Milan: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Two and a half hours, two kilometres, and a loop that closes on itself. Start at the Duomo at nine, while the roof stairs are still empty, and finish on the most expensive street in Europe. On the way: the first shopping arcade in the world, a two-euro panzerotto, and Mantegna's dead Christ painted from the soles of the feet. Milan hides everything behind grey facades.
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A short history of Milan
Celtic tribes founded a settlement here, and in 222 BC the Romans captured it and called it Mediolanum. In the late Empire the city was the capital of the West, and in 313 the Edict of Milan, which permitted Christianity, was issued here. In 1386 construction of the Duomo began, and it lasted almost six hundred years. At the end of the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci painted "The Last Supper" in the city, under the patronage of Duke Ludovico Sforza. In 1778 the La Scala opera house opened. Today Milan is the economic centre of Italy, and in 2015 it hosted the world exhibition.
The ten best sights in Milan
1Santa Maria delle GrazieThe Last Supper — book weeks ahead
2Pinacoteca di BreraMantegna, Raphael, Caravaggio
3Teatro alla ScalaThe toughest opera audience in the world
4Colonne di San LorenzoSixteen Roman columns, second century
5Basilica di Sant'EustorgioWhere the three wise men rested
6Piazza MercantiMedieval Milan, two minutes from the Duomo
7Triennale design museumWhere Milan became the design capital
8Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIThe first shopping arcade in the world, 1877
9Arco della PaceNapoleon began it, the Austrians turned the horses round
10Torre Branca108 metres of iron — the highest view in the centre
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Milan →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Milan:
Free walking tours in Milan
The old centre
Two and a half hours, two kilometres, and a loop that closes on itself. Start at the Duomo at nine, while the roof stairs are still empty, and finish on the most expensive street in Europe. On the way: the first shopping arcade in the world, a two-euro panzerotto, and Mantegna's dead Christ painted from the soles of the feet. Milan hides everything behind grey facades.
- Duomo di Milano · Buy the rooftop, not the inside. You walk among the spires, and at nine the stairs are empty.
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II · Cross it on the way to Brera. Spin on the bull with your heel — everyone does, and the floor shows it.
- Luini Panzerotti · Two euros, standing, ninety seconds from the Galleria. Since 1949 they have made one thing.
- Pinacoteca di Brera · Room six: Mantegna painted a dead Christ from the soles of the feet. It is worth the ticket alone.
- Via Fiori Chiari · Two streets of cobbles, galleries and tables outside. Stop for a coffee before the last stretch.
- Teatro alla Scala · Plain outside on purpose — Milan does not show off in the street. Standing tickets are released on the day.
- Via Monte Napoleone · End where the windows are the point. Five minutes from La Scala, and the walk closes on itself.
The castle and Brera
This castle was not built against an invader but against the people of Milan, who tore it down once in anger. From there into Parco Sempione, which was the same family's hunting ground, and on to Brera — the quarter where the artists lived and which survived the prices. Two hours, mostly in shade.
- Castello Sforzesco · Built to protect the rulers from the people of Milan, not from an enemy outside.
- Parco Sempione · Once the hunting ground of the Sforza family. Now where Milan breathes.
- Arco della Pace · Napoleon began it. The Austrians finished it and turned the horses around to face the city instead of France.
- Pinacoteca di Brera · Room six: Mantegna painted a dead Christ from the soles of the feet.
- Via Fiori Chiari · The Montmartre of Milan — cobbled lanes, galleries, and tables outside until late.
The canals
Milan was a city of canals like Venice, and most were covered over in the 1930s. What is left here is the liveliest quarter in the city after dark. On the way: Roman columns from the second century, the church where the three wise men rested, and the dock where the Duomo's marble arrived duty free. Come after five — aperitivo starts at six.
- Colonne di San Lorenzo · Sixteen Roman columns from the second century. Milan was the capital of the Western Empire, and few remember.
- Basilica di Sant'Eustorgio · Where the bones of the three wise men rested, until Cologne took them in the twelfth century.
- Porta Ticinese · Vintage shops and independent labels. The youngest quarter in the city.
- Darsena · The marble for the Duomo arrived here by water, duty free, each load marked "for the Duomo".
- Vicolo dei Lavandai · The original nineteenth-century wash house still stands, canal water running under it.
Shopping tour
From the most expensive street in Europe to the longest one, by way of the shop that invented the whole idea. The logic matters: the Golden Quadrilateral is for windows, Via Torino and Corso Buenos Aires are for actually buying. Most shops open at ten and close at half past seven, and many shut at lunchtime.
- Via Monte Napoleone · The most expensive shopping street in Europe. Even if you buy nothing, the windows are the point.
- Via della Spiga · The pedestrian half of the Golden Quadrilateral, and the quieter one. No cars, no noise, and the same names.
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II · The first shopping arcade in the world, 1877 — eighty years before anybody said the word mall.
- Via Torino · Two minutes from the Duomo and a different planet: high street prices, and where Milanese teenagers actually shop.
- 10 Corso Como · The shop that invented the concept store — clothes, books, a gallery and a courtyard café in one house. Everyone since has copied it.
- Corso Buenos Aires · The longest shopping street in Europe — a kilometre and a half, 350 shops, and normal prices.
Getting to Milan and getting around
- Cadorna station · The line to Malpensa leaves from here
- Milano Centrale · Trains to Rome, Venice, Zürich
- Malpensa Airport · 50 min by the Malpensa Express
- Linate Airport · 15 min by taxi, closest to the centre
- Duomo M1 / M3 · The two lines that matter
Museums in Milan
- Pinacoteca di Brera · Raphael, Caravaggio, Mantegna
- Museo del Novecento · Italian 20th century, over the Duomo
- Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia · Leonardo machines, submarine outside
- Leonardo3 Museum · Working models you may touch
Parks and gardens in Milan
- Parco Sempione · Behind the castle, the city runs here
- Giardini Indro Montanelli · Planetarium and natural history
- Orto Botanico di Brera · A walled garden most people miss
Things to do in Milan with kids
- Acquario Civico · The city aquarium, inside Parco Sempione
- Museo Scienza e Tecnologia · Leonardo machines and a real submarine
- Leolandia · Theme park, 40 minutes by car
- Parco Sempione playgrounds · Swings and shade in the big park
LGBTQ Milan
- Porta Venezia, Via Lecco · Milan's gay quarter, bars along one street
- Milano Pride · Late June, the march starts here
- Giardini Indro Montanelli · The park the quarter spills into
Live music in Milan
- Teatro alla Scala · Standing tickets released the same day
- Alcatraz · The big live room, north of Centrale
- Blue Note Milano · Jazz, two sets a night
- Fabrique · International tours, east of the city
Nightlife in Milan
- Navigli canal strip · Aperitivo from six, loud until one
- Corso Como · Clubs behind the courtyard
- Isola · Where Milan goes after Navigli
Cheap eats in Milan
Eight places where you stand at a counter, pay a few euros and eat on your feet — a fried panzerotto behind the Duomo, raw prawns at a fishmonger in Brera, wine among the bottles in Chinatown. No ranking site finds these; they were chosen one by one.
- Luini · Fried panzerotto, €3, eaten standing since 1949
- Panini De Santis · Sandwich counter on Corso Magenta, €7
- Pescheria Da Claudio · Raw fish at the marble counter, €12
- Cantine Isola · Wine standing up, Chinatown, €5
- Pavè · Morning pastry, filled to order, €4
- Spontini · One thick slice of margherita, €5
- Il Massimo del Gelato · Gelato out in Sempione, €3
- Bar Basso · Where the Negroni Sbagliato was invented, €10
Where to eat in Milan
- Mercato Centrale Milano · Inside Centrale station, till midnight
- Luini Panzerotti · Two euros, a queue, worth it
- Navigli aperitivo · One drink buys the buffet
- Brera trattorie · Small rooms, menus written by hand
Holy places in Milan
- Duomo di Milano · Six hundred years to build. Buy the rooftop, not the inside.
- Santa Maria delle Grazie · The Last Supper is in the refectory — booked weeks ahead
- San Lorenzo Maggiore · Fourth century, with original gold mosaic in the side chapel
- Sant'Eustorgio · Where the three wise men rested, until Cologne took them
- San Maurizio al Monastero · Every wall frescoed — the Sistine Chapel of Milan, and free
- Hechal David Synagogue · Via Guastalla, rebuilt after the war behind its original facade
Nature and day trips near Milan
- Parco Sempione · Once the Sforza hunting ground, now where Milan breathes
- Giardini Indro Montanelli · The first park opened to everyone, not only the nobility
- Orto Botanico di Brera · A walled garden behind the gallery, and almost always empty
- Navigli towpath · Walk the canal out of the city — flat, shaded and quiet
- Parco delle Cave · Four lakes in old quarries, west of the city. Bring a bike
- Idroscalo · Milan's artificial lake, built in 1930 for seaplanes
Frequently asked questions about Milan
What is there to see in Milan?
The top sights in Milan are Santa Maria delle Grazie, Pinacoteca di Brera and Teatro alla Scala. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Milan?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Milan without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Milan?
Yes. sleepntrip has 4 free audio walks in Milan, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The old centre.
How do you get to Milan and get around?
The main ways are Cadorna station, Milano Centrale and Malpensa Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Milan, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Milan that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Milan for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.