2 Days in Milan – A Guide for What to See and Do

Day 1 in Milan – Overview

Day 1 in Milan – Detailed Itinerary

Start with a Walking Tour

Start your day in Milan with a walking tour. Walking tours are a great way to get background information and explore a city. There are a few different tours in Milan.

DIY Walking Tour

First, if you’d like to keep it cheap and flexible, you can do a Rick Steeves’ walking tour using his app.

I prefer this option because I like to stop to take photos, grab snacks, and enjoy my time in the city. I get enough information and history. 

Download the app, then download the tour of the Milan area to your phone. Take your headphones and enjoy your walk. Rick Steves’ tour lasts about 75 minutes and takes you through Milan’s Duomo neighborhood.

You’ll see the interior of the exterior and the rooftop. The rooftop of the Duomo in Milan was mentioned in the searches I did before traveling. I didn’t know what to expect, but visiting was very cool.

You can walk along the top and see the decorative arches and spires. It’s a view you can’t get in many other cathedrals.

After the Dumo, you can visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala Theater.

Guided Walking Tour

There are also plenty of local guides. If you prefer to take a tour at the local, look for a guided walking tour that visits similar attractions. 

This is a good option if you want to avoid following the directions on the app. Plus, it’s a cool way to meet a local and get some advice and recommendations you don’t get from the app.

I like this one becasue it includes so much you already want to see!

Grab Lunch and Head to Parco Sempione

After your walking tour, visit anything you need to see.

Then, grab lunch and grab a coffee.

If you want, you can grab a to-go lunch and have a picnic at your next stop.

Parco Sempione

Parco Sempione is a massive park in Milan and is a great place to spend an afternoon. It’s a perfect picnic spot if the weather is nice. I spent an afternoon reading in the park and was so relaxed I forgot to get any pictures!

If not, you can walk through the park (or move it to tomorrow).

Sforza Castle is in the park. It’s a 15th-century castle that is now home to museums. Visiting the museums and castle is a good option if the weather isn’t great. For €5, you can enter the castle and see museums for art, musical instruments, history, archeology, and more. Use their website to help plan your visit.

Luckily, you don’t need to rush through everything. There’s plenty of time to see what you’d like to see and still spend some time relaxing and enjoying the city.

After your afternoon in the park, consider heading to a rooftop bar. Some overlook the Duomo and are perfect for an aperitif before dinner. You can take in the view, enjoy a drink, and reflect on what you’ve done for the day.

Milan Day 2– Detailed Itinerary

Start your second day in Milan with a visit to see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper.

Today is all about exploring the different neighborhoods in Milan.

The Last Supper

This artwork is a small, unassuming church. Make sure you purchase your tickets early. If you wait until you get there, you probably missed out. Tourists can only visit the room with The Last Supper in groups of around 20 people. There aren’t that many tickets to go around.

After you get your ticket, make a note of your ticket time. Be sure to arrive early. The time slots for this tour are short. If you miss your spot, it’s unlikely they will be able to get you in later.

Note that you can’t bring in luggage or large backpacks. I saw people rushing to find storage for their luggage since they hadn’t read the notes on their tickets.

One last tip: download the app from the museum before you go. Not everyone in our tour group had done it, and I enjoyed listening to a bit about the work while I was looking at it.

Your ticket time for The Last Supper will determine your day’s schedule. But, the visit itself is fast. It’s about 45 minutes since you only see the artwork for 15 minutes. That’s plenty of time to see the artwork. I enjoyed it more than I enjoy most museums because it was so focused.

Buy Tickets on Your Own

With a plan, you can buy tickets on your own. The tickets are affordable, but the website is confusing.

They go on sale 3 months at a time, about a month from the opening window. So, November, December, and January go on sale in September sometime. You can check here to see when tickets are going on sale.

Then, set a reminder so you don’t forget to log in and look for tickets. Have your dates written down and know what you’re looking for. It was more intense than I thought it would be. Finding the ticket site was hard for me since it was early in the morning. I wish I’d bookmarked this page to make it easier.

Purchase from a Tour Company

You can also buy your tickets from websites like Get Your Guide.

This is the easier option, but you’ll pay a bit more. Honestly, not at as much as you’d think though for the convenience of it.

There’s no need for a guided tour of The Last Supper but most of the ones through third parties include one anyway.

This walking tour includes The Last Supper so it’s a good place to start.

If you just want to see The Last Supper and not a full guided tour look here.

Fashion Street Window Shopping

After you see The Last Supper, make your way to some of the famous shopping streets. Milan is one of the world’s fashion capitals, so spending time window shopping and seeing the luxury retailers makes sense.

There are also cute shops, boutiques, and stores, and it’s fun to browse.

• Corso Vittorio Emanuele II – Near the Duomo
• Via Manzoni – Near La Scala
• Via Montenapoleone, Via Sant’Andrea, Via della Spiga – luxury window shopping. Plus, it’s a beautiful place to be. Even if you aren’t into fashion,n walking these streets is still fun!

Explore Neighborhoods in Milan

The Chinatown area of Milan isn’t mentioned often. But it’s a fun area to check out.

If you go after the workday, there are lots of street food shops and people milling about. It’s unlike anything else in the city and feels different from anything else I’ve seen in Italy.

The Brera neighborhood is another popular area to check out. This area has cobblestone streets and cute shopping, and it is an excellent place for pictures.  You can spend some time wandering. Stop by a cafe and enjoy the bohemian vibe of this part of the city.

For dinner, make your way to the Navigli area of the city. Milan used to be a city of canals like Venice, but now only two canals remain in Navigli. 

This area is known for its canals, bridges, and cute shops. It is a great place to get an aperitif before dinner. You can grab a drink or dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the canals.

Did You Move Quickly? Here are some Other Ideas

Pinacoteca of Brera and The Ambrosian Library are two art museums to check if you have the time. The Pinacoteca has artworks from Italian masters like Caravaggio and Rafael. The Ambrosian Library has drawings from Leonardo da Vinci so it’s a good stop if you’re feeling like you want to keep seeing da Vinci’s work after you visit The Last Supper.

San Lorenzo Maggiore,

The Bosco Verticale is a building near the train station that essentially has a forest growing out of it. The goal was for it to be a new take on an urban green space. It’s pretty incredible to see. Even if you’re not looking for it will catch your eye. I didn’t know what it was at first, but I walked by it coming to and from my hotel and had to learn more.

I always love a cooking class but I didn’t plan in advance to do a gluten-free one. This is the one I looked at when I was there and couldn’t fit it in anymore. Next time.

I have a larger list of things to do in Milan if you’re interested!

Getting Around Milan

 Milan is the second biggest city in Italy after Rome. So it’s big, but public transit is easy to navigate, which makes it easy to get anywhere in the city.

The city center is very walkable. It’s easy to walk around, but since you only have two days, you’ll also want to take public transit to save some time.

The system has trams, buses, and metros. If you can take a tram, it’s a fun experience.

A one-ride pass costs €2.20, but a 24-hour pass costs around seven.

So buy your 24-hour pass from one of the metro stations, and then you can ride as much as you’d like. 

You can download the Milan Transit app.

But I prefer Google Maps.

It makes using buses, metros, and trams easy, even if you’re unfamiliar with them. Plus, you can download the area before you leave home if you don’t have data on your phone.

Less time in Milan?

You can see so much of Milan in less than 2 days. If you only have one day in Milan check out this post for an itinerary.

Are two Days in Milan Enough?

Yes, you can see the main highlights of Milan in two days. You’ll just have to use your time well and plan ahead so you can get tickets to see The Last Supper. It’s the one thing in Milan it would be a shame to miss and it’s not always easy to get tickets to.

Day Trip Options

If you’ve done everything that you’re interested in Milan, there are great day trips from the city.

You can go to Bologna, Verona Vicenza, and even Lake Como.

Enjoy 2 Days in Milan

Milan is a great city to visit (especially if you’re gluten-free). Enjoy a city in Italy with a very different vibe to Florence and Rome that’s still incredible!