Milan Travel Guide
Three Days in Milan
The first-timer itinerary that books the few things worth booking — the Last Supper, the Duomo terraces, La Scala — and fills the rest with Brera's art, the Sforza Castle, aperitivo on the canals and a choice of Lake Como or Bergamo.
Milan has a reputation as a business city that visitors pass through on the way to the lakes or Venice. Give it three days and it turns out to be one of the most rewarding cities in Italy: Leonardo's Last Supper, a cathedral you can walk on, the world's most famous opera house, superb galleries, the best aperitivo culture in the country and a skyline of new towers. The plan below groups the city into walkable areas and keeps the timed bookings at the start of each day, with a third day for the lakes or a hill town.
Before you travel: the short booking list. One booking matters more than all the others: the Last Supper. Official tickets are released online in blocks a few months ahead and the good slots go within hours, so set a reminder for the release date and book the moment it opens; if you miss it, book a guided tour that includes entry through an authorised reseller. Then book a timed Duomo Pass that includes the terraces, choosing the lift if you are visiting in summer or with children. If you want La Scala, decide between the museum visit, a guided tour or a performance, and check the theatre's calendar. Finally, for Brera and the Ambrosiana, timed tickets save a little queueing but are rarely essential, except on the free first Sunday at Brera, when booking is required.
Know the closing days. The Last Supper, Brera and the civic museums, including the Sforza Castle and the Museo del Novecento, are closed on Mondays. The Ambrosiana closes on Wednesdays and Fondazione Prada on Tuesdays. Arrange your days around these and you will never meet a locked door.
Getting around. Central Milan is walkable, and the metro is fast and simple, with five colour-coded lines; you can tap a contactless bank card at the turnstiles. Trams, including the old orange ones, are a pleasant way to cross the city. You will not need a car, and driving into the centre means a congestion charge.
Day one — the Duomo, the Galleria and La Scala. Start at the Duomo at opening, when security lines are shortest. See the cathedral interior first, with its stained glass and the flayed St Bartholomew, then go up to the terraces for the walk among the spires. Come down and cross the square to the Museo del Novecento for Futurism and the view of the cathedral from Fontana's glass room, or keep it for late afternoon light. Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, spin on the bull, and continue to the Piazza della Scala for the theatre museum and the view into the auditorium. Have lunch in the side streets, then spend the afternoon at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana for Caravaggio, Raphael's cartoon and Leonardo's drawings, unless it is a Wednesday. In the evening, if you have tickets, go to La Scala; if not, take aperitivo at the Camparino at the Galleria entrance and then dinner in the centre.
Day two — Leonardo, the Castle and Brera. Build the morning around your Last Supper slot at Santa Maria delle Grazie, arriving early. Afterwards, visit Bramante's tribune in the church and look across the street at Leonardo's restored vineyard. Walk on to the Sforza Castle, ten minutes away, for Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta and the civic museums, then out through the back into Sempione Park. After lunch, cross into Brera for the Pinacoteca, with Mantegna, Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Caravaggio and Hayez's Kiss. Spend the late afternoon wandering Brera's lanes and design shops, and stay for aperitivo and dinner in the neighbourhood.
Day three — a choice of escape. Take an early train to Varenna for a day on Lake Como, hopping by ferry to Bellagio and Menaggio, or join a guided day trip that handles the logistics; this works best from spring to autumn. Alternatively, especially out of season, take the train to Bergamo, ride the funicular up to Citta Alta and spend the day on its Renaissance squares and Venetian walls. Return to Milan in the early evening and head for the Navigli for aperitivo by the canals, then dinner a street back from the water.
If you have a fourth day. Visit Fondazione Prada for contemporary art and coffee at Bar Luce (not on a Tuesday), then take the metro to San Siro for the stadium tour and, in season, the SkyWalk on the roof; or see a match. Football fans should plan this from the start. Design lovers should explore the Triennale in Sempione Park and the Tortona district; architecture fans should walk through Porta Nuova and CityLife to see the city's new skyscrapers, including the Bosco Verticale towers covered in trees.
Where to base yourself. For a short trip, stay near the Duomo or in Brera to walk everywhere. If your plan includes day trips by train, a hotel near Centrale saves time. Tortona and the Navigli suit return visitors and those who want evenings out.
Saving money on this plan. The Galleria, the castle courtyards, Sempione Park, the Navigli and many churches are free. Brera is free on the first Sunday of each month, with booking, and the city's civic museums have free-entry times on certain days. Drink coffee standing at the bar, eat a slice of pizza or a panzerotto for lunch, and let aperitivo snacks stand in for an early dinner. Regional trains to Lake Como and Bergamo are inexpensive compared with tours.
The honest adjustments. With children, swap the Ambrosiana for Sempione Park and the castle, and add San Siro. In the winter fog, put the museums first and save the terraces for a clear morning. In August, many restaurants and shops close for the summer holiday, and the city is quieter and hot. And whatever the season, leave space for a long lunch: in Milan, as anywhere in Italy, that is part of the sightseeing.