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The top hotel in town was converted in 1993 from a 15th-century convent, complete with some frescoes. Superior rooms are on the street side, deluxe ones open on to the cloisters. Milan’s best shops are nearby, and one of the area’s best restaurants, Il Teatro, is in the hotel’s basement (see Il Teatro del Four Seasons, Milan).

The Grand has been Milan’s most intimate luxury hotel since 1863, a darling of inveterate shoppers and La Scala stars (it was Callas’s Milan home). Composer Giuseppe Verdi was resident for 30 years.

The popularity of this five-star hotel isn’t simply due to its topnotch appointments, new wing of suites themed on films and modern artists, or the fact that the Beatles called this their “home in Milan”. Above all this, the main draw is that the suites, along with a few enviable doubles, overlook the spires of the cathedral right next-door.

It’s near the Duomo, and enjoys the facilities of any upmarket hotel, but at prices 20 to 40 per cent lower than the competition. The rooms are adorned with silk and 18th-century-style antiques.

Built in 1927 in a 19th-century Lombard style, this is the most elegant of Milan’s top hotels. Its Principe Tower was built in 2000 for businessmen who like their modern office conveniences in an old-fashioned atmosphere.

This gem, designed by Urbano Pierini and filled with original works by contemporary artists, is near the Piazza Duomo. Stylish rooms come with wonderful features such as marble sinks and hydromassage shower stalls. Room rates drop 20 per cent Friday to Sunday.

This converted apartment between the Duomo and Castello is a wonderful home-away-from-home. The quiet rooms have floral draperies, matching headboards and the occasional exposed beam. The more expensive terrazzo rooms have small terraces and canopy beds.

A Liberty-style hotel focused on a lush courtyard garden. The rooms have a modern elegance with such top-end amenities as Bose stereos.

Luxurious amenities and refined service without a high price tag. Rooms either overlook the private garden or open on to the Liberty-style façades of this residential street, and all come with lovely wood furnishings, high-speed internet connections, and VCR. Free bikes are provided for guests.

This 1962 hotel on the north side of the shopping district sports non-smoking rooms (unusual in Italy), 19th-century– style silk brocades and inlaid furnishings. There is also a business centre.