For my first solo trip to Italy, I picked Milan for a few different reasons. During my trips, I focus on architecture, culture, and art. Milan's architecture and art are key attractions, with the city playing a significant role in Italy's architectural and artistic history. It has also been a birthplace for several modern art movements. Though few remnants of the Roman era remain, the well-preserved Colonne di San Lorenzo stands out. Milan's Cathedral, constructed between 1386 and 1877, is the largest church in Italy and the third largest in the world.
Milan is acknowledged as one of the world's top four fashion capitals. The city is home to the headquarters of several renowned luxury fashion brands. It also hosts major international events and exhibitions, including Milan Fashion Week.
It may not be the typical Italian little village, but insted it is a city filled with a long, beautiful history to be discovered. And in this itinerary, I will provide you with a step-by-step guide, highlighting the most important spots.
Member of European Union as of 2024: Yes (Your ID from another EU country should suffice for border crossing, but it's wise to confirm the latest regulations before your trip.)
2. Arrival
I. Car
Milan has plenty of parking options. If you're staying at a hotel, enquire about their parking services. Alternatively, use the site below to locate parking spots.
I travelled to Milan via Flixbus (from Lucern, Switzerland, with a direct connection). If you're in Italy or a neighbouring country, Flixbus could provide affordable travel options.
Personally, I didn't have any bad experiences here, but as in any crowded place in a big city, be aware of pickpocketing, etc.
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III. Plane
If you're traveling from a distant location, flying might be your only and most expensive option. To save money, book either last minute or well in advance. Since prices fluctuate by day, check multiple dates. Use eSky, Kiwi, or Skyscanner to compare flights, but book directly with the airline to avoid extra fees.
Alternatively, you can travel to Milan by train. Depending on your departure location, you might have a direct route or need to change trains in another city.
I can surely recommend this hotel. My room was clean. had AC, a private bathroom/toilet, and all basic furniture.
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IMPORTANT: Foreign travellers in Milan may be charged a "travel tax," payable online or at check-out. The amount varies by accommodation and stay length, with some exceptions, like for young children. The price is usually a few euros.
If you want a different hotel or hostel, here are some sites. Booking directly with the hotel can help you save more.
Personally. I had my breakfast already with me; however, if you would like to eat something on the way close to our first attraction, see this Starbucks below that I ate in on another occasion.
It is the biggest Starbucks I have ever been to. Besides the standard Starbucks offer, it also provides quite a show with its live coffee packing machine.
Open every day from 7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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I. Piazza del Duomo
Milan's main square, Piazza del Duomo, is named after and dominated by the city's iconic cathedral, the Duomo. It serves as the geographic and cultural heart of the city, holding significant artistic, cultural, and social importance.
Originally created in the 14th century and evolving over time along with the Duomo, which took nearly six centuries to complete, Piazza del Duomo’s current layout is largely the work of architect Giuseppe Mengoni in the late 19th century. Mengoni introduced most of the monumental buildings surrounding the square, except for the Duomo and the Royal Palace. His most famous addition is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade.
A. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Here you can shop for luxury items and eat and drink in fancy restaurants. But most importantly, enjoy the astonishing architecture! Each shop has its own opening time; however, the gallery is a free open space that you can enter at any time. I really recommend making it your first stop, as it is probably the most crowded place in Milan.
Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and one of Milan's iconic landmarks, the Galleria is located in a four-story double arcade in the city center. Named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy, it was designed in 1861 and constructed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877. The structure features two glass-vaulted arcades that intersect at an octagon, covering the street between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. Its glass and cast iron roof, typical of 19th-century arcades, was inspired by designs like London's Burlington Arcade. The central octagon is topped by a glass dome, and the Galleria was larger than its predecessors, shaping the development of modern enclosed shopping malls. At the centre, mosaics depict the coat of arms of Milan and three former Italian capitals—Turin, Florence, and Rome. Tradition says spinning three times on the bull from Turin's mosaic brings good luck, though it has caused wear to the artwork.
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The photo below was taken at around 6.30 a.m., and the tourists had already begun to show up.
B. Duomo Cathedral
Now, this and the Gallery are probably my two favourite stops in Milan. Remember that you have to book tickets in advance in order to see the cathedral, and on top of that, there are also a lot of restrictions on what you can bring inside and how you should dress.
Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Lombard: Domm de Milan), officially the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the main church of Milan, Italy, and the seat of the Archbishop, currently Mario Delpini. Dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary, its construction began in 1386 and was completed nearly six centuries later in 1965. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic and the third largest in the world, after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The cathedral's layout features a central nave with four side aisles, intersected by a transept, and ending in a choir and apse. The nave reaches a height of about 45 meters (148 feet), making it one of the highest Gothic vaults in a completed church, though not as tall as the 48 meters (157 feet) of the unfinished Beauvais Cathedral.
The roof, accessible to tourists for a fee, offers a close-up view of the intricate sculpture that might otherwise go unnoticed. It is famous for its forest of openwork pinnacles and spires, supported by delicate flying buttresses.
The cathedral's five broad naves, separated by 40 pillars, are mirrored in the façade’s hierarchical openings. The transepts also feature aisles. The nave columns stand 24.5 meters (80 feet) high, and the apsidal windows measure 20.7 by 8.5 meters (68 by 28 feet). Constructed of brick and faced with marble donated by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the cathedral's maintenance and repairs are highly complex.
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As for the ticket options, currently there are 10 different versions! From the most complex ones, including the Duomo Cathedral inside, Terraces (either by stirs of lift depending on the ticket), Archeological area, Duomo Museum, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and St. Sepolcro Crypt, to the most simple ones, like just the Terraces by stairs.
You are not allowed to bring inside any big bags/suitaces and the Cathedral also doesn't provide any locker, hence it is popular in Milan to use a seperate locker servise, usually procided by local restaurants and shops. You can also book that service in advance by using the app or the below site:
The monument was commissioned by King Umberto I from Italian sculptor Ercole Rosa following the death of his father, Vittorio Emanuele, in 1878. However, due to Rosa's death before its completion, the monument was not installed in the centre of the square until 1896.
The Palazzo dell'Arengario is a complex of two symmetrical buildings in Piazza del Duomo, Milan, built in the early 20th century and completed in the 1950s. It now houses the Museo del Novecento, a museum dedicated to 20th-century art. The term "arengario" refers to its original use as a local government seat during the Fascist era.
The Arengario was designed by Piero Portaluppi, Giovanni Muzio, Pier Giulio Magistretti, and Enrico Agostino Griffini. The complex was intended to be linked by an arch to align symmetrically with the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II entrance across the piazza. Construction began in 1936 but faced delays and damage from World War II bombings, ultimately being completed in 1956. The eastern wing's façades feature four reliefs by Arturo Martini. These panels depict scenes related to Christianity, Milan, and Lombardy: the dream of Constantine (easternmost panel, facing the Duomo), Ambrose entering Milan to assume his bishopric (inner panel, eastern wing), the Battle of Legnano (northernmost panel, facing the western wing), four Sforza dukes of Milan (middle panel, facing the western wing), and Carlo Borromeo aiding plague victims (southernmost panel, facing the western wing). The four main portals are adorned by Giacomo Manzù.
Aside from a single room featuring works by foreign artists like Braque, Kandinsky, Klee, Léger, Matisse, Mondrian, and Picasso, the Museo del Novecento primarily showcases Italian artists. A significant portion of the collection is dedicated to Italian Futurists, including Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Fortunato Depero, Luigi Russolo, Gino Severini, Mario Sironi, and Ardengo Soffici. Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo's large canvas, Il Quarto Stato (1902), was prominently displayed in its own room until 2022.
The museum also features sections on individual artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Lucio Fontana, and Morandi, as well as movements like Abstractionism, Arte Povera, Novecento Italiano, Post-Impressionism, and Realism. There are also sections dedicated to genres such as landscape and monumental art.
In 2015, the museum received a significant donation from collectors Bianca and Mario Bertolini, adding contemporary works by artists like Daniel Buren, Joseph Kosuth, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol.
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As for this museum, I bought my tickets on the spot, without any issues.
Palazzo Carminati, also known as Carminati Palace, is located on the west side of Piazza del Duomo, facing Milan Cathedral. Built in the late 1860s for the prominent Milanese silver manufacturer Giacomo Cesati, the palace is named after the famous Café Carminati.
In the 20th century, the palace became a Milanese landmark and a symbol of the city's economic growth due to its large, colourful neon advertising signs. The facade, adorned with these signs from the 1920s onwards, was compared to New York City's Broadway and Times Square or London's Piccadilly Circus. The vibrant advertisements, particularly prominent in the 1960s and 1970s, also made the palace widely recognisable across Italy through its appearances in films and TV, including ads for Cynar liquor.
In 1999, Milan's mayor Gabriele Albertini removed the signs as part of a campaign to restore the plaza's "dignity." This decision has since faced considerable criticism.
The Royal Palace of Milan (Italian: Palazzo Reale di Milano) served as the city’s government seat for many centuries. Today, it functions as a cultural centre, hosting international art exhibitions. Spanning 7,000 square meters, it regularly features modern and contemporary artworks, collaborating with major museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Each year, it displays over 1,500 masterpieces.
Originally designed with two courtyards, these were later removed to accommodate the Duomo. The palace is located to the right of the Duomo's façade, opposite the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Its façade creates a recess in Piazza del Duomo, known as the Piazzetta Reale, or "Small Royal Square."
The Hall of Caryatids, located on the main floor, was heavily damaged during World War II air raids. After the war, the palace was abandoned for over two years, during which its condition worsened and many of its neoclassical interiors were lost.
Here you can either choose on your own the pasta you would like and the sauce, or you can pick a ready-to-order composition. Pasta is definitely the highlight of this place, but you can also find pizza here.
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III. Castello Sforzesco
Sforza Castle, a mediaeval fortress in Milan, was built in the 15th century by Duke Francesco Sforza on the remains of a 14th-century structure. Expanding in the 16th and 17th centuries, it became one of Europe's largest citadels. Reconstructed by Luca Beltrami between 1891 and 1905, it now hosts several museums and art collections.
The castle has a quadrangular layout, situated across Milan's city walls. The northern wall, once facing the countryside, features square towers and an ogival gate, formerly accessed by a drawbridge. The northern tower is called Torre della Corte, while the western counterpart is Torre del Tesoro, both gaining large windows during the Sforza era.
The corner near Torre Ducale has a loggia bridge, attributed to Bramante, built in the late 15th century for Ludovico Sforza to link the ducal court and the Cortile della Ghirlanda. This ghirlanda refers to a wall, once protected by a water-filled ditch, of which few remnants remain, including Porta del Soccorso. Remains of two later ravelins can still be seen where the castle met the city walls near Porta Comasina and Porta del Carmine. The now-lost Porta della Ghirlanda gate had two entrances with runways, leading to an underground passage along the walls.
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You can book tickets online or purchase them at the Castle Museums' ticket office. Even those eligible for free entry, including children, must reserve an online ticket.
Full ticket: 8 EUR
Reduced ticket: 6 EUR (18-25 years old and over 65).
IV. Porta Sempione
Porta Sempione is a city gate in Milan, Italy, and also refers to the surrounding district within Zone 1, including the main avenue, Corso Sempione. The gate is highlighted by the Arco della Pace, a 19th-century triumphal arch, whose origins date back to a gate in Milan's ancient Roman walls.
The gate is a 25-meter-high, 24-meter-wide neoclassical triumphal arch adorned with basreliefs, statues, and Corinthian columns. These decorations, crafted from marble, bronze, wood, and stucco, depict key events in Italian and European history, including the Battle of Leipzig, the founding of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, and the Congress of Vienna.
After spending more money in the previous restaurant, I decided to opt out for something cheap in the centre.
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5. Second Day
If you would like to save some money on a breakfast, in a lot of supermarkets you can find ready sandwiches or salads that are way cheaper than in restaurants.
The Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) is Milan's leading public painting gallery, housing one of Italy's premier collections of artwork from the 13th to the 20th century. It originated from the cultural mission of the Brera Academy, which is located in the same Palazzo Brera.
You can buy tickets online or on the spot:
Standard: 15 EUR
Reduced: 10 EUR
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II. Teatro alla Scala
The New Royal Ducal Teatro alla Scala, commonly known as La Scala, is Milan's premier opera house and one of the most prestigious theatres globally. For 246 years, it has showcased top international talent in opera, ballet, and classical music.
The façade of La Scala features architectural elements such as the tympanum, pilasters, and semi-columns, which were more prominent when the theater was built along a narrow street. After the square was added, the perspective shifted to a central view, making these features less pronounced. With a portico and projecting terrace, the theater's design focuses on functionality, incorporating an internal semi-circle for optimal sound diffusion. Piermarini’s style is defined by the structure's simplicity and the balanced use of decorative elements with modular proportions.
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The standard adult ticket: ca. 13 EUR
The theatre has complex rules for deduction, depending, for example, on where you study; hence, please check the site.
III. Colonne di San Lorenzo
The columns of San Lorenzo are an ancient late Roman structure in Milan, situated in front of the basilica of the same name near mediaeval Porta Ticinese. They are one of the few surviving relics from imperial Milan.
The columns of San Lorenzo are sixteen in number, each about 7.5 meters tall and crafted from Musso marble, with Corinthian capitals supporting the entablature. Upon closer inspection, there are actually 17 columns: a miniature column with a cross sits atop the central arch, distinguishing the eight columns on each side. These columns originate from Roman buildings of the 2nd or 3rd century, likely from a pagan temple once located in what is now Piazza Santa Maria Beltrade.
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V. Food time!
Now, my favourite spot in Milan. Not only because of the amazing food, but especially because of the best staff. All people working there created a beautiful atmosphere of one big family.
I can definitely recommend Margherita and a srobet for a desert.
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IV. Santa Maria delle Grazie
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church and Dominican convent in Milan, Italy, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The convent's dormitory houses Leonardo da Vinci's famous mural, The Last Supper.
Duke Francesco I Sforza commissioned the construction of a Dominican convent and church on the site of an earlier chapel dedicated to St. Mary of the Graces. The convent, designed by architect Guiniforte Solari, was completed by 1469. The church, however, took decades to finish. Duke Ludovico Sforza later decided to make it the Sforza family burial site, overseeing the reconstruction of the cloister and apse, which were completed after 1490. Ludovico's wife, Beatrice, was interred there in 1497.
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For this place, you have to book a ticket a few weeks in advance. There is no possibility of buying a ticket on the spot and just walking in. I tried to buy a ticket a week in advance, and every spot for the rest of the month was already taken. Sometimes new spots are free when someone cancels their reservation.
VI. Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is a historic Romanesque-style Roman Catholic church located in the center of Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
One of Milan's oldest churches, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio was commissioned by St. Ambrose between 379 and 386 in an area where many martyrs of Roman persecutions were buried, originally named Basilica Martyrum. The current Romanesque structure began around 1080, with the nave dating to 1128 and its rib vaults completed around 1140.
Originally built in the basilica style, similar to early Roman churches, it featured a central nave, two side aisles, an apse, and an atrium. The façade has two levels of loggias: the lower with three arches matching the portico, and the upper loggia, once used by bishops to bless the citizens. The basilica has a semi-circular apse, smaller chapels at the aisle ends, and no transept, with the interior matching the size of the external portico.
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VII. L.O.V.E.
L.O.V.E. - Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Il Dito)
L.O.V.E., commonly known as Il Dito ("the finger"), is a sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, depicting a hand with all fingers severed except the middle one. Located in Piazza degli Affari, where the Italian stock exchange is situated, the sculpture's name is an acronym for "Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità" ("Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity"). Created in 2010 for Cattelan's retrospective at The Royal Palac
L.O.V.E., commonly known as Il Dito ("the finger"), is a sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, depicting a hand with all fingers severed except the middle one. Located in Piazza degli Affari, where the Italian stock exchange is situated, the sculpture's name is an acronym for "Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità" ("Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity"). Created in 2010 for Cattelan's retrospective at The Royal Palace of Milan, it was later proposed to be made permanent by Culture Councillor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory. Despite objections from the business community, the piece was eventually accepted after Cattelan donated it. of Milan, it was later proposed to be made permanent by Culture Councillor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory. Despite objections from the business community, the piece was eventually accepted after Cattelan donated it.
The Bank of Italy in Milan is rather a practical place than a touristic one. However, the architecture of the building is beautiful, in my opinion; hence, you can look at it during your walk.
The Fountain of the Four Seasons is located in the centre of Piazzale Giulio Cesare in Milan. It was inaugurated on April 12, 1927, during the opening of the eighth International Trade Fair. The fountain was designed by architect Renzo Gerla, who was an official of the Technical Office of the Municipality of Milan at the time.
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Conclusion
I would like to thank you for reading this guide through Milan. I tried my best to give you the most memorable experience. If you happen to follow this article in Milan, please reach out to me on Instagram or via e-mail and let me know what you thought, as well as any opinion on what I should add here to make it an even better experience.
Hi!
My name is Wiktoria and I absolutely love travelling, I would like to share my knowledge gained from my trips to make it easier for you to plan your next adventure! ✈️
While travelling to European cities I focus on archeticture, art and culture. I also love hiking and snorkeling, hence in my profile you can also find recommendations regarding adventurous activities. 🌸🏔️
You can also find me on Instagram under @vikollia, please feel free to DM or contact me via email vvikollia@wp.pl
See you on the road :)
~W
