Milan
Milan in the rain
Rain changes the plan more than it spoils it. The Last Supper, Brera, the Novecento museum, the Science Museum and the Castle museums are all indoors, and the Galleria is a covered walk between the Duomo and La Scala. The Navigli and the parks are the stops to move to a dry day.
- Stops under a roof: 10
Data checked on October 5, 2026
A rainy day, stop by stop
A day built only from stops that are under a roof, in an order that keeps the walks short.
Day 1
Magenta and Sant'Ambrogio · Brera and the fashion district
5 stops · 7 h 40 of visits · 43 min on foot
Open this day's route in Google Maps-
9:30 am10:30 am
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.
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
- 8 min walk
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10:38 am11:08 am
San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
A small Renaissance church, covered inside with frescoes and often called the Sistine Chapel of Milan. Entry is free and the visit is short.
Walk in through the church portal and leave through the Archaeological Museum on Corso Magenta, because the route runs one way. Groups must reserve in advance.
Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30, last entry at 17:00. Closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May, 25 December and from 11 to 21 August. Volunteers keep the church open, so it can close at short notice.
Source: Museo Archeologico di Milano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026
- 17 min walk
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11:25 am1:25 pm
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.
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
- 15 min walk
- Lunch break
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2:40 pm6:10 pm
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.
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
- 3 min walk
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6:13 pm6:53 pm
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.
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
- Running late? Drop San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore first. Nothing is booked there.
Every stop under a roof
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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.
Source: Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano, checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: Castello Sforzesco, Comune di Milano, checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: YesMilano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: Pinacoteca di Brera, checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, checked October 5, 2026
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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.
Source: Museo del Novecento, Comune di Milano, checked October 5, 2026
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La Scala Museum
A small museum beside the opera house, with portraits, costumes and instruments from the history of the theatre. When there is no rehearsal, the ticket lets you look into the auditorium from the boxes.
Source: Museo Teatrale alla Scala, checked October 5, 2026
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Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia
Italy's main science museum, in a former convent. Galleries of machines, planes, trains and ships sit next to the Leonardo da Vinci collection, and it works well on a rainy day with children.
Source: Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, checked October 5, 2026
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San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
A small Renaissance church, covered inside with frescoes and often called the Sistine Chapel of Milan. Entry is free and the visit is short.
Source: Museo Archeologico di Milano (Comune di Milano), checked October 5, 2026
Rainy days by month
Climate averages: WMO Climate Normals 1991-2020, Milano Linate (16080).