Everyone around you is wearing either Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana and you’ve just spent €7 on a coffee…

Oh dear.

Milan’s the kinda city where you could drop a fifty on the hour - choose the wrong restaurant and watch your weekend budget shrivel up before your weeping eyes.

But if you follow the locals and are wise to the tourist scams you can eat cheap, shop for deals and drink €2 jugs of wine.

This is how to spend £20 in Milan…

Art

If you go to Milan and don’t see Da Vinci’s famous ‘The Last Supper’ you need your head checked.

Sure it’s very damaged and you’ll have to queue but the iconic fresco is still slap-your-face beautiful.

Travel agents will try to sell you tickets for €40 or €50 - but the tour is actually only €12. You need to snap the tickets up online before the agents grab em (buy 2 months in advance minimum). Or if you miss the boat, turn up at the official ticket office at 8am and cross your fingers for unsold tickets - the agents sell them back to the office.

For something more modern head to Hangar Bicocca. Entry into the gallery is completely free too.

Or WOW Spazio Fumetto’s your man if you’re into nerding out over comic books. A former sweet factory, and then bus depot, find rare comics and old posters here. Outside, the neighbourhood is surrounded by street art.

Fashion

Milan gets fashion. Prada, Armani, D&G, Versace… all Italian innit?

On your £20 budget you’d be lucky to get a button, but there’s other ways to join in the fashion hype.

Milan Fashion Week starts on the 26th of Jan 2026 - you’ll need a pass for many of the big shows but certain events are open to the public.

If you don’t care about buying the latest trends from mega labels then head to Corso di Porta Ticinese. This street is stuffed with vintage shops and streetwear boutiques. You’ll get some great deals on designer garb.

Eat

In most countries a crazy cheap restaurant is a bad idea. But hey, you’re in Italy - a shit meal is not a thing here.

It’s all about the humble ‘trattoria’ (no-frills family run eateries with traditional Italian dishes). Trattoria al Castello does the best gnocchi al ragù (bolognese) in Milan with a three course meal costing around €20.

And La Balera dell’Ortica is a trattoria, market and club venue in one. Old men play cards in one corner and young waans sip aperitivos while they sift through second-hand clothes.

If you’re going to splurge try ATMosfera - a restaurant in a 1920s style tram. You’ll get a 4 course meal for about €75.

Milan is divided into ‘tourist Milan’ and ‘locals Milan’. Practice your best Italian accent ‘ciao bellllllaaaa’ and follow locals into backstreet bars and second-hand boutiques.