Hey there! I’m so glad you’ve decided to visit Milan, Italy! It’s a magnificent place full of history and style! Here are some of the places and things that my husband Chris and I visited while spending time in Milan. I hope some of our tips and tricks help you have an amazing time there too! Here is a snapshot of our walking route for the day:
Upon arriving in Milan, we started our day at the Duomo Cathedral and toured the inside along with the rooftops! Make sure you don’t miss the rooftops! We purchased our rooftop pass (it also included the cathedral) in advance off of GetYourGuide.com (I highly recommend this website!) so we simply had to pick up our tickets from a kiosk off to the side of the cathedral and then skipped the line right up onto the roof.
If you’re a fan of architecture, viewing those flying buttresses up close is a must! It took the builders almost six centuries to complete it, but boy is it an amazing work of art! There are so many intricate details on every square inch of the cathedral. If you want amazing photos, make sure to get there early in the morning!
Just to the left of the Duomo is the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It’s an upscale covered shopping area where you will find shops offering goods from the most famous Italian designers. Prada, Gucci, Versace and Armani all can be found here. Even if you don’t plan on making a splurging purchase, it’s worth taking a walk through the galleria.
We also took a few hours to explore the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, right near the Galleria Vittorio. They had life size models of his inventions and computer animations that explained how the invention worked. Seriously, there were so many neat replica’s of his inventions we were overwhelmed! For the kids there were also some virtual reality and building activities! In my opinion, it was worth a stop!
Milan is definitely “Da Vinci land” so continue studying his amazing legacy at Castello Sforzesco! There is so much to see here, but be careful because this is prime pick-pocket land. There were many hagglers trying to sell bracelets and various things here, so just be aggressive with your “No!” and move on into the beauty of the castle! Once you’re inside, be sure to spend some time here and see Michelangelo’s Pieta along with the other Da Vinci exhibits.
Just outside the Castello Sforzesco is a charming park where you can walk through and enjoy some shade if you’re visiting in the summer like we did! We enjoyed a few bottles of water under a shady tree before continuing onto Da Vinci’s Vineyard (La Vigna Di Leonardo).
Leonardo was given this small parcel of land which he made into a vineyard while living in Milan. The current owners have restored it and replanted the grape varieties that used to grow here. You can view the House of Atellani and vineyard for only 10 Euro and it’s literally right down the street from the Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Although all of these stops were neat, the Santa Maria delle Grazie was my absolute favorite Milan destination! For years, I taught high schoolers about Renaissance Art and so I was thrilled to view Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” with my own eyes! It is so beautiful and so worth seeing! However, if you do plan to make a trip to visit this masterpiece make sure to book your tour WAY AHEAD OF TIME! When we toured (August 2019) they had no availability for the next two weeks!
To do this, my sweet husband had to make an international phone call to reach their ticket office since the website seemed to be down while we were trying to order tickets. Here’s the Santa Maria delle Grazie’s official website, where you can find their call center number if you’re having problems. They were extremely helpful and got us the tickets we needed.
**Warning: I’ve heard some horror stories about people having to pay crazy rates to 3rd parties who have bought up all the tickets during high tourist seasons. Before buying from a 3rd party, call the ticket office because the tickets should only cost you 10 Euro, with a 2 Euro booking fee if you order them directly!
Well, there you go! This little itinerary should provide you with a few good options of how to spend your time in Milan. Granted, we did all of these things in a day but I would recommend breaking up these activities into two days to have a more leisurely experience. Happy Traveling!
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Where we stayed:
B&B Hotel Milano Central Station–Close to the central train station!
Where we ate:
Breakfast: Buffet at our hotel
Lunch: Farinella–Yummy pizza here!