What to see in Milan in one day. With about 1,400,000 inhabitants, and located in Lombardy, Milan is a city in which we are often passing through, either starting or ending an itinerary through Italy. Therefore one day, although it is a short time, is sometimes the only time we have to spend in the city.
Today we will take a one-day tour of this northern Italian city, to see what you can do during your stay. I clarify that for this, as for any other big city, one day is a short time, and the ideal is to stay a little longer.
Indice:
What to see in Milan in one day
Getting to Milan
By plane
Milan can be reached from three airports, Malpensa, Linate or Orio al Serio (Bergamo airport). The airport of your arrival will depend on whether your flight is internal, from Schengen area or international, anyway any of them are well connected with the city, although the closest one is Milan-Linate.
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By train
If you arrive by train you will arrive at Milano Centrale station, close to the center and well connected, it is one of the most beautiful stations in Italy. If you are visiting any other city in northern Italy such as Turin, Verona or Trento, it may be a temptation to come to Milan for a couple of days.
By car
Here we stop to explain about the ZTL zone, the limited traffic zone in the center of Milan.
Milan is a city with a lot of traffic so they established some limited traffic zones, something we have to keep in mind to avoid getting a fine.
The ZTL has two zones, B and C, C corresponds to the center of the city, B to the rest. Zone C can be entered by less polluting vehicles, it is active from Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm, so if you travel on weekends, don’t worry.
Mopeds and electric vehicles can access free of charge. All Euro 0 gasoline vehicles and Euro 0, 1, 2 and 3 diesel vehicles are prohibited. While all other vehicles, in order to gain access, must purchase an area C ticket, which costs €5 and lasts for one calendar day.
When you arrive in Milan, you can purchase and activate the ticket for access to Area C at kiosks, Intesa San Paolo ATMs and participating parking lots.
You can enter the area and buy and activate the ticket during that day. In any case, contact your hotel before arriving in the city, so that they can explain it to you, since the regulations vary.
We leave you here the link to the Comune di Milano so that you can get the proper information and not get a fine.
Where to stay?
I will tell you where we stayed the two times we stayed in the city.
The first time we stayed at Hotel Windsor Milano. The hotel is correct, simple, clean, good breakfast, with parking in front, at a very good price, not so central, almost in front of Piazza della Repubblica, very close to Porta Nuova, well connected by streetcar. It was really a very good experience.
On this last occasion we stayed a few steps from the Duomo of Milan, at the Hotel Brunelleschi, very well located, with parking, good breakfast, a good hotel, of course the price if we compare it with the previous is higher, but it is logical.
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Booking.comWhat to see in Milan in one day?
If you have only one day to see Milan, the good news is that it is easy to get around. The attractions of the center are very close to each other and you will be able to move around on foot and enjoy them. With the streetcar you will have a good mobility for the rest of the city, or with the hop on hop off bus option you will be able to do a good tour.
A free tour is also a must in this city. ►book yours
Milan Cathedral
The first thing that will dazzle you when you arrive in the city is the icon of the city, the Duomo of Milan. The Milan Cathedral is a gothic construction and is considered one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Its construction began in 1386 and was completed in 1965. The plan of Milan, with its streets that radiate out from the cathedral, reveals that the cathedral was already the center of the city in ancient times.
We have two perfect options to visit the Duomo in our day visit to the city, the visit itself to inside the cathedral, and the climb to the roof of the same, the latter with magnificent views.
Let’s go with the explanation of how to get the tickets.
You can get your tickets on the website and you will avoid the queue at the ticket office.
The ticket is purchased by choosing the day and time of your visit, and from then on you have three days for a unique access to each area.
Once on the page you will see that you have: entrance only to the interior of the cathedral, entrance to the interior and ascent to the terrace by elevator, entrance to the interior and ascent to the terrace by stairs, and a fast track to reduce waiting time. All these options also include the museum, the crypt, the archaeological area, the San Gottardo church and the exhibitions.
If you do not get your tickets in advance on the website, you will have to queue at the ticket office, then with your ticket you will have to queue again for the entrance to the cathedral or for the ascent to the terrace, whichever you choose first, they are separate visits, this must be taken into account.
But if you don’t want to worry about it, you can take a guided tour of the interior of the cathedral and the climb up to it.↓
The interior of the cathedral is beautiful, but the climb up is for me the best visit.
Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery
The other essential visit, in a day in this city, is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a gallery that connects Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala.
Its name comes from the first king of unified Italy. The gallery was originally designed in 1861 and built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
It is characterized by its glass dome and cast iron roof, there are other and previous galleries like this in the world, such as the Saint Hubert galleries in Brussels, the one in St. Petersburg, the Humberto I gallery in Naples, or the gallery in Budapest.
The gallery includes important stores such as Prada, Versace, Gucci or Armani, as well as elegant cafes and restaurants. It is a must-see for anyone in the city.
Don’t just look up, look down and stop on the floor, you will see some mosaics that form coats of arms. The shields represent Milan (the one with the red cross), Rome (the one with the she-wolf), Florence (the one with the lily), and Turin (the one with the bull). In the latter we will see many people stepping on the genitals of the bull and turning with the heel, it is a tradition to return to the city.
La Scala Theater of Milan
Crossing the gallery we reach the Piazza della Scala, and as the name says we arrive at the Scala theater in Milan, one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
It was inaugurated in 1778, was badly affected during the bombing of the second war and was then restored and reopened in 1946.
You can visit its interior, the opening hours are from 9 am to 5.30 pm every day, entrance fee €12. Museo Teatrale alla Scala.
Sforzesco Castle
The Sforzesco Castle is located in the old part of the city, currently housing some museums. The original construction on the site began in the 15th century. In 1450 Francesco Sforza began to rebuild it, and it was modified by later generations.
HOURS: Castle: Every day from 7:00 am to 7:30 pm.
Museum: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
PRICE: entrance to the castle is free, general admission to access the rest of the sites inside €5.
Cenacolo Vinciano, The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci
The last tip, if you still have time left in a day, is to go see Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.
The work created between 1495 and 1497 is one of the most famous works in the world, and can still be seen in its original location, on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Tickets must be purchased in advance as they sell out easily, but it is a highly recommended visit. The official website for information and tickets is here, Cenacolo Vinciano.
The opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 am to 7 pm. The entrance fee is €12.
If you did not book well in advance, it is very possible that you will not find a ticket, but …. you can also access with a guided tour, a highly recommended activity.
More options to see in Milan if you have more than one day
The amount of places to visit is enough for one day, and you may not even have enough time. But if you have more days you can visit Il Naviglio, the so-called little Venice of Milan.
Another option is to visit the San Siro stadium, where you have guided tours for the tour.
Extras: video
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
