Milan
Bar Guide

Milan's most celebrated aperitivo destination, where two canals provide the backdrop for 3km of bars packed end to end on Friday and Saturday evenings. The aperitivo buffet culture is still intact here, which means a drink buys access to a spread of antipasti. 36 bars in our Navigli guide. Come by 7pm for a table on the water, or accept that you will be standing. Best aperitivo bars in Navigli.

The cobblestoned neighbourhood around the Pinacoteca di Brera holds the city's most interesting wine bars and cocktail rooms: serious, well-stocked, and priced for the gallery crowd. 28 bars in our Brera guide. The neighbourhood has been gentrifying since the 1970s and shows no sign of stopping, which means new openings every month. Date night bars in Brera.

The design and fashion quarter of Milan earns its reputation for extravagance. The hotel rooftop bars here are genuinely spectacular, the cocktail menus change seasonally, and the people-watching is unmatched in Europe. 18 bars in our Tortona guide. Come during fashion week for the experience, or on any Thursday evening when the regulars reclaim the neighbourhood. Rooftop bars in Milan's fashion district.

North of the Garibaldi station, Isola has become Milan's most interesting neighbourhood for bars in the last five years. Cheap rents drew the creatives first, then the cocktail bars followed. 24 bars in our Isola guide, with a concentration of natural wine importers and craft beer specialists that rivals any district in the city. Come on a Wednesday when the locals are out in force.

The neighbourhood that produced Bar Basso is still the heart of Milan's most serious cocktail culture. 21 bars in our Porta Venezia guide, including the city's best vermouth-forward aperitivo bars and several excellent enotecas. The crowd is older and more informed than anywhere else in Milan. It is the right choice for a slow Tuesday evening. Classic cocktail bars in Porta Venezia.

Milan's eastern district has been the home of the city's craft beer movement since the early 2010s. The bars here are informal, the music is good, and the prices are significantly lower than the Navigli. 16 bars in our Lambrate guide. The Birrificio Lambrate taproom is the anchor but the surrounding streets have built a complete bar ecosystem around it. Craft beer bars in Lambrate.