Things to do · Milan · Italy
19 best things to do in Milan
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain
Quick answer
The essential sights in Milan are Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces, The Last Supper and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Of the 19 picks below, 8 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces | Centro Storico | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Last Supper | Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | 15 minutes inside, 45 minutes total | Mid-priced |
| Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II | Centro Storico | 30 minutes | Free |
| Sforza Castle | Brera | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Teatro alla Scala | Centro Storico | 1 hour for the museum | Low cost |
| Pinacoteca di Brera | Brera | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Navigli canals | Navigli | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace | Brera | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana | Centro Storico | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio | Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | 45 minutes | Free |
| San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore | Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | 30 minutes | Free |
| Porta Nuova and the Bosco Verticale | Isola and Porta Nuova | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Fondazione Prada | Porta Romana | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology | Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Monumental Cemetery | Isola and Porta Nuova | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Santa Maria presso San Satiro | Centro Storico | 20 minutes | Low cost |
| Villa Necchi Campiglio | Porta Venezia | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Museo del Novecento | Centro Storico | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| San Bernardino alle Ossa | Centro Storico | 20 minutes | Free |
The 19 best things to do
Religious site · Centro Storico
1.Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces
Begun in 1386 and finished only in the 20th century, Milan's cathedral is one of the largest churches in the world, with 135 spires and thousands of statues in pink-veined Candoglia marble. The highlight is the walk across its roof terraces among the pinnacles, beneath the gilded Madonnina statue, reached by stairs or lift.
Go up to the terraces in the late afternoon for softer light, and on clear days look north for the Alps.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Buy combined cathedral and rooftop tickets online to skip the ticket queue, especially at weekends.
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Gallery · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
2.The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci painted his mural of Christ's last meal in the 1490s on the refectory wall of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. To protect the fragile painting, visitors enter in small groups for about 15 minutes. The Renaissance church next door, with its tribune attributed to Bramante, is free to visit.
Spend the first minutes standing at the back of the room to take in the perspective before moving closer.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes inside, 45 minutes total
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Tickets are released in batches and sell out weeks or months ahead; book on the official site as early as possible or join a guided tour.
- Iconic
- Art
- History
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Architecture · Centro Storico
3.Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Opened in the 1870s, this cross-shaped shopping arcade with a glass-and-iron dome links Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala. It houses luxury boutiques and historic cafés under mosaic floors; tradition says spinning on your heel on the mosaic bull brings good luck.
Walk through after dark, when the arcade is lit and much quieter than in the daytime.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Castle · Brera
4.Sforza Castle
The red-brick fortress of the Sforza dukes, rebuilt in the 15th century, now houses several civic museums. The star is Michelangelo's unfinished Rondanini Pietà, the last sculpture he worked on, displayed in its own hall. The courtyards are free to walk through on the way to Parco Sempione.
If time is short, buy a ticket just for the Rondanini Pietà museum and walk the free courtyards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Kids
- Architecture
Architecture · Centro Storico
5.Teatro alla Scala
Opened in 1778, La Scala is one of the world's most famous opera houses, where Verdi and Puccini premiered major works. Its museum displays costumes, instruments and portraits, and, when there is no rehearsal, lets you look into the red-and-gold auditorium from a box.
For a performance on a budget, look for gallery seats or same-day tickets sold at the box office.
- Time needed
- 1 hour for the museum
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Opera and ballet seats sell out early; book on the official site when the season goes on sale.
- History
- After dark
- Couples
- Rainy day
Gallery · Brera
6.Pinacoteca di Brera
One of Italy's leading art museums, in the Palazzo di Brera, holds Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin, Mantegna's Lamentation over the Dead Christ, Piero della Francesca's Brera Madonna, Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus and Hayez's The Kiss. A glass-walled restoration lab lets you watch conservators at work.
After your visit, walk through the palazzo's courtyard to the small Brera Botanical Garden behind it.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Waterfront · Navigli
7.Navigli canals
The Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese are the last open stretches of a canal network that once carried marble for the Duomo into the city. Today their towpaths are lined with bars, restaurants, art studios and the Vicolo dei Lavandai, an old covered washhouse. The Darsena basin at the top is the evening meeting point.
Arrive around 7pm for aperitivo, then walk the Naviglio Grande towards the Vicolo dei Lavandai as the lights come on.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Food
- Couples
- Photo spot
Park · Brera
8.Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace
Milan's central park stretches from the Sforza Castle to the Napoleonic Arco della Pace, with lawns, a lake and playgrounds. The Torre Branca steel tower by Gio Ponti offers views over the city, and the Triennale design museum sits on its western edge.
Combine a castle visit with a picnic in the park and a look at the Triennale's design collection.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Views
Gallery · Centro Storico
1.Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Founded in the early 17th century by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the Ambrosiana combines a historic library with a gallery holding Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, Leonardo's Portrait of a Musician and Raphael's full-size cartoon for The School of Athens. Pages from Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus are shown in rotation.
Look for the room with the Raphael cartoon; its scale is hard to appreciate from reproductions.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
2.Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Founded by Milan's patron saint Ambrose in the 4th century and rebuilt in Romanesque style, this basilica has a colonnaded atrium, a golden altar decorated by Carolingian craftsmen and the saint's remains in the crypt. It is one of the oldest and most atmospheric churches in the city.
Visit on 7 December, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, when a traditional Christmas market fills the surrounding streets.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
3.San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
Behind a plain facade on Corso Magenta, this 16th-century church is covered wall to ceiling in frescoes, many by Bernardino Luini, earning it the nickname of Milan's Sistine Chapel. The rear hall, once reserved for cloistered nuns, is equally decorated.
Combine it with The Last Supper, a five-minute walk away; entry is free.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Architecture · Isola and Porta Nuova
4.Porta Nuova and the Bosco Verticale
Milan's modern business district is built around the raised Piazza Gae Aulenti with its fountains and the curving UniCredit Tower. Nearby, Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale towers are planted with hundreds of trees on their balconies, and the Biblioteca degli Alberi is a new park of meadows and tree circles.
See the Bosco Verticale from the Biblioteca degli Alberi park, then walk to Corso Como for a drink.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Gallery · Porta Romana
5.Fondazione Prada
A former gin distillery transformed by Rem Koolhaas's OMA into a contemporary art complex, including a building covered in gold leaf and a white concrete tower with views over the city. Bar Luce, designed by film director Wes Anderson, evokes a 1950s Milanese café.
Stop at Bar Luce for coffee even if you only have time for one exhibition.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
6.Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology
Italy's largest science and technology museum fills a former monastery with working models of Leonardo's machines, locomotives, aircraft and the bridge of an ocean liner. Its biggest exhibit is the Enrico Toti submarine, which can be visited on a guided tour.
Book the submarine tour on arrival; places are limited and children love it.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Historic site · Isola and Porta Nuova
7.Monumental Cemetery
Opened in 1866, this vast cemetery is an open-air museum of funerary art, from Art Nouveau angels to modernist tombs commissioned by Milan's industrial families. The striped marble Famedio at the entrance honours the city's notable citizens.
Pick up a map at the entrance to find the most significant tombs.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Centro Storico
8.Santa Maria presso San Satiro
A few steps from the Duomo, this small church holds Donato Bramante's famous trompe-l'œil choir: with no room to build a real apse, he painted and modelled a false perspective that appears deep but is less than a metre deep.
Look at the apse from the entrance first, then walk to the side to see how the illusion works.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Porta Venezia
9.Villa Necchi Campiglio
A 1930s villa designed by Piero Portaluppi for a wealthy industrial family, with original furnishings, art collections, a garden and one of the first private swimming pools in Milan. It is run by the FAI heritage trust and featured in the film I Am Love.
Have a drink at the garden café beside the pool after the guided tour.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
- History
Gallery · Centro Storico
10.Museo del Novecento
Inside the Arengario palace on Piazza del Duomo, a spiral ramp leads up through Italian 20th-century art, including Futurist works by Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico and Lucio Fontana, whose neon installation hangs in a window facing the cathedral.
Finish at the top floor, where floor-to-ceiling windows look straight onto the Duomo.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Views
- Rainy day
Religious site · Centro Storico
11.San Bernardino alle Ossa
A short walk from the Duomo, this church has a side chapel whose walls are decorated with human skulls and bones from an old hospital cemetery, arranged in patterns beneath an 18th-century painted vault.
It is small and quick to visit; combine it with a walk to the Università Statale's Renaissance courtyards nearby.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | The Last Supper, Sforza Castle, Pinacoteca di Brera and Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana |
| History | Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces, The Last Supper, Sforza Castle and Teatro alla Scala |
| Views | Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces, Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace and Museo del Novecento |
| Outdoors and nature | Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace and Porta Nuova and the Bosco Verticale |
| Food and markets | Navigli canals |
| After dark | Teatro alla Scala and Navigli canals |
| With children | Sforza Castle, Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace and Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology |
| On a rainy day | Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro alla Scala, Pinacoteca di Brera and Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana |
What to book ahead
- Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces: Buy combined cathedral and rooftop tickets online to skip the ticket queue, especially at weekends.
- The Last Supper: Tickets are released in batches and sell out weeks or months ahead; book on the official site as early as possible or join a guided tour.
- Teatro alla Scala: Opera and ballet seats sell out early; book on the official site when the season goes on sale.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Milan?
Duomo di Milano and its rooftop terraces. Begun in 1386 and finished only in the 20th century, Milan's cathedral is one of the largest churches in the world, with 135 spires and thousands of statues in pink-veined Candoglia marble.
+What can you do for free in Milan?
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Navigli canals, Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace, Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Milan when it rains?
Head indoors to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro alla Scala, Pinacoteca di Brera and Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
+What is there to do in Milan at night?
Teatro alla Scala and Navigli canals are best after dark.