2 days in Milan

Duomo di Milano

The cathedral is a Gothic building in white marble with a forest of spires. The standard ticket covers the interior and a climb to the roof terraces, where you walk among the statues and pinnacles above the square.

3 h 30 visitOpen 9:00 am–7:00 pm · last entry 6:00 pmAdult ticket €22

Go up to the terraces in the first slots of the morning, when the marble is cool and the light on the spires is soft. Cover shoulders and knees, and leave large bags at the luggage storage.

Buy a dated ticket online and skip the ticket office queue. The stairs ticket is the standard one, a lift ticket costs more, and a fast-track pass adds the museum, the archaeological area and the crypt.

Cathedral and terraces: every day from 9:00 to 19:00, last entry at 18:00. The Duomo Museum opens at 10:00 and is closed on Wednesdays. The official site posts notices on days when services or events change the opening times.

Source: Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, checked October 5, 2026

Sforza Castle

A brick fortress built by the Visconti and rebuilt by the Sforza, now home to the city's civic museums. The courtyards are free to walk through, and one ticket opens all the museums for the day.

3 h visitOpen 10:00 am–5:30 pm · last entry 4:30 pmAdult ticket €10

Walk in through the courtyards in the morning, do the museums while the light is flat, and finish in the park behind the castle. Under 18s enter the museums free.

Museums: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30, last entry at 16:30. Courtyards: every day from 7:00 to 19:30 and free. Museums are closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Leonardo's Sala delle Asse is closed for restoration.

Source: Castello Sforzesco, Comune di Milano, checked October 5, 2026

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

A cross-shaped shopping arcade under a glass and iron roof, linking the Duomo square to La Scala. It is free, covered and open all hours, so it works at any time of day.

40 min visitAlways open

Go early in the morning or after dark, when the crowds thin and the lamps are lit. Look up at the dome over the octagon.

The arcade is a public passage and is open at all hours. The shops keep their own hours.

Source: YesMilano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026

Porta Nuova and Piazza Gae Aulenti

The modern Milan skyline around a raised circular square with fountains and glass towers. It is a free walk at any hour and good after dark.

1 h 15 visitAlways open

Walk the square at dusk, when the fountains light up, then continue through the park and the tree-covered towers nearby.

Open at all hours. The Bosco Verticale towers are private residences and cannot be entered.

Source: YesMilano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026

Leonardo's Last Supper

Leonardo's wall painting fills one end of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Visits are limited to groups of about 40 people for 15 minutes, so the booked time is the whole point of the trip.

1 h visit (official site suggests 15 min)Open 8:15 am–7:00 pm · last entry 6:45 pmAdult ticket €15

Arrive with time to spare and leave bags in the free lockers by the ticket office, because bags, food and drink are not allowed inside. The ticket office is on Via Ruffini.

Reservation is compulsory for every ticket, including free ones and children. Tickets are released in quarterly batches, with extra tickets put on sale each Wednesday at noon for the following week. Check the official site first and book as soon as your dates are open.

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 to 19:00, with last admission at 18:45. Closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December. On some days there are special evening openings, listed on the official site.

Source: Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano, checked October 5, 2026

Pinacoteca di Brera

The main picture gallery of Milan, set in an old palace with a quiet courtyard. The route runs through rooms of Italian painting from the 13th to the 20th century.

2 h visitOpen 8:30 am–7:15 pm · last entry 6:00 pmAdult ticket €20

Take an early slot and start with the Raphael and the Caravaggio before the school groups arrive. Then walk the Brera streets for coffee.

Reservations are required and are made on the official booking site or by phone. Book a day and a time slot, and book earlier for weekends and for the free first Sunday.

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 to 19:15, last entry at 18:00. Closed on Mondays, 1 May, 25 December and 1 January. Free admission with reservation on the first Sunday of the month. On selected autumn evenings the museum stays open until 23:20 with last entry at 22:00.

Source: Pinacoteca di Brera, checked October 5, 2026

Museo del Novecento

The city's museum of 20th century Italian art, in the Arengario on the Duomo square. A long ramp leads up through the Futurist rooms, and the windows frame the cathedral.

1 h 30 visitOpen 10:00 am–7:30 pm · last entry 6:30 pmAdult ticket €10

Come on a Thursday evening for the late hours, or in the late afternoon for the view of the Duomo from the upper floor. A free audio guide is available.

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:30, and on Thursdays until 22:30. Closed on Mondays. Last entry is one hour before closing. Free on the first Sunday of the month.

Source: Museo del Novecento, Comune di Milano, checked October 5, 2026

Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio

The old church of Milan's patron saint, a Romanesque basilica with a calm atrium. Entry to the basilica is free, and a separate treasury museum sits beside it.

1 h visitOpen 3:00 pm–5:00 pm

Check the visiting hours first, because the church closes at midday and again for services. The treasury has its own entrance on the square.

Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 18:00, Sunday from 15:00 to 17:00. The church is closed to visitors during services. The parish site posts summer closures and holiday timetables. The treasury museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00, and Sunday from 14:30 to 17:00.

Source: Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, checked October 5, 2026

Navigli and the Darsena

A district of canals and low houses to the south-west of the centre, made around the old river port. It is a place to walk, browse and have an aperitivo rather than tick off sights.

3 h visitAlways open

Arrive an hour before sunset, walk the Naviglio Grande towpath, and stay for the evening when the bars fill. Weekend evenings are the busiest.

Open at all hours. On the last Sunday of every month the Naviglio Grande hosts a large antiques market along the bank.

Source: YesMilano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026