If you’ve only got one day in Milan, it’s still possible to see most of the sites, although it will be a pretty busy day. This guide will help you make the most of your time.
Getting around
Milan is well serviced by public transport. A single ticket will cost you €1.50 and is valid for 90 minutes of one way travel on the metro, buses and trams. A better option is a €4.50 card which gives you unlimited travel for 24 hours from when you first use it.
You can buy the tickets at any metro station or some hotels also have them. Most metro and train stations now have electronic turn-styles which will register your ticket but if you are using the bus (or a metro station without electronic gates) make sure you validate your ticket in the machine when you enter.
When researching public transport options, the official Milan transport website will recommend you purchase a 24 hour ticket for €8. This is a waste of money as the only difference between this and the €4.50 ticket is that it includes small discounts to some museums you more than likely won’t visit. Also be aware that if you buy it online you will have to go to their offices near the Duomo to pick up a physical ticket in order to be able to use it on public transport and the office doesn’t open until 12pm.
Insider tip: neither google or apple maps seem to be accurate for planning trips on public transport in Milan. For example they both advised I needed to get 2 buses and a metro, plus do a significant amount of walking to get from my hotel to the cemetery when in reality I only needed to get one train and on walk a few minutes. So it always pays to ask at your hotel instead.
What to See and Do
Cimitero Monumentala
After an early morning continental breakfast, kick start your sightseeing with day with a trip to the Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). It is full of the most incredible statues and family crypts which just have to be seen to be believed. It’s easy to fill in an hour wandering around there.
Metro stop Garibaldi FS on the M2 (green) line or M5 (lilac) line is just a few minutes walk from the entrance.
The Duomo
From here head to the Duomo. The easiest way to get there is via the metro. There is a dedicated stop on the Red M1 and Yellow M3 lines.
Whilst it’s an amazing church inside, the real highlight is the view of the structure and the surrounding area from the terraces. In order to get to the terraces you have two options – a €17 combined ticket which allows you entry to the cathedral and the lift to the terraces or a €13 combined ticket which allows you entry to the cathedral and to climb to the terraces via the stairs.
It’s probably not worth buying the tickets in advance. On the day I went the queue to pick up pre-purchased tickets was at least 3 times as long as the queue to buy tickets from the ticket office. In order to buy a ticket from the office you need to queue to get a number from a machine at the entrance to the ticket office which shows your place in the line to be served but oddly once you have this you can then enter the building and use the automatic machines to purchase tickets without waiting to be served at the counter.
The tickets are valid for a selected 2 hour slot. Assuming the queues aren’t too long 1 – 1 1/2 hours should be plenty of time to walk the terraces and see the inside of the cathedral.
Guide books will indicate that it’s better to use the stairs as the queues will be longer for the lifts. On the day I visited the line for the lifts was actually much shorter and it’s a pretty long climb so I’d recommend checking out the size of both the queues and unless the lift one is significantly longer (or you’re after a bit of exercise) purchase a ticket for the lift. If you do take the stairs up, you are still able to get the lift back down if you don’t feel like doing the stairs again, irrespective of what ticket you have purchased.
Stop for lunch at one of the many cafes in the blocks surrounding the Duomo.
Window Shopping
After lunch head to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, next to the Duomo. You probably won’t want to shop there, but it is worth a visit, just to admire the architecture.
A few blocks away is the golden quadrangle of streets bordered by Via Montenapoleone (known locally as Monteapo) and its parallel street Via della Spiga. Here you’ll find all of the Italian and French designers. It’s full of well heeled local shoppers and tourists window shopping.
If you are after something more affordable, there are outlet centres but these are around an hour out of Milan so really only viable if you have a few days in Milan.
Apertivo Hour
By now your feet are probably tired so it’s time to do what the locals do and find a cafe to sit down and have a glass of wine or a coffee and watch the world go by. One of the best places to do it is Navigli, the canal district. Do what the locals do and take advantage of the many apertivo specials offering free food with your drinks.
