Naviglio Grande

The basics

Lined by chic restaurants, bars, and clubs, Naviglio Grande is a highlight of Milan food, drink, and nightlife tours. Art-focused itineraries and shopping tours also often stop here to visit the smattering of boutique galleries and design ateliers in the surrounding neighborhood, while photography excursions stop to snap the canal and its colorful building facades along each bank. The Naviglio Grande sits just at the edge of Milan’s southern historic center, so while most walking tours don’t make it this far south, scooter and e-bike tours typically zip along the canal on their city sightseeing route.

Things to know before you go

• The Naviglio Grande is scenic at all times of day, with its placid water reflecting the colorful buildings on each side. However, the area is particularly ideal for photos in the evening, as the banks are lined with lit clubs and cafés.
• There are endless dining and drinking options along the Naviglio Grande; some spots even have tables on floating barges moored directly on the canal.
• If you can’t get a table at the bars and restaurants along the canal, turn the corner onto Vicolo dei Lavandai, a charming historic lane with additional eateries and shops.
• The banks of the canal are paved and essentially closed to traffic, making it simple to explore with a wheelchair or stroller.

How to get there

It's a long but pleasant walk from the central Piazza del Duomo along Via Torino to Corso di Porta Ticinese; Naviglio Grande is just on the other side of this historic city gate. Alternatively, take metro line 2 (the Green Line) from the main Milano Centrale train station to the Porta Genova stop.

When to get there

The Naviglio Grande and the entire surrounding Navigli District come to life on summer evenings, with well-dressed diners and revelers spilling out onto the canal’s banks from the restaurants and cocktail bars. Join an afternoon food tour or evening aperitivo crawl to experience the canal at its liveliest.

Exploring Milan’s trendy Navigli District

The Navigli District, south of downtown Milan, is where the city’s see-and-be-seen crowd gathers for an aperitivo or dinner after browsing the chic nearby boutiques. This pie-shaped area begins at the recently renovated Darsena (dock) and stretches south, with Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese marking the western and eastern borders. Between these two medieval waterways lies a maze of lanes that are ideal to explore on foot, with unique shops and eateries plus sights like the Vicolo dei Lavandai, a medieval washerwomen’s lane.