What to Visit in Milan

What to do in Milan in 1 day or more? Main city attractions, walking routes, prices in hotels and on excursions 2024. What to visit near Milan, where to go in Italy – in the review

Milan is undoubtedly one of the five most popular tourist centers in Italy. Without lying, we can assume that it constantly occupies the second place, in the means of tourists number exceeded only to Rome!

Curious, isn’t it? After all, despite the impressive size and huge population, there are not so many attractions in Italy’s second largest city. And that’s why tourists come to see Milan for just 1 day or 2.

Many people generally go to the capital of Lombardy solely for the sake of shopping. Since both winter and summer sales in Milan promise to replenish the wardrobe with a lot of really high-quality and fashionable things.

The popularity of the city is also based on the fact that the it is very conveniently located. An express train to Milan from Rome covers a distance of 500 km in just over 3 hours. The Frecciarossa from Venice will get to the local train station even faster, in just 2.5 hours!

Is such a (very) short trip justified? Depending on the point of view!

For example, we believe that a measured and calm journey will reward you with much brighter positive impressions. Moreover, with a thoughtful study of the possibilities, it turns out that there are a lot of things that are worth doing in Milan.

And that’s apart from the time you’ll spend buying in local shops and outlets!

Main Attractions of Milan

What is good is that even a schoolboy knows where to start his adventures in the capital of Lombardy. If he did not come for shopping, of course. Because it’s widely known that the grandiose and at the same time elegant Milan Cathedral is the top attraction of the city.

Agree, it would be unwise to visit Milan and not see this carved Gothic wonder at least from the outside. However, it is also worth visiting inside – a comprehensive entrance ticket to the cathedral and its terraces, as well as to the museum and the church of San Gottardo in Corte will not ruin you! The San Gottardo church, by the way, dates back to the first half of the XIV century.

On the square to the right of the cathedral is located the royal palace, built by the Austrian Habsburgs on the site of the Palazzo of the Dukes Visconti. Today you can also get there – the Duomo Museum is housed inside the former residence. In the palace halls tourists get acquainted in detail with the history of the cathedral’s construction, study the plans and drawings made by a galaxy of outstanding architects.

Then the travelers, after taking a lot of photos and capturing themselves and the surrounding beauty from different angles, naturally flow into the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery.

An impressive and beautiful building arose here at the end of the XIX century, now it’s a very famous landmark of Milan. Inside there are boutiques, cafes and restaurants with fabulous prices.

However, they don’t charge money for entering the building. It is assumed, apparently, that it is not worth it – tourists will part with their savings in local shopping establishments anyway.

Leaving the Gallery from the other side, the tourist will immediately look at another famous Milan’s sites –

La Scala Theater

Externally, the famous opera venue in Europe is not too impressive. But those who get inside will undoubtedly appreciate the luxury of the interiors – La Scala has been successfully operating as a museum for a long time. The full ticket price is 9 €, you will not have to pay for children 0-11 years old: museoscala.org/it/visita/museo-e-teatro/orari-e-biglietti.html.

If you are a fan of the opera, it makes sense to go to the production, someone manages to buy a ticket for the performance on the dates of their visit. And then it will turn out to be especially “historical” – the best opera voices of the world perform on the stage of La Scala.

Most of the tourists will stay near the theater building for a short time and move on! In a certain direction – because they will be guided by an omniscient guide. Surprisingly, it is a fact that in nature there are inexpensive excursions around the Lombard capital.

The obligatory program of an independent citizen usually includes

The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie

After all, this imposing red brick church is one of those places that tourists should first visit in Milan.

A ticket to the refectory of the former Dominican convent costs 16 € (cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it /), it is worth buying it for a certain time in advance (2-3 weeks minimum). Because the number of people who want to get inside is unusually large even in the off-season – you will sure this even if you visit Milan in January.

The reason for the increased demand is explained simply – brilliant Leonardo da Vinci painted a fresco “The Last Supper” on the wall of the refectory. The maestro experimented and painted on dry plaster. Which provided a serious headache for subsequent generations – the paint was constantly peeling off and one restoration followed another.

As a result, no one would dare to call a masterpiece an original work of genius today. But tourists still come in waves…

It’s a long walk from La Scala – under 2 km. But by using the metro (3 stops), labor costs can be greatly reduced.

Fortress and Art Gallery

On the next day of your visit to Milan, we recommend go to see the Castello Sforzesco, the residence of the local dukes Visconti and Sforza. The fortress dates back to the XIV century, it has been preserved just perfectly. Again, masterpieces by Michelangelo, Tintoretto, and Bellini are on display inside.

You can also see the original interiors and furniture, decorative items.
The Sforza Castle is open from 7 to 19.30 and there is no need to pay for admission, the museums are open from 7 to 17.30. The complex is closed on Mondays.

The castle and all its collections can be visited free of charge on every first and third Tuesday starting at 2 p.m., as well as on the first Sunday of the month.

We will advise you to consolidate your impressions at the main art museum of Milan, the Pinacoteca Brera. Fortunately, it is located nearby, on Via Brera, 28.

A rich collection of paintings from different epochs, as well as medieval icons, are available on any day of the week, except Mondays. The starting day of the week, apparently, is generally not suitable for a thoughtful inside inspection of Milan’s treasures.

An entrance ticket to the Brera Pinacoteca without an audio guide will cost 16 €, visitors under the age of 18 are allowed free of charge: pinacotecabrera.org/en/visit/tickets. You can visit the gallery for free every first Sunday of the month!

Almost unanimously, the guidebooks recommend paying attention to the church of the Benedictine Convent of San Maurizio at Corso Magenta 15. The preserved frescoes of the XVI century, made by Lombard artists, are especially good there.

Hotels

Accommodation in Milan, even for a few days, will hardly hit the wallet. In terms of prices, local hotels can give even Roman colleagues a head start. The reason for this phenomenon lies, it seems to us, in a well-known fact – the city is considered the capital of “high fashion”. And non-poor people come to the shows of the collections of famous fashion designers, as well as to the sales.

We advise you to pay attention to the real champion in terms of price-to-quality ratio – Residence De La Gare, a complex of apartments located next to the central station. In low season, you can rent an apartment for two here for an amount only slightly exceeding 100 €/day.

But the location of this hotel is simply optimal. Because it is located next to Milan Central Station, where trains arrive from all over Italy and other EU countries.

It is located far from the center, but next to the California metro station of the blue line, a spacious apartment BnButler – Coni Zugna – Parco Solari. Equipped with all the necessary appliances for a comfortable existence and at the same time not particularly expensive!

Against the background of hotel prices, the current prices for excursions in Milan do not look excessively high. Indeed, for 50 € you can take part in an interesting tour that will introduce you to one of the masterpieces stored in the city, Leonardo’s “Last Supper”.

So after that, you will only have to carefully put your impressions in a piggy bank of memories and visit other attractions. For example, go to the Alpine Lake Como and to the Swiss Lugano.

Sales in Milan

We strongly advise you to devote another day in the capital of Lombardy to not too active recreation. Namely, to shopping!

Believe us – after two days of intensive sightseeing tours in Milan, you should not hesitate to do something similar. It is quite reasonable to change the field of activity and rest without any lofty thoughts. Moreover, even outside the dates of official sales in Italy, you can make a lot of interesting purchases.

Those who do not have unlimited finances are usually advised to take a walk along Corso Buenos Aires Street. The wealth of choice is provided by 300 stores of various brands, the most impatient is shown the Upim department store near the Lima metro station.

Only avid shopaholics will pay attention to large outlets. For the nearest one, Vicolungo The Style Outlets, is 65 km east of Milan. And the famous Serravalle Designer Outlet McArthurGlen is located a hundred kilometers to the south!

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