Hotel Gran Duca di York

Duomo & San Babila


This golden-yellow palazzo, literally a stone's throw from the Duomo, was once a residence for scholars working in the nearby Ambrosiana library. While its looking a touch dated, it still offers solid service and 33 spotless rooms (some with private balconies), fitted out with wood floors, candy-striped walls, Kartell chairs and flat-screen TVs.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Duomo & San Babila attractions

1. Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

0.03 MILES

One of Europe’s earliest public libraries (built 1609), the Biblioteca Ambrosiana was more a symbol of intellectual ferment than of quiet scholarship. It…

3. Piazza degli Affari

0.12 MILES

Home to the Italian stock exchange (Palazzo della Borsa), this square is a famous hub of financial activity. But that’s not all it’s known for. In the…

4. Palazzo della Ragione

0.15 MILES

Erected between 1228 and 1251, Milan's 'Palace of Reason' is one of the few remaining medieval constructions to survive. Its Romanesque arcade served as a…

5. Palazzo Clerici

0.24 MILES

The blank façade of this 18th-century palace disguises the most extravagant interiors in Milan, including a golden hall frescoed by Tiepolo. It was owned…

6. Museo del Novecento

0.25 MILES

Overlooking Piazza del Duomo, with fabulous views of the cathedral, is Mussolini's Arengario, from where he would harangue huge crowds in his heyday. Now…

7. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

0.27 MILES

So much more than a shopping arcade, the neoclassical Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a soaring structure of iron and glass. Nicknamed 'il salotto di…

8. Duomo

0.28 MILES

A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan's extravagant Gothic cathedral, 600 years in the making, aptly reflects the city's creativity and ambition. Its…