Chicago is a warm and welcoming city that brings together the best of many metropolises in the US.

We’ve ridden the rattling L train around Chicago in search of our favourite hotels, from luxury lodgings in the Loop to a family-run find in a former publishing house across the river. We’ve taste-tested restaurants serving dazzling dishes from around the world, as well as the odd joint offering cheesy slices of deepdish pizza. Join us as we explore the museums and galleries shaking up the art world, and the improv clubs making us laugh until we cry. Plus, more than a handful of intimate bars at which to end – or extend – the night.

The magazine, Monocle, covers the world with its network of bureaus in New York, Toronto, Zurich, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Singapore. It also employs more than 30 dedicated correspondents - in cities from Bangkok to Bogota, Sao Paolo to Stockholm - as well as a team of on-the-road reporters based out of its headquarters in London. This team's deep understanding of cities and all they have to offer has now been compiled in The Monocle Travel Guide Series.

Milan has a reputation for being industrious but look in the right places and you’ll discover that it also knows how to let its hair down. Don’t take our word for it: don your snappiest gear and see for yourself.

Few things will be handed to you on a plate in Milan – except, perhaps, a generous portion of rich and creamy risotto con ossobuco. The Lombard capital has an enviable wealth of restaurants, shops and galleries but the best are often hard to find. This is a city that rewards those who take the time to tap on a closed door and look beyond an unassuming stone façade. 

Naturally, as a mecca for fashion fans and design aficionados, Milan can also be a fast-paced and dizzying affair. That’s where we come in. We’ll steer you towards the top bars for a negroni and reveal our favourite spots in which to savour both innovative fare and authentic cucina Milanese. We’ve sifted through the city’s labyrinthine retail offering for the tailors making the sharpest suits and the homeware shops packed with rare finds. Plus the hotels that we long to hunker down in, from polished renaissance palazzos to cosy family-run boutiques.

Authors: 

Monocle reports from around the globe in print, on radio, and online. As its editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar. 

That information is now available in Monocle’s Travel Guide Series: a line-up of titles that speaks to you in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning markets. These are books that go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the best out of a city — no matter how short your stay. Designed to be compact and collectable, they are also discerning; Monocle’s team won’t list a hundred places to eat but they will tell you where’s best for everything from some tasty fast food to something truly celebratory. Cities are fun. Let’s explore.