Season guide · Milan · Italy
Milan in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cold and often foggy, with Christmas markets, opera season, the January sales and quick access to Alpine ski resorts. Expect highs up to 9°C (48°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 19 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- -1°C (30°F) to 9°C (48°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 19
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C (43°F) | -1°C (30°F) | 6 | 9.1 h | 2/5 |
| February | 9°C (48°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 6 | 10.3 h | 3/5 |
| December | 6°C (43°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 7 | 8.7 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 7°C (45°F) against a yearly 18°C (64°F), and 19 of the year's roughly 89 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Winter sales (usually from early January)
- January: Men's Fashion Week (usually January)
- February: Women's Fashion Week (usually late February)
- February: Carnevale Ambrosiano — Milan's carnival, which ends later than elsewhere (February or March)
- December: La Scala season opening and the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! market (7 December, Sant'Ambrogio)
- December: Christmas market around Piazza del Duomo (usually December)
Good choices for winter
Gallery · Porta Romana
Fondazione Prada
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
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.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Centro Storico
Museo del Novecento
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
Gallery · Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio
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.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes inside, 45 minutes total
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
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Architecture · Centro Storico
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
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
Day trips in winter
- Verona (About 1 hour 15 minutes by high-speed train) — A Roman arena still used for summer opera, Piazza delle Erbe and the medieval Castelvecchio make Verona a full day trip; the 'Juliet's balcony' courtyard is crowded but famous.
- Turin (About 1 hour by high-speed train) — The former royal capital has elegant arcaded streets, the Egyptian Museum with one of the world's largest collections of Egyptian antiquities, the Mole Antonelliana with the National Cinema Museum, and historic cafés serving bicerin coffee.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Milan?
It is a trade-off: Cold and often foggy, with Christmas markets, opera season, the January sales and quick access to Alpine ski resorts. The best months overall are April–June and September–October.
+What is the weather like in Milan in winter?
Highs of up to 9°C (48°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 19 rainy days over the season.