06 May 2024
One-day tours of Milan: is it possible to tour it all in so few hours? No, but we still want to recommend the main tours you should consider if you only have a few hours to discover the city!
There is a saying in Milanese, “Milan l’è un gran Milan” that sums it all up: the city of St Ambrose, capital of fashion and design and the international representative of Italian quality production in many sectors is one of the highlights of northern Italy and, despite what many people believe, it is a city that has something for everyone.
Whether you are an art lover, a shopaholic or a fan of gastronomic tours, Milan and its many faces will be able to satisfy you and give you also – if you are motivated by culinary curiosity – something to chew on… But what can you see in Milan in a few hours?
A Tour of Milan in one day: here are 10 not to be missed!
1. A Walk in the Cimitero Monumentale
A Tour of Milan in one day: here is the first stop! Just a stone’s throw from the glass towers of Porta Nuova and the Asian street food of Via Paolo Sarpi, the Cimitero Monumentale is a place that all fans of works of art must see: here, strolling along the tree-lined paths, you can admire tombs and tomb effigies of great artistic value. Famous people of the calibre of Manzoni, the writer par excellence of Milan, rest in the Cimitero Monumentale, in the “Famedio” or Memorial Chapel. It is a triumph of funerary art, to learn more about the figures who have contributed to building up the image of Milan in the world.
2. Discovering Underground Milan
Just descend four meters deep to discover another fascinating and mysterious face of the Ambrosian capital: a tour of underground Milan will take you to discover the archaeological area below Piazza Duomo and the ancient Crypt of San Giovanni in Conca, to whose basilica the Romanesque ruins still visible in Piazza Missori belong.
Under the streets of Milan, one experiences a real return to the most remote past, admiring the remains of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti – where it seems St. Ambrose baptized Augustine of Hippo -and the ancient Basilica of Santa Tecla. Quite a leap back in time!
3. The Rooftop of the Duomo
An extraordinary walk over sixty meters high to discover the city’s first true open-air terrace.
An itinerary between heaven and earth to get to know Milan and its history from a privileged perspective: a breathtaking panorama can be seen between the spires of the Duomo, from the new skyscrapers of the Milanese skyline to the famous mountain ranges of the Alps and the Apennines.
A journey between light and stone, unprecedented and surprising, admiring the rampant arches and 135 spires of the Duomo Cathedral, “inhabited” by a silent people of 180 statues that we will try to get to know one by one during this magnificent tour on its rooftops.
4. On the vintage tram in Milan
Visit Milan from a different perspective. Climb aboard Milan’s historic tram, a special guided tour, discovering the Lombard capital and its history.
Milan’s historic tram, the 1503 car, dates back to the 1920s. Recently refurbished, it has retained all the retro charm of that period, and sitting in comfortable seats you can immerse yourself in the Milanese atmosphere. A Milan as you have never seen it. Not only for tourists but also for those who live Milan but in too much of a hurry. A time to enjoy a rail route that takes you back in time to a city that changes but never passes.
5. Cenacolo Vinciano
The grandiose work of the Tuscan genius, preserved in the refectory next to the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is one of the most studied and imitated masterpieces in the world, but also one of the most mysterious and discussed. Follow us on this guided tour, discovering the history and secrets behind the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and the splendid Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
6. Museum of La Scala
Just a few more steps will be enough for you to reach Milan’s famous La Scala: the opera house is located in the Piazza della Scala and will captivate you with its neoclassical elegance, which bears the signature of Giuseppe Piermarini. Its stage over the years has hosted great opera voices, such as the divine Callas and composers and musicians of the caliber of Verdi and Paganini.
Today it is possible to visit the halls of the Teatro alla Scala Museum where one can retrace the splendor of theatrical seasons, from the time of Eleonora Duse, to the discovery of historical and unique relics such as the tuft of hair of the renowned Mozart.
7. San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
Guided tour of a special place: the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, also known as the Sistine Chapel of Milan. In Corso Magenta, nestled and hidden among majestic and flashy buildings, stands a seemingly anonymous church, so much so that its sober and gray facade almost escapes a distracted eye… but how much beauty and splendor it holds inside!
Come in with us along a guided tour led by expert guides, and be enchanted by the thousands of colors that entirely cover its walls, telling us unknown stories to be discovered one after the other.
8. Sforza’s Castle
With the guided tour of Milan’s Castello Sforzesco, we relive the charm of court life, Gothic legends and architecture made up of crenellated towers and drawbridges as we stroll through its exterior. In the true heart of the city, we follow the snake called Biscione, still considered the symbol of Milan, and explore the ancient fortress, home to great masterpieces by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and other priceless treasures, now the property of the Civic Museums. And finally, a walk with a view from the Sforza Castle over the Arco della Pace, into the greenery of Sempione Park, where the hunting estate of the lords of Milan once stretched…
9. Branca Tower
A guided tour at sundown, at the hour of sunset: when the city slowly lights up in the evening lights and it’s time for an aperitif, it’s time to climb the most Milanese tower there is, the Torre Branca!
Follow us up to the highest panoramic terrace of the Branca Tower, exclusively reserved for us: listening to a thousand stories and tales about the city that slowly unfolds before our eyes, we will enjoy, up there, almost 100 meters high, a unique and unforgettable aperitif at altitude!
10. Crypt of San Sepolcro
Approaching the Church of St. Sepolcro, we already have the impression that we are traveling back in time, and taking a leap back to the Lombard Middle Ages and the time of the Crusades… The very facade of the church, although rebuilt over time, seems to be defended by its two tall towers as if by two knights from a distant time! Founded as far back as 1030 with the name Holy Trinity, the church was soon rededicated to the Holy Sepulchre because of the presence, since its foundation, of the crypt, a legendary, almost magical place, a copy of Christ’s holy sepulcher in Jerusalem.
