Quick answer
Spend day 1 on the Duomo, the Galleria, La Scala and the Pinacoteca di Brera, and day 2 on Sforza Castle, the Last Supper (book ahead) and the Navigli. On day 3, take the train to Lake Como (about 65 minutes to Varenna) or Bergamo (48 to 55 minutes), or stay in town for Fondazione Prada and Porta Nuova.
Opening hours, closing days, ticket prices and train fares below were checked on the official sites on 5 October 2026. The times are suggestions, apart from the Last Supper, where your booked slot sets the plan for day 2.
How many days in Milan is enough?
For a first visit, three days work well. One day covers the Duomo and a walk around the centre, as in our one day in Milan itinerary. Two days let you see both the Last Supper and Brera, which is the plan in our 2 days in Milan itinerary. Use the third day for Lake Como, Bergamo or the modern districts north and south of the centre. With a fourth day you can do both, as in our 4 days in Milan itinerary.
3 days in Milan at a glance
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Duomo, rooftop and Duomo Museum | Galleria, La Scala museum, Pinacoteca di Brera | Aperitivo from about 6pm |
| Day 2 | Sforza Castle and Parco Sempione | Last Supper, walk to the Navigli | Navigli canals |
| Day 3 | Lake Como, Bergamo or modern Milan | Back in Milan for dinner |
Days 1 and 2 are on foot. Walking times are rounded.
Day 1: the Duomo, La Scala and Brera
Morning: Duomo, rooftop and museum
Start at the Duomo di MilanoMap when it opens at 9am. It is open every day until 7pm, with last entry at 6pm, and the official advice is to allow at least two hours for the cathedral and the rooftop. Buy online at ticket.duomomilano.it, where there are no booking fees.
| Ticket | Includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Duomo + Museum | Cathedral and Duomo Museum | €10 |
| Duomo + Terraces | Cathedral and rooftop, stairs or lift | €22 or €26 |
| Fast-Track Pass | Rooftop by a skip-the-line lift, cathedral, museum and more | €32 |
The Duomo MuseumMap is on the square in Palazzo Reale and is closed on Wednesdays. Cover your shoulders and legs. Our Duomo tickets guide explains every option, and guided Duomo tours on GetYourGuide include the rooftop.
Afternoon: the Galleria, La Scala and Brera
Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIMap to Piazza della Scala, about 7 minutes. The arcade is free. The Museo Teatrale alla ScalaMap is open every day from 9:30am to 5:30pm (last entry 5pm) and costs €12; you can look into the auditorium from a box only when no rehearsal or show is on. Our La Scala guide has more on the theatre.
From La Scala, the Pinacoteca di BreraMap is a 9-minute walk. It is open Tuesday to Sunday until 7:15pm, with last entry at 6pm, which makes it the right museum to end the day. The €20 Grande Brera ticket needs a booked date and time, and it also covers Palazzo Citterio that day and the following six days.
If you would rather shop than see the gallery, the Quadrilatero della Moda (Via Monte Napoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia) starts just east of Brera, at Montenapoleone station on the M3; our Milan shopping guide covers it.
Aperitivo usually starts around 6pm, about when you leave the gallery. Our aperitivo in Milan guide explains how it works and where to go.
For something different, look for a vernissage, the opening night of a new exhibition. Search “vernissage Milano oggi” or check the openings on Zero, Itinerari nell’arte or Artribune. Many galleries open new shows in the early evening; entry is free, and more than once someone has poured me a glass of wine.
Day 2: Sforza Castle, the Last Supper and the Navigli
Morning: Sforza Castle and Parco Sempione
The Sforza CastleMap museums open at 10am, Tuesday to Sunday, and one €10 ticket covers all of them for the day. The ticket office closes at 4:30pm. The courtyards are free and open daily from 7am to 7:30pm. On Saturdays at 11am there is an English tour of the museums for €20, ticket included. Our Sforza Castle guide has the details, including the €10 walk along the battlements.
Behind the castle, Parco SempioneMap is a free park of about 40 hectares that ends at the Arco della PaceMap.
Midday: the Last Supper
The Last SupperMap is a 16-minute walk from the castle, at Santa Maria delle GrazieMap. You need a ticket booked ahead for a fixed slot: €15 for 15 minutes in the room, and you must be at the ticket office 30 minutes early. It is closed on Mondays. Official tickets are on sale until 31 December 2026, and extra tickets for the following week go on sale every Wednesday at noon.
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The Last Supper on the end wall of the old refectory at Santa Maria delle Grazie.
If you get a morning slot, swap the order and see the castle afterwards. Our Last Supper tickets guide explains the release dates. If official tickets are gone, guided tours with the entry ticket included are the backup.
Late afternoon and evening: the Navigli
From the Last Supper, the DarsenaMap, where the Navigli canals begin, is a 27-minute walk, or take the green M2 metro to Porta Genova. Walk along the canals and stay for dinner. Our Navigli guide covers the canals, what to eat in Milan lists the dishes to order, and our best restaurants in Milan list helps with lunch and dinner on all three days.
Day 3: choose a day trip or modern Milan
Pick one of three plans. The first two are train trips from Milano Centrale; the third stays in the city.
| Day 3 plan | Travel from Milan | Fare (adult, one way) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Como (Varenna and Bellagio) | 64-65 min direct train to Varenna | €7.40 + ferries | Lake views, villas and gardens |
| Bergamo | 48-55 min direct train | €6.30 | A walled hill town, a cheaper day |
| Modern Milan | Metro | €2.20 a ride | Contemporary art and architecture |
Option 1: Lake Como
Take a direct train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino: about 16 a day, roughly hourly, from 6:20am. In Varenna, buy a central lake ferry day pass (€17.50) and cross to Bellagio in 15 minutes. With the train back, the day costs about €32 per adult before lunch and tickets.
Bellagio, on the point where Lake Como splits into two branches.
Bellagio has no train station, so the ferry is the way in. Its Villa Melzi gardensMap cost €10 and close for the season on 1 November 2026; from 25 October they shut at 5pm. Ferries run less often in winter, and many lake hotels and restaurants close from late autumn to around April.
Our Lake Como day trip guide has train times and ferry tips, with more on Varenna and Bellagio. If you want to sleep on the lake, our Milan and Lake Como itinerary plans 4 and 5 days. If you would rather not plan the connections, GetYourGuide sells Lake Como day trips from Milan.
Option 2: Bergamo
Bergamo is the quickest day trip. Direct regional trains leave Milano Centrale almost every hour, take 48 to 55 minutes and cost €6.30. There are no high-speed trains on this route, and regional fares are fixed, so you can decide on the day.
Bergamo's Città Alta, the upper town inside its Venetian walls.
From the lower town, the Città Alta funicular climbs to the old upper town. A single urban ticket costs €1.70 and lasts 75 minutes, or you can tap a contactless card on board. Up top, walk the Venetian Walls, more than 6 km around the upper town, built from 1561 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017. They are free, and so is Piazza Vecchia, the main square. Next to the Basilica di Santa Maria MaggioreMap, the Renaissance Cappella ColleoniMap is free to enter; check its hours before you go. Our day trips from Milan guide compares Bergamo with Verona, Turin and Lake Maggiore.
Option 3: modern Milan
Stay in the city if you want contemporary art and the new skyline. This plan works any day except Monday and Tuesday.
Start at Fondazione PradaMap, on Largo Isarco near Lodi T.I.B.B. station on the M3. It is open 10am to 7pm, closed on Tuesdays, and a ticket costs €15. The ticket also covers the Osservatorio, its gallery in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The outdoor areas and Bar Luce (Fondazione Prada)Map are open without a ticket.
The Bosco Verticale apartment towers in Porta Nuova, seen from the street.
After lunch, ride the M3 north to Centrale and change to the M2 for Garibaldi, two stops on. You are in Porta Nuova, where Piazza Gae Aulenti sits among the towers. The Bosco VerticaleMap towers are private apartments that you see from the street, and the Biblioteca degli Alberi (BAM)Map park next to them is free. Isola, the neighbourhood beside them, has its own M5 stop.
If your day 3 falls on Thursday to Sunday, you can swap the last stop below for my favorite museum in Milan: Pirelli HangarBicoccaMap, a former industrial plant in the north of the city that shows large contemporary art installations. Entry is free (booking online gets you priority), it is open 10:30am to 8:30pm with last entry at 7:30pm, and bus 87 from Centrale stops outside at Via Chiese. Anselm Kiefer’s permanent towers, The Seven Heavenly Palaces, are there.
Finish at the Cimitero MonumentaleMap, which is free and open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 6pm; you can enter until 30 minutes before closing. It is next to Monumentale station on the M5.
Football fans can swap the cemetery for the San Siro stadium tourMap, about an hour, from €37 for adults. Our San Siro tour guide explains the options, or you can book San Siro tickets on GetYourGuide.
If your trip includes a Monday or Tuesday
On Mondays, the Last Supper, the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Sforza Castle museums, the Museo del Novecento and the Monumental Cemetery are closed. The Duomo, its rooftop and museum, and the La Scala museum stay open. Make a Monday your Duomo day or your Lake Como day.
On Tuesdays, Fondazione Prada is closed (Bar Luce stays open), so do not put the modern Milan plan on a Tuesday. Pirelli HangarBicocca opens only from Thursday to Sunday.
If your stay includes the first Sunday of the month, the Last Supper, Brera, the Sforza Castle museums and the Museo del NovecentoMap are free; the Last Supper and Brera still need a booking. The next one is 1 November 2026.
Metro tickets and museum passes for 3 days
| Option | Price | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Tap a contactless card | €2.20 a ride, capped at €7.60 per 24 hours | Up to about 7 rides in three days |
| ATM 3-day ticket | €15.50 | 8 or more rides over three days |
| Tourist Museum Card | €20 for 3 consecutive days | Three or more city museums |
| Milano Museo Card | €15 for one year, personal | Two or more city museums for one person |
Contactless works on the metro, trams and buses with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. Tap in and out on the metro, and give each person their own card or phone. ATM tickets do not cover Trenord trains, so the train to Lake Como or Bergamo is a separate ticket. Our Milan metro guide explains the lines.
The Tourist Museum Card gives one entry to each of the city-run museums, including Sforza Castle and the Museo del Novecento, over three days from first use. It does not cover the Duomo, Brera or the Last Supper, so with only the castle (€10) and the Novecento (€10) on your list, it saves nothing. If the card is just for you, the Milano Museo Card is cheaper: €15 for free entry to all the city-run museums for a year from purchase. It is personal, so carry ID, and each traveler needs their own. With the castle and the Novecento alone it already saves €5.
Where to stay for 3 days in Milan
If you will spend most of the time in the city, stay near the Duomo or in Brera: day 1 starts at the cathedral and day 2 is a walk across the centre. Our guide to the best hotels in Milan lists options at every price. If your third day is Lake Como or Bergamo, look at hotels near Milano Centrale, which put you next to the trains. Our where to stay in Milan guide compares every area, and is Milan safe covers pickpockets and the station area. For a full budget, see how much a trip to Italy costs.
Hotel prices jump during big events, such as the EICMA motorcycle show (5 to 8 November 2026) and the Salone del Mobile (13 to 18 April 2027); see the best time to visit Milan before you pick dates. If Milan is the start of a longer trip, our 10-day Italy itinerary continues to Venice, Florence and Rome.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3 days in Milan enough?
Yes for a first visit. Two days cover the Duomo, La Scala, Brera, Sforza Castle, the Last Supper and the Navigli, and the third day leaves room for Lake Como, Bergamo or the modern side of the city.
How many days do you need in Milan?
One day covers the Duomo and a quick walk around the centre. Two days let you see both the Last Supper and the Pinacoteca di Brera, and three days let you add a day trip without dropping either.
Can you do Lake Como as a day trip from Milan?
Yes. Direct trains from Milano Centrale reach Varenna in 64 to 65 minutes for €7.40, and a central lake ferry day pass costs €17.50, so the day comes to about €32 per adult before lunch and villa tickets.
Is Bergamo worth a day trip from Milan?
It is the quickest and cheapest day trip. Direct trains from Milano Centrale take 48 to 55 minutes and cost €6.30, and the funicular up to the walled upper town costs €1.70.
Should I buy the 3-day metro ticket in Milan?
Only if you ride a lot. The ATM 3-day ticket costs €15.50, while tapping a contactless card costs €2.20 a ride and never more than €7.60 a day. The 3-day ticket wins from about 8 rides over the three days.
Which days are the museums closed in Milan?
Mondays. The Last Supper, the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Sforza Castle museums, the Museo del Novecento and the Monumental Cemetery all close that day. Fondazione Prada closes on Tuesdays instead.
Where should I stay for 3 days in Milan?
Near the Duomo or in Brera if you want to walk to the sights. If your third day is a train trip to Lake Como or Bergamo, a hotel near Milano Centrale saves time.