Essential
Museums & culture· Duomo
Milan Cathedral (Duomo)
The vast Gothic cathedral of pinkish marble that took nearly six centuries to finish. Its rooftop terraces let you walk among the spires and statues above the city.
Collection · Milan
Milan essentials
8 placesFreeUpdated November 5, 2026
The Duomo and its Galleria, La Scala, Leonardo's Last Supper, Sforza Castle, Brera, the Navigli and the Bosco Verticale: Milan in eight stops.
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Places in this collection
8 places
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- Essential
Museums & culture· Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The 19th-century shopping arcade linking Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala, under a glass-and-iron dome with mosaic floors.
- Essential
Museums & culture· Centro
La Scala
The world's most famous opera house, plain outside and red velvet within. Its museum lets you look into the auditorium from one of the boxes.
- Essential
Museums & culture· Magenta
Leonardo's Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci's mural in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, seen in small groups for a few minutes and only with a booking.
- Essential
Museums & culture· Castello
Sforza Castle
The brick fortress of the dukes of Milan, with courtyards open to all and museums inside, including Michelangelo's last sculpture.
- Essential
Museums & culture· Brera
Pinacoteca di Brera
Milan's great picture gallery, in a palazzo with a colonnaded courtyard: Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Raphael and Caravaggio on one route.
- Essential
Special place· Navigli
The Navigli canals
The surviving canals of Milan's old port, lined with low houses, workshops and bars on both banks. At dusk it becomes the city's aperitivo strip.
- Essential
Special place· Porta Nuova
Bosco Verticale
The two tree-covered residential towers that became the symbol of modern Milan, next to the new skyline around Piazza Gae Aulenti.
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Before you go
How to see Milan's essentials
Book The Last Supper first
It's the one thing you can't wing: tickets go on sale on the official site a quarter at a time and sell out. A few more for the following week are released every Wednesday at noon.
Duomo, Galleria and La Scala in one morning
They sit in a straight line: start early on the Duomo's rooftop, walk through the Galleria and come out on Piazza della Scala. Shoulders and knees must be covered inside the cathedral.
Castle and Brera on foot
Sforza Castle to the Pinacoteca di Brera is a ten-minute walk through Brera's lanes. Both close on Mondays.
Navigli and Porta Nuova later on
The green metro line (Porta Genova) drops you at the Navigli for aperitivo. The Bosco Verticale looks best at dusk, when the Gae Aulenti towers light up.
Checked on November 5, 2026. Opening hours and tickets can change, so check each place’s website before you go.
