Find your bearings
Although Paris and New York will offer counter-arguments, Milan can make a fair claim to being the planet's most fashionable city. Its streets are alive with chic boutiques and the offices of major haute couture labels. Mandarin Oriental, Milan exists perfectly in this world, slotted into the sophisticated Brera district of the historic centre. However, to talk of districts is to give a false impression. Although big in reputation, Milan is pleasingly compact of size. Exit the hotel, take a ten-minute walk south via Via Romagnosi and Via Alessandro Manzoni, and you will soon happen upon the Duomo – a glorious Gothic jewel, 14th century by birth, that stands tall as the world's third largest cathedral.
Feed your mind
As you might expect of a key Italian city, Milan is brimming with art. The Pinacoteca di Brera lies an easy five-minute stroll from the hotel. Here, you can lay your eyes on paintings by Italian masters such as Raphael, Andrea Mantegna and Guido Cagnacci. Speak to the hotel front desk to book a private tour. Not much further away – ten minutes walk to the east – the Galleria d'Arte Moderna keeps its focus closer to the present day, pointing you towards walls festooned with European works from the 18th to 20th centuries, including marvels by Van Gogh, Manet and Picasso.