Location: Milan
Top Things to do in Milan
Top 10 Things to do in Milan, Lombardy
One of the world’s fashion capitals, Milan offers endless opportunities for chic shopping. Hit the artsy neighborhood of Brera for leather goods and Via Monte Napoleone for exclusive, expensive boutiques. The enchanting mosaics and glass vaults of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II make shoppers feel like they’re wandering inside a painting. Take break from your spree to gape at the iconic Duomo, then grab tickets to a performance at La Scala. Post-opera, the Navigli district pulses with late-night activity.
Restaurants in Milan
1. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29,522 reviews
For sheer belle époque splendor, this extravagant 19th-century glass-topped, barrel-vaulted tunnel serves as a lively, noisy and colorful shopping mall, teeming with life and inviting you to people-watching from the tables that spill from the Galleria's many bars and restaurants.
Reviewed By briancB9323XM - Arlington, United States
Our stay began at a great B & B one block from the most beautiful outdoor shopping plaza in the world. Just a short walk from our B & B we came upon the stunning Vittorio Emanuele II magnificent shopping center of classical architecture lined with boutique restaurants and designer shops, including the 4 story Louis Vuitton glorious masterpiece. I design shopping centers and other urban design uses and none can come close to the perfection of this space. At the axis of the two colonnades is a glass dome that at Christmas time features a perfect tree and lights on the top of the dome, mesmerizing all who simply stood and stared at the lights above. This place is a cant miss on a trip to Milan with spectacular elegance.
2. I Navigli
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,174 reviews
This area in Milan offers reasonably-priced restaurants and some of the city's most exciting nightclubs.
Reviewed By jordanellie41 - Bolton, United Kingdom
The canal path is a lovely setting for an afternoon stroll - as I did - or you can come here after 6pm when the evenings liven up with happy hour for food and drink at the many bars and restaurants that line the paths. It's a picturesque setting with walkways both sides of the canal and various bridges on route to stop and take photos from.
3. Santa Maria delle Grazie
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,314 reviews
One of the world's most famous paintings, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" (1495-97), is displayed here.
Reviewed By SammyLuli
This beautiful church built 1497, by the same architect designed the St Peter's Basilica in Rome, commissioned what would become one of the greatest artists of humanity, paint a fresco, that would in turn become the most coped image of the last 5 centuries of Western civilization and a defining image of Christianity. Inside the church itself is beautiful detail, gorgeous craftsmanship without being ostentatious, the grounds are lovely as well. I would recommend getting a tour, wealth of information and puts into perspective the 600 year history of what you're looking and allows access to lovely gardened grounds, especially that this almsot all disappeared in WW2.
4. Duomo di Milano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56,586 reviews
The Duomo, symbol of Milan in the world, is one of the largest cathedrals in Italy and Europe. Patrimony of Milanese people and humanity, over the centuries it has been expressing, with its magnificence, the devotion of humanity toward the Divine, involving future generations in an endless commitment. The Milan Cathedral, besides being an artistic monument, is a privileged place of prayer, deeply linked to the memory and teachings of the Bishops who succeeded on St. Ambrose's chair, and to the history of the millions of worshippers who, every year, gather in this place to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries. The Cathedral is the mother Church of the Diocese, having a symbolic role of exemplarity both in the life of the city worship, and in relation with the Diocese activity.
Reviewed By ibrett23 - Derby, United Kingdom
I come here every year, past 8 years for a long weekend break. Duomo is a fantastic work of art, great views of Milan from the rooftop, the inside and the museum are also worth the visit, €28 euros for a skip the line tour of all three is a bargain too
5. Teatro Alla Scala
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,659 reviews
This world-renowned opera house was built in 1778, where many composers wrote and conducted works including such greats as Rossini, Puccini, Verdi and Toscanini.
Reviewed By Jazzradio - San Diego, United States
Even if you can't see a performance at La Scala the museum which is part of the complex is well worth a visit, full of opera, ballet, classical music history and fascinating memorabilia, and their is opportunity to peak into the opera house if a performance in progress. An hour well spent.
6. Pinacoteca di Brera
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,419 reviews
See some of the world’s most stunning, centuries-old paintings from Italian masters including Caravaggio and Raphael. The gallery’s collection is housed in a 19th century former monastery.
Reviewed By 445nikr - Varna, Bulgaria
Pinacoteca di Brera is the Milan's most famous and one of Italy's major art museums. It is housed in the beautiful building of the Palazzo di Brera along with the Botanical Garden, the Astronomical Observatory and Museum, the Academy of Fine Arts, etc. There is a vast, impressive collection on display, mostly religious art, spanning a large period of time, with masterpieces by famous painters, such as Caravaggio, Tintoretto, Bellini, Raffaello, Canaletto, Picasso, etc. You can take an audio-guide but there are info-plates for every drawing, both in Italian and English. As there are more than 30 rooms, you will need about 3 hours but there are benches to sit here and there. Furthermore, you can have some refreshment at the Caffe Fernanda. For those who love to draw, there are special places to "sit down and draw" with paper and pencils. The pinacoteca is closed on Mondays but it is free of charge every first Sunday of the month. If you are with kids, you can benefit from being charged as a family. Highly recommended! Enjoy it!
7. Monumental Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,755 reviews
Why visit a cemetery when you’re on vacation, you ask? The tombs at this Milan burial ground offer a great glimpse of Italian artistic styles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Reviewed By DonnaandCraig - Doylestown, United States
The tombs of Milans famous and wealthy citizens from the 19th and early 20th centuries are large and extravagant. It's like walking around a huge, intriguing sculpture garden, it's fascinating. Well worth the visit. The China Town section of Milan is within walking distance if you want Asian food later.
8. Castello Sforzesco
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13,235 reviews
Reviewed By vimals2016 - Pune, India
It’s a very beautiful castle spread across a large area.. it’s centrally located in Milan .. u have a big garden of castle next to it .. it’s a good idea to buy ticket and get a guided tour in case u love history ... simply beautiful.
9. Duomo Rooftops
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,943 reviews
A stroll among the Cathedral spires is a unique experience to be enjoyed at least once in your life. Tourists come to Milan from all over the world to enjoy one of the most spectacular parts of the Cathedral, that offers an amazing view over the city, strong emotions and an open dialogue with history. From the heights of the Cathedral Terraces you will be able to look out over the whole city and take some unforgettable pictures!
Reviewed By robal2015 - Auckland Central, New Zealand
We paid for fast track tickets, booked online in advance, to avoid long waiting lines. This meant we went up to the terraces by way of a lift. And no waiting. It was really amazing being up there- the attention to detail of the whole structure and the spires is incredible os quite a unique experience to be on the roof of such a cathedral. Most people seem to wait in long lines to first get into the cathedral and then wait again to go up to the terraces. But if you do the terraces first, you come straight down inside the cathedral afterwards, thereby avoiding the lines. Highly recommend.
10. Il Cenacolo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13,500 reviews
Reviewed By Canadianstraveling - Oakville, Canada
We were fortunate to be able to see Leonardo da Vinci’s late 15th Century painting of “The Last Supper” (Cenacolo Vinciano) when we visited Milan as part of a trip to Italy in May 2019. Getting tickets to do so was an adventure the details of which may be useful to others. While doing some background reading on Milan to get us through a long Canadian winter, we learned that: you needed tickets to see the painting; that tickets were very limited (30 persons per time slot); that tickets could be purchased on-line; and that monthly blocks of tickets were released several months in advance on specific dates and a specific times. According to the Cenacolo Vinciano website, tickets for when we were going to be in Milan would be available on-line at 9:30 A.M (Milan time) on March 12. It was to obtain those tickets that I was delegated to awaken just before 3:30 A.M. E.S.T. one snowy day in March (corresponding to the 9:30 A.M. time in Milan on March 12). Despite some technical hurdles (like having to activate your Viva account via an email message sent mid-way through the purchase process), I was successful in obtaining two tickets with an English tour (only available twice a day) for a 9:30 A.M. admission two months later on a date in early May at a cost of 31 Euros. The third email received about this transaction had the subject line “Thank You for Your Order” and included a link to print your receipt which was labeled “Viva Ticket” but is really a voucher to get a ticket on site. On that day and as instructed in the receipt for our on-line purchase, we showed up at the entrance door for the Cenacolo Vinciano (adjacent to the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church which was not that easy to find from the nearest Metro station) 20 minutes prior to our admission time to check-in with reception and to receive the actual tickets (one for admission and one for the English tour). A group of about 30 of us were met just on time by our English-speaking guide who gave us a useful introduction to the building and the painting as we moved from the entrance area to what might have been a dehumidification area. Our time in the former dining hall of the Dominican Monastery of Santa Maria was 15 minutes, during which our guide provided useful information about the painting and as you were in a small group you had more than enough time to gaze at the enormous painting (and another of “The Crucifixion” by Donato da Montorfano at the other end of the dining hall) from various perspectives. We were then quickly ushered out of the former dining area to make way for the next group. Was it worth it? Definitely!
