Top places to visit in Milan

• Fondazione Prada

  Museum · 4.6 rating · about 3 h · entry EUR 15

  Rem Koolhaas's conversion of a 1910 distillery into Milan's most intellectually ambitious art foundation — with the Haunted House (all-gold exterior), the Torre skyscraper and permanent collections of Meridel Rubenstein and Jeff Koons.

• GAM — Galleria d'Arte Moderna

  Museum · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h

  Milan's free gallery of modern art in Villa Reale — with the finest collection of Romanticism and post-Risorgimento Italian art, including Canova, Hayez and Previati in the magnificent neoclassical villa.

• Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)

  Church · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h · entry EUR 15

  The third-largest Catholic cathedral in the world (1386–1965): 135 marble spires, 3,400 statues, and the gold Madonnina visible for 100 km. Rooftop terraces give extraordinary views over the Alps on clear days.

• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h

  One of the world's oldest shopping malls (1877): luxury boutiques, historic cafes, and restaurants beneath a soaring 48-metre iron-and-glass dome. Try spinning on the bull mosaic for luck.

• The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)

  Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 0.5 h · entry EUR 15

  Leonardo da Vinci's Il Cenacolo (1495–1498) on the refectory wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie — arguably the world's most famous painting, depicting Christ's announcement of betrayal at the Last Supper.

• Sforza Castle & Civic Museums

  Fort · 4.5 rating · about 2 h · entry EUR 5

  The vast 15th-century Sforza fortress houses 10 civic museums, including Michelangelo's unfinished Pietà Rondanini — worked on until 6 days before his death in 1564. Landscaped moat gardens are a city oasis.

• Pinacoteca di Brera

  Museum · 4.6 rating · about 2 h · entry EUR 15

  Milan's greatest art gallery in Napoleon's neo-classical palace in the Brera quarter: Mantegna's Dead Christ, Caravaggio, Piero della Francesca, Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin — eight centuries of Italian art.

• Piazza del Duomo

  Cultural · 4.7 rating · about 0.8 h

  Milan's central square dominated by the massive Gothic Duomo and flanked by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele; the civic and commercial heart of the city.

• Milan Centrale Train Station

  Heritage · 4.4 rating · about 0.5 h

  The most architecturally spectacular train station in Italy — the 1931 Fascist-era colossus with its vaulted 72m-high roof, Byzantine-Assyrian reliefs and the most dramatic interior public space in Milan.

• Lake Como

  Nature · 4.8 rating · about 8 h

  The most beautiful lake in Europe — the Y-shaped Como lake 50km north of Milan, with the Villa del Balbianello, Bellagio's stepped lanes and the ferry crossing that is the single most scenic short journey in Italy.

• Sempione Park

  Nature · 4.6 rating · about 1.5 h

  The 47-hectare public park behind the Sforza Castle — Milan's main green lung, with a lake, an aquarium, the Arco della Pace at the north end and the Triennale Design Museum on its eastern edge.

• Santa Maria delle Grazie

  Church · 4.7 rating · about 0.5 h · entry EUR 15

  Dominican church (1469) whose refectory contains Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper; the church itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a Bramante-designed tribune.

Things to do

• Duomo & Rooftop Tour Sightseeing · 2 h · from EUR 32 per person
• Last Supper Skip-the-Line Museum · 1 h · from EUR 41 per person
• Lake Como Day Trip Day Trip · 9 h · from EUR 87 per person
• Duomo Cathedral and Rooftop Tour Heritage · 2 h · from EUR 29 per person
• Lake Como Day Trip Day Trip · 10 h · from EUR 66 per person
• Last Supper & Leonardo's Milan Private Tour Cultural · 3 h · from EUR 57 per person
• Milan Aperitivo & Navigli Canal Food Tour Food Drink · 3 h · from EUR 25 per person
• Navigli Canals Aperitivo Tour Nightlife · 3 h · from EUR 47 per person

Day trips and tours

• The Last Supper + Sforza Castle Guided Tour 4 h · from EUR 41
• Milan Fashion & Design Walking Tour 3 h · from EUR 25

Where to stay in Milan

• Navigli about EUR 130 per night

  Canalside neighbourhood; best nightlife and aperitivo scene; artsy and youthful

• Brera / Garibaldi about EUR 200 per night

  Milan's most stylish residential neighbourhood; boutiques, galleries, design bars, and excellent restaurants

Hotels

• Bulgari Hotel Milano 5-star · EUR 900 to EUR 4,500 per night
• Four Seasons Hotel Milano 5-star · INR 42,000 to INR 170,000 per night
• Mandarin Oriental Milan 5-star · INR 40,000 to INR 160,000 per night
• Hotel Excelsior Hilton 5-star · INR 15,000 to INR 42,000 per night
• Hotel Principe di Savoia 5-star · INR 18,000 to INR 55,000 per night
• Park Hyatt Milano 5-star · INR 20,000 to INR 55,000 per night

Where to eat

• Eataly Milano Smeraldo italian, modern, market · about EUR 45 per person
• Camparino in Galleria italian, brasserie, cafe · about EUR 55 per person
• Marghe italian, pizza, neapolitan · about EUR 22 per person
• Eataly Milano italian, international, market · about EUR 35 per person
• Pizzium italian, pizza, neapolitan · about EUR 22 per person
• Caffè Cova italian, patisserie, cafe · about EUR 22 per person
• Camparino italian, milanese, traditional · about EUR 45 per person
• Bar Basso italian, cocktail_bar, small_plates · about EUR 30 per person

Getting around

• Metro main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Transit Pass main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Designer Fake Goods Sellers

  Via Montenapoleone area and Navigli

  Sellers on the street offer fake branded goods; purchasing is illegal in Italy

  How to avoid it: Avoid all unlicensed street sellers

• Fake Petitions

  Duomo Cathedral entrance area

  People with clipboards approach asking for a signature for a "charity"; once you sign they demand a donation

  How to avoid it: Decline immediately; walk away

More in Italy

• Rome
• Venice
• Florence
• Naples
• Cinque Terre
• Verona