Things to Do in Milan, Italy: Walking Guide

The best things to do in Milan include exploring the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, discovering Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy, visiting historic churches and museums, and walking through districts shaped by art, music, and design. Milan combines Roman and early Christian monuments, Renaissance architecture, grand palaces, opera, football, and modern culture in a city that rewards exploration on foot. Neywo has a free audio guide for Milan with 672 narrated places.

Milan is the capital of Lombardy and one of the defining cities of Italy. Its historic centre is compact enough to explore between major landmarks, while its wider neighbourhoods reveal a deeper story of art, architecture, religion, and public life.

What to See in Milan

Milan Cathedral and the golden Madonnina

The Duomo stands at the centre of Milan and is dedicated to the Nativity of Saint Mary. Construction began in 1386, and the cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic and one of the world’s great Gothic constructions.

Its marble architecture, soaring forms, and multitude of spires dominate the city centre. The highest spire is crowned by the Madonnina, a golden copper statue of the Virgin Mary installed in 1774. Although religious in origin, the statue has become one of Milan’s most recognisable symbols.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Beside the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II connects Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala. This four-storey double arcade is covered by an impressive iron-and-glass structure and is one of the world’s earliest examples of a shopping centre.

Designed in 1861 and built between 1865 and 1877 by Giuseppe Mengoni, the Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. Its Neo-Renaissance architecture, shops, cafés, and public life make it one of the essential places to visit in Milan.

Royal Palace of Milan

Opposite the Galleria, the Royal Palace of Milan was once the seat of the city’s government and a residence for dukes, governors, viceroys, and the kings of Italy. It remained a royal residence until 1919.

Today, Palazzo Reale is a cultural venue for art exhibitions and other events. Although its origins reach back to the Middle Ages, much of the present building reflects the Neoclassical renovation begun in 1773 by Giuseppe Piermarini. The recessed Piazzetta Reale preserves the outline of courtyards that were partly demolished to make room for the Duomo.

San Gottardo in Corte Church

San Gottardo in Corte, also known as San Gottardo a Palazzo, forms part of the Grand Museum of the Duomo of Milan. Built between 1330 and 1336 as a ducal chapel for Azzone Visconti, it has a distinctive octagonal bell tower.

The tower is especially notable for its early public clock, introduced at a time when sundials were still used. The church was originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but Azzone Visconti later changed the dedication to Saint Gotthard of Hildesheim, the patron of people suffering from gout.

La Scala

Teatro alla Scala has been one of Milan’s leading cultural landmarks since its inauguration in 1778. Designed by Giuseppe Piermarini, it opened after the fire that destroyed Milan’s Teatro Ducale in 1776. Its first performance was Antonio Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta, composed for the occasion.

La Scala is home to its own chorus, orchestra, and ballet company and has long been associated with opera, ballet, and classical music. The theatre underwent a major restoration between 2002 and 2004, including the construction of a new stage and work on the auditorium.

Nearby, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli offers a different way to experience Milanese culture. This house museum combines art, interiors, and the history of a private collection begun by Count Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and his mother, Rosa Trivulzio. It opened officially in 1881 and contains Italian, Northern European, and Flemish art in rooms designed to complement the works on display.

Pinacoteca di Brera

The Pinacoteca di Brera is Milan’s main public painting gallery and one of Italy’s best-known collections. Housed in the Palazzo Brera, it focuses particularly on Lombard and Venetian painting while also presenting works from several Italian schools and Flemish art.

Maria Theresa of Austria founded the gallery in 1776. During the Napoleonic period, paintings were gathered from churches and convents so that works previously inaccessible to the public could be displayed here. The collection ranges from prehistoric material to contemporary art, with artists including Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Caravaggio, and Piero della Francesca.

Santa Maria delle Grazie and The Last Supper

Santa Maria delle Grazie brings together Gothic traditions and Renaissance architecture. The church began in the Gothic style associated with Guiniforte Solari, while its celebrated tribune was created between 1492 and 1493 at the request of Ludovico il Moro as a mausoleum for his family.

The tribune is attributed to Bramante and is considered one of the best-known achievements of Renaissance architecture in Lombardy. Within the convent’s refectory is Leonardo da Vinci’s mural, The Last Supper. The church and painting together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sforza Castle and Parco Sempione

Sforza Castle is a vast fortified complex just outside Milan’s historic centre. Francesco Sforza, newly made Duke of Milan, built it in the fifteenth century on the remains of an earlier fourteenth-century fortification, itself located on the site of a Roman-era stronghold.

Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the castle was one of Europe’s largest military citadels. It was later restored in a historicist style by Luca Beltrami between around 1890 and 1905. The surrounding area leads into Parco Sempione, where Palazzina Appiani offers another glimpse of Milan’s ceremonial history. Built at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it served as the Arena Civica’s official gallery and as a residence for Napoleon’s family during public appearances.

Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio

The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is one of Milan’s oldest and most important churches. Its first basilica was built between 379 and 386 at the request of Ambrose, bishop of Milan, during the late Roman imperial period. The building was later almost entirely reconstructed, taking its definitive Romanesque form between 1088 and the beginning of the twelfth century.

The medieval builders retained the original plan of three aisles ending in apses, without a transept, preceded by a four-sided atrium. The complex also includes the Sant’Ambrogio monastery, the canons’ residence, and the church of San Sigismondo.

Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Columns of San Lorenzo

The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is one of Milan’s oldest churches and an important late Roman imperial monument. Together with the ancient Columns of San Lorenzo in front of it, the church preserves a strong connection with the period when Mediolanum was the capital of the Western Roman Empire.

Its unusual tetraconch plan combines a central square with four apses. Inside, an ambulatory creates an octagonal arrangement, with Doric forms on the lower level and Ionic forms on the upper matroneum. Fires and repeated dome collapses damaged the building during the Middle Ages, after which it was rebuilt in Romanesque forms.

Santa Maria della Passione

Santa Maria della Passione is one of Milan’s finest late-Renaissance monuments. Located on Via della Passione near the Conservatory and the Palace of Justice, the Catholic parish church reflects the Milanese tradition of Mannerism, a distinctive development of the late Renaissance. It is described as the second-largest church in Milan after the Duomo.

Palazzo del Capitano di Giustizia

In the Verziere area, Palazzo del Capitano di Giustizia stands between Piazza Fontana and Piazza Beccaria. The palace remains connected with public order: it now houses the central command of Milan’s local police.

Built during the periods of Spanish and Austrian rule, it was the seat of the Capitano di Giustizia, the official responsible for public order. The complex once included a prison and the executioner’s quarters. The former execution site is now dedicated to Cesare Beccaria, an advocate of abolishing the death penalty.

Giuseppe Meazza Stadium

The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, still widely known as San Siro, is home to Milan’s two best-known professional football clubs, Milan and Inter. Its nickname, “La Scala del calcio”, means the Scala of football.

The stadium opened in 1926 as a ground owned by Milan. The Municipality of Milan acquired it in 1935, and it was enlarged between 1937 and 1939. A second tier was added in the 1950s, followed by a third tier during the major renovation of 1987 to 1990. Steep stands close to the field and a broad roof contribute to San Siro’s celebrated atmosphere.

Explore Milan with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

A Milan self-guided walking tour is a flexible way to connect the city’s major sights without joining a group. Neywo offers seven walking tours, one bus route, and one bike route in Milan, with narration available in 11 languages.

The walks include:

• Duomo to Galleria: The Golden Madonna and the Salon of Milan — 1.7 km, 110 minutes, 10 narrated stops.
• Opera and Paintings: La Scala to Brera — 2.01 km, 119 minutes, 11 stops.
• Sforza Castle and Parco Sempione: Dukes, Michelangelo and Mermaids — 2.71 km, 111 minutes, 10 stops.
• Leonardo’s Milan: The Last Supper and Ambrose’s City — 2.88 km, 112 minutes, 8 stops.
• Early Christian Milan: Basilicas Along Corso di Porta Romana — 2.8 km, 103 minutes, 9 stops.
• Corso Venezia: Palaces, Art Nouveau and the Public Gardens — 2.92 km, 101 minutes, 10 stops.
• Garibaldi to Centrale: Milan’s Modern Gateway — 3.72 km, 89 minutes, 6 stops.

There is also Bus 96: Round the Old Navigli Ring, a 5.6 km route lasting 24 minutes with 9 narrated stops, and Pedalling Parco Sempione, a 1.8 km bike route lasting 9 minutes with 6 stops.

Download Neywo and explore Milan at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule, turning a walk, bus ride, or bike route into your own Milan audio guide.