Milan Nightlife

It’s difficult to tell whether you’re outdoors or in at Milan’s hottest bar. Comprehensively influenced by the East, with Shōji screens and slick leather furniture, plants crop up everywhere as natural light beams through its windows. Head to the terrace early, cocktail bible in hand, as this place comes alive after sunset.

With exposed wood board, an assorted accumulation of mismatched chairs, and fairy lights wrapped around hanging bikes, Le Biciclette is a chilled, ultra-chic café-cum-bar. It’s hard to tell what’s more fabled, its aperitivo or its selection of spirits, but one thing is sure: its Sunday morning brunch sorts out any fuzzy heads it creates on a Saturday.

Inspired by the 1950s, this lounge bar on the 12th floor of the Brian and Barry building (a concept store with a range of fashion labels and a couple of restaurants run by Eataly) serves 12 unique cocktails. A place to impress, it boasts a stunning 360-degree view of Milan’s skyline.

Straddling the sphere between nightclub and live music centre, this vast industrial space is one of Milan’s cherished musical enterprises. While international acts like Liam Gallagher, Macklemore and Mika play live, Fabrique really comes into its own with late night rave-ups fronted by the likes of Paul van Dyk and Sven Vath.

Il Gattopardo Café Disco, in a deconsecrated church in the upwardly mobile northwest of Milan, is a beautiful people haunt. The bouncers are discerning, so dress to impress if you want to get in. Music is usually mainstream pop with occasional live performances, and if you arrive early enough they do a happy hour aperitivo.

Milan’s foremost techno venue can be found below Milano Central station’s rails. Big-name techno DJs regularly fly into town to all but obliterate this intimate sweatbox. With their electronic DJ-sets, niche live music shows, indie-rock, and hip-hop concerts, the Tunnel has everything you could ever want.

This huge events space hosts fashion shows, parties and club nights as well as a lively programme of live music that swings from big names to cover bands. If you are feeling nostalgic, their popular Welcome to the Jungle club night blasts out music from the 1980s and 90s.

Blue Note is the place for live jazz in Milan. It has an international pedigree and draws artists from around the globe. It even offers refined Italian cuisine, which can be enjoyed during performances.

Housed in an old building near the Porta Ticinese, this Milanese institution hosts a slew of funk, soul, rock and reggae acts. It offers live music at the weekends and on the occasional weekday too, while its terrace allows visitors to spill outside on balmy evenings.