A photograph of Milan

City guide · Italy

Good for families in Milan, Italy

Milan is organised around a compact historic centre, with the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala close enough to combine on foot. Brera lies imme...

Photograph · Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0

3,152 Places
Suggested stay
2–3 days
Getting around
Walk, metro, tram and bus

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Milan

Editorial responsibility: Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Milan is organised around a compact historic centre, with the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala close enough to combine on foot. Brera lies immediately north, the Navigli canals sit to the southwest, and the modern Porta Nuova district rises around Garibaldi station. Longer journeys connect the centre with Santa Maria delle Grazie, San Siro and outer design districts.

Checked 2026-08-26

Practical information

Language spoken
Italian
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+39
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C, F and L · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide visitor statement was recorded

Planning a visit

November · November is cool and damp in Milan, with a 10.7°C mean high and 76.7 mm of rain.

  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: good time to visit
  4. April: best time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: good time to visit
  7. July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  8. August: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  9. September: good time to visit
  10. October: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs — current month
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci"
    02 1 hr 30 min

    Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci"

    Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia

    The Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" is Italy's largest science and technology museum. Housed in a former Olivetan monastery, the institution honors Leonardo da Vinci's legacy as both artist and inventor.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  2. Parco Sempione
    03 1 hour

    Parco Sempione

    Sempione Park is a historic urban park in central Milan, next to the Sforza Castle, covering 386,000 square metres; it is completely fenced and under video surveillance, and is run by the City of Milan.

    • High
    • Nature site
  3. Civic Aquarium of Milan Civic Aquarium of Milan
    04 1 hr 30 min

    Civic Aquarium of Milan

    Acquario Civico

    The Civic Aquarium of Milan, known locally as Acquario Civico, stands as a historic zoological institution in northern Italy's largest metropolitan area. Established in the early twentieth century, this architectural landmark occupies a prominent position within Milan's urban fabric.

    • Must see
    • Family attraction
  4. Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco
    05 1 hr 30 min

    Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco

    Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco is the art gallery housed within Milan's historic Castello Sforzesco, a fifteenth-century fortress built by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan.

    • High
    • Museum
  5. Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli
    06 1 hour

    Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli

    Giardini pubblici Indro Montanelli

    Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli is a historic public park in Milan, located in the Porta Venezia district. Established in the 18th century, it represents one of the city's oldest green spaces.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  6. The Garden of the Villa Bonaparte Belgiojoso
    07 1 hour

    The Garden of the Villa Bonaparte Belgiojoso

    Giardino della Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte

    The garden of the Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte is the English-style landscape garden in front of the Villa Reale on Via Palestro 16 in Milan, the neoclassical villa built between 1790 and 1796 by architect Leopoldo Pollack for Count Ludovico Barbiano…

    • High
    • Nature site
  7. Leolandia
    09 8 hours

    Leolandia

    Leolandia is an amusement park in Brembate, in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, aimed mainly at families with children but with attractions and shows for all ages and educational routes for schools.

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
  8. MUBA - Museo dei Bambini
    10 2 hours

    MUBA - Museo dei Bambini

    MUBA is Milan's Children's Museum (Museo dei Bambini), at Via Enrico Besana 12, where for more than 25 years children have learned by experimenting and discovering the world through play and direct experience.

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
  9. Parco faunistico Le Cornelle
    11 4 hours

    Parco faunistico Le Cornelle

    Le Cornelle is a wildlife park at Via Cornelle 16 in Valbrembo, in the province of Bergamo, which describes itself as going beyond the idea of a simple zoo to contribute to the protection of animal species, both endangered and…

    • Notable
    • Family attraction

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

Use the Duomo as the central reference point. The fashion quadrilateral and Brera are north of it, Castello Sforzesco and Parco Sempione are west, and the Navigli and Porta Ticinese districts are south and southwest. Milano Centrale is northeast of the old centre, while Porta Garibaldi serves the Porta Nuova business district. Grouping sights by these zones avoids repeated cross-city travel.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Walk inside the historic centre and use ATM metro, tram and bus services for longer moves. Milan has five metro lines, while surface routes connect neighbourhoods beyond the rail corridors. Contactless bank cards and mobile devices can be used on ATM services, and the system calculates the applicable fare. Check the operator map before travelling to outer sites or changing fare zones.

Checked 2026-08-26

More city guides

Common questions

How many days should I spend in Milan?

Suggested stay for a first visit: 2–3 days. Build the visit around the historic centre, Brera and the castle, then add Navigli, Porta Nuova or an outer attraction as time allows.

Can I explore central Milan on foot?

Yes. The Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala, Brera and Castello Sforzesco form a practical walking core, although the metro is useful for crossing between wider districts.

What public transport serves Milan?

ATM operates the city's metro, tram, bus and trolleybus network. Use rail for cross-city movement and surface services where the metro does not directly reach the destination.

Can I pay contactless on Milan public transport?

Yes. ATM accepts supported contactless cards and mobile devices on its services and calculates the applicable fare, provided the same payment method is used throughout the journey.

Which Milan areas should be planned separately?

Treat Navigli, Porta Nuova, San Siro and other outer districts as separate clusters. They sit beyond the compact Duomo-Brera-castle core and usually require a dedicated transit leg.