Tessile Outlets. These outlets appeared quite recently, but every year the number of their stores rapidly increases, and who knows, maybe 5 years later they will surpass Serravalle in many ways. Vicolungo Outlets are located 40-minutes’ drive from Milan and offer both luxurious and “mainstream” clothing brands. The prices don’t differ much from Fidenza Village’ rates.
Advantages of Vicolungo Outlets:
– 2 outlets in 1 place;
– Excellent selection of children’s clothing and men’s casual brands;
– Proximity to Milan;
– Good infrastructure: there are ateliers, cafes, children’s playgrounds;
– Wide range of cheap brands offering excellent quality goods.
Disadvantages:
– Small amount of footwear brands;
– Almost complete absence of luxurious clothing brands (except for Armani, Missoni and Cavalli).
5. Franciacorta Outlet Village
This is the last Milan’s outlet that desperately competes for the first place with Serravalle. As Vicolungo, it was established just few years ago and offers to its visitors very attractive prices which are often much lower than in Serravalle, even during the sales. You can enjoy there more than 100 stores of clothes, shoes, and 40 shops of accessories and underwear. Franciacorta Outlet offers such services like spa and beauty salons. Numerous cafes and restaurants are also at your disposal.
Advantages of Franciacorta Outlet Village:
– Fast-developing outlet with good infrastructure;
– The prices are lower than in the other outlets (with Village Card your discount increases up to10%).
Disadvantages:
– Poor choice of luxurious brands;
– Located far from Milan (97 km).
Well, shopping in Milan’s outlets has its own positive and negative points, but despite this, it’s a great alternative to the usual shops and malls. Outlets offer hundreds of boutiques for any taste in one place, so you have a much wider choice of items and often discount rates. The general disadvantage of all Milan’s outlets is their distant location from the city, but actually, there is no problem about it. You can rent a car at any convenient location of Milan and easily get to any of the mentioned above outlets.
Milan is Italy’s business center, which may seem somewhat dull and boring for children. But in fact, this might be only their first impression of the city, because there are many places in Milan, where you can find great activities for your children.
So, if you are still puzzling your head over the things to do with your kids in Milan, steal these superb entertainment ideas for your next family trip!
#1: Take a walk on the roof of Duomo cathedral
Taking a walk with a child on the roof of the main cathedral of the city may turn into a real adventure! The roof is composed of multiple levels interconnected by numerous passages, galleries and staircases.
In addition, there are lots of statues of saints, heroes of legends, historical characters along with mythical birds, animals and monsters, which look even more striking than if you admire them from the square outside the cathedral.
Address: Piazza del Duomo
#2: Go to Muba Children’s Museum
A visit to this museum will bring a lot of pleasure to your children, since they can be involved in various interactive activities there. For example, until September 14th children can participate in the game named “Il mercato delle storie” (“Fairy Fair”). Inside of the pavilion, there’s a real market with sellers, trays and wooden booths. Each counter is devoted to a fairy-tale item – a title, magic paraphernalia, characters, landscapes and secrets. Moving from one counter to another, children can “buy” the necessary ingredients to create a unique story. The culmination point of the game is sharing stories and reading them to each other.
Address: Via Enrico Besana, 12
#3: Take a ride on the old tram
You can arrange an unusual sightseeing route on the old tram with wooden benches and creaking doors.
For example, the Tram №2 runs through the whole city. You can catch it at Porta Genova stop. The tram passes by the Duomo Square and stops near the famous Parco Sempione. While admiring the beautiful streets and ancient facades from the windows of the tram, you can make up some interesting story about the city and its inhabitants and tell it to your kid. Such a trip can be really fascinating!
#4: Arrange a picnic in a secret park
There are several large parks In Milan, where you can lie on the grass, ride on a swing or a small train with your children. The only drawback of such places is that usually they are very crowded.
Therefore, it’s recommended to opt for a charming park near the Roman amphitheater, which only the local parents know about. This park is a perfect open-air spot where you can frolic with your kids and nobody will disturb you.
Address: Via De Amicis, 17
8 Fun Places To Visit In Milan With Kids
#5: Visit the Museum of Science and Technology
The museum is named after Leonardo da Vinci and one of the most interesting exhibits of the museum is the collection of his inventions. All the presented exhibits were created according to the illustrations of the genius. Among the exhibits are a tank, a helicopter, cannons, a submarine, a loom, as well as the famous flying machine, similar to a hang glider. But in addition to that there are some other important inventions on display – a locomotive, a pendulum, a telephone and a telescope.
On the ground floor of the museum, there’s a room called “i.lab”, where different lectures are held. During the lectures children have the opportunity to study the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci in detail.
Address: Milan via San Vittore, 21
#6: Find a ghost in Sforza Castle
This huge castle is the pride of Milanese, which belonged to the Sforza – a great Italian dynasty, which is associated with the best period in the history of the city. You can simply take a tour to the castle, but there’s something more interesting that your kids can do there.
8 Fun Places To Visit In Milan With Kids
The local cultural association “Opera d’Arte” organizes fun pastime for kids in the castle. For example, the organizers will ask the kids to find a ghost living in the castle. The children will get sheets and some paint to create their own masks and afterwards they will be invited to get acquainted with the local ghosts.
Address: Piazza Castello
#7: Go to Guzzafame Farm
The farm is located just in 20 minutes’ drive from Milan, where you can easily get with your kids by a rental car. On the farm children can learn about rural life and communicate with animals. Each Sunday, starting from March, the owner of the farm provides free tours for everyone.
In addition, there’s a restaurant on the farm, and during Sunday lunch the animators are entertaining the kids. The adults can buy farm products in the local shop.
Address: S.S. Cascina Guzzafame, 20083 Gaggiano, Italy
#8: Have lunch in Anadima Bistro
Very often a visit to a restaurant with small kids may turn into a complete disaster, but if you go Anadima Bistro you shouldn’t worry about anything. In this establishment they know how children usually get bored during the meal while sitting with their parents and listening to their talks. The small visitors of the restaurant will get funny toys, crayons, pencils, and other various materials for creative work. The best children’s crafts are used for the interior of Anadima Bistro.
The menu includes children’s portions with mini-prices. For example, Sunday brunch for a kid will cost €12, while for adults – €22. If your children are picky and can’t choose anything from the offered meals, they can be served a mini pasta Al pomodoro or mini hamburgers.
Address: Via Pavia, 10
As you can see, Milan can be a very interesting destination not only for the fans of shopping. So, next time when planning a trip to Milan, don’t hesitate whether to take your children with you or not, because this city can fascinate travelers of any age!
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