Milan Highlights
A curated tour of Milan's most iconic sights, from its Gothic cathedral and La Scala opera house to Leonardo's Last Supper, hidden bone chapels and the Navigli canals.
Trip Stops
- 1
Gothic masterpiece that took nearly six centuries to finish, crowned with 135 spires and about 3,400 statues. Climb to the marble rooftop for close-up views of the spires and, on clear days, the Alps.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 2
One of the world's oldest shopping arcades, with a glass-and-iron dome and mosaic floors. Tradition says spinning your heel on the bull mosaic's most sensitive spot brings good luck.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 3
One of the most famous opera houses on Earth, opened in 1778. Verdi and Puccini premiered works here, and the season traditionally opens every year on December 7, the feast of Milan's patron saint.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 4
Milan's luxury fashion district, formed by Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant'Andrea and Via Manzoni. Even if you're not shopping, the window displays and elegant 18th-century palazzi make it a great stroll.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 5
Milan's premier art gallery, housed in a 17th-century palace that was once a Jesuit college. Home to Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin and Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus, in the charming, café-lined Brera district.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 6
Fortress begun by the Visconti in the 14th century and rebuilt by the Sforza dukes, who employed Leonardo da Vinci at court. Its museums hold Michelangelo's final, unfinished work, the Rondanini Pietà.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 7
Milan's grand city park behind the castle, laid out in the 19th century, with a neoclassical triumphal arch at its far end. Inside the park, the Triennale Milano is the city's premier museum of Italian design, fashion and architecture, and the nearby Torre Branca offers panoramic views.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 8
Leonardo da Vinci's mural, painted in the 1490s on the refectory wall of this Dominican convent, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It famously survived the 1943 bombing that destroyed much of the building, protected by sandbags. Across the street, Casa degli Atellani holds the vineyard Ludovico Sforza gave Leonardo in 1498, replanted in 2015 after DNA analysis identified the original grape (public access varies, so check before visiting). Book Last Supper tickets well in advance.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 9
Founded in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose, Milan's patron saint, and rebuilt in a landmark Romanesque style. Ambrose's remains still rest in the crypt, alongside those of two early martyrs.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 10
Historic library and art gallery founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, one of the oldest public libraries in Europe. It holds Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, with over a thousand pages of his drawings and notes, plus Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit and Raphael's cartoon for The School of Athens.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 11
Small church just southeast of the Duomo whose ossuary chapel is covered in thousands of human skulls and bones. It began in 1210 as a bone room for a nearby hospital cemetery, and the vault above is frescoed by Sebastiano Ricci.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 12
One of Milan's oldest churches, dating to the 4th century, fronted by sixteen Roman columns that once belonged to a 2nd-century building. Locals gather on the steps in the evening before heading to the Navigli.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 13
Milan's canal district, part of a medieval network of waterways once used to haul marble for the Duomo, and traditionally linked to Leonardo's engineering work. Today it is lined with bars, restaurants and artist studios, and is liveliest at aperitivo hour.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 14
Pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district, opened in 2014 and covered with roughly 900 trees and thousands of shrubs. Architect Stefano Boeri's design became a global symbol of urban greening.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 15
Milan's open-air sculpture museum, opened in 1866, filled with elaborate tombs, obelisks and mausoleums built by the city's wealthy families. The Campari family tomb features a life-sized bronze Last Supper, and the Famedio hall honors illustrious citizens including Alessandro Manzoni.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
- 16
Football cathedral opened in 1926 and shared by AC Milan and Inter, one of the few major stadiums in the world with two home clubs. Take the stadium tour and museum for a look at the dressing rooms and trophy cabinets.
📍 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
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