One day in Milan

Day by day

1. Day 1: Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

   Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro alla Scala and Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana, then Navigli canals in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces

      Go up to the terraces in the late afternoon for softer light, and on clear days look north for the Alps. Allow 2 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

      Walk through after dark, when the arcade is lit and much quieter than in the daytime. Allow 30 minutes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Saffron risotto

      Traditional trattorias across the city; ask whether it is made with meat stock if you are vegetarian.

   4. Afternoon

      Teatro alla Scala

      For a performance on a budget, look for gallery seats or same-day tickets sold at the box office. Allow 1 hour for the museum.

   5. Late afternoon

      Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana

      Look for the room with the Raphael cartoon; its scale is hard to appreciate from reproductions. Allow 1.5 hours.

   6. Evening

      Navigli canals

      Arrive around 7pm for aperitivo, then walk the Naviglio Grande towards the Vicolo dei Lavandai as the lights come on.

Before you go

• Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces: Buy combined cathedral and rooftop tickets online to skip the ticket queue, especially at weekends.
• Teatro alla Scala: Opera and ballet seats sell out early; book on the official site when the season goes on sale.

If it rains

• Swap in Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera): After your visit, walk through the palazzo's courtyard to the small Brera Botanical Garden behind it.
• Swap in San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore (Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio): Combine it with The Last Supper, a five-minute walk away; entry is free.
• Swap in Fondazione Prada (Porta Romana): Stop at Bar Luce for coffee even if you only have time for one exhibition.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–8 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.7 hours in December to 15.7 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Five metro lines (M1–M5) cover the city; Duomo, Cadorna, Centrale and Garibaldi are the main interchanges.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Milan
• 3 days in Milan
• 4 days in Milan
• 5 days in Milan

Questions travellers ask