What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Milan, Italy.
Photo: Antonio_Cansino / Pixabay
Milan is a large inland city in Italy, home to 1,354,196 people. It is not the capital and not on the coast, so come for art, churches, shopping and food rather than beaches. The Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala sit close together in Centro Storico. The Last Supper is in Magenta. Brera suits art lovers, Navigli suits nightlife and Porta Venezia suits food lovers. The best months to visit are April, September and October.
We have no fixed number of days for Milan. Most main sights take 30 minutes to 3 hours each. Centro Storico alone can fill most of a day. Allow extra time for The Last Supper, Sforza Castle, Pinacoteca di Brera and an evening in Navigli.
Centro Storico
Milan's huge Gothic cathedral is the symbol of the city and took centuries to finish. Go inside for the stained glass, then walk on the roof terraces among the marble spires for close views over the centre. Queues can be long, so book ahead.
Magenta
Leonardo da Vinci's mural covers a wall of the old refectory next to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Visits are short, timed and in small groups. Tickets sell out weeks ahead, so don't come without a booking.
Centro Storico
This 19th-century shopping arcade has a glass-and-iron roof and mosaic floors, and it links the Duomo square to La Scala. It is free to walk through. Cafés and shops inside are expensive, so many people just look.
Parco Sempione
A large brick castle that holds several civic museums. Highlights include Michelangelo's unfinished Rondanini Pietà and rooms of paintings and old weapons. The courtyards are free, and Sempione Park behind the castle is good for a break.
Brera
Milan's main art gallery, with Italian paintings by artists such as Mantegna, Raphael and Caravaggio. Afterwards, walk the narrow streets of the Brera district, which are full of small shops and bars.
Centro Storico
One of the world's most famous opera houses. The museum shows costumes, instruments and portraits, and you can often look into the auditorium from a box when there is no rehearsal. Seeing a performance needs early booking.
Navigli
An area of old canals in the south-west of the city, lined with bars and restaurants. It is best in the early evening for aperitivo. It gets very crowded at weekends, and daytime is much quieter.
Sant'Ambrogio
One of Milan's oldest churches, built in the Romanesque style and dedicated to the city's patron saint. It has a calm brick courtyard and early Christian mosaics. It is a short walk from The Last Supper, so the two fit well together.
Magenta
From the outside it is a plain church, but inside almost every wall is covered in Renaissance frescoes. It is free to enter and usually far less crowded than the big sights. It sits next to the city's archaeological museum.
Monumentale
A large cemetery that works like an open-air sculpture museum, with grand family tombs in many styles. It is quiet and free to enter. Pick up a map at the entrance to find the main monuments.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C / -1°C | 6 days (50 mm) | 6.3 h/day | 3.3/10 |
| February | 11°C / 2°C | 8 days (81 mm) | 6.7 h/day | 4.5/10 |
| March | 15°C / 4°C | 9 days (76 mm) | 8.7 h/day | 6.5/10 |
| Best month: April | 19°C / 8°C | 9 days (88 mm) | 10.5 h/day | 8.2/10 |
| May | 22°C / 13°C | 16 days (163 mm) | 10.6 h/day | 7.0/10 |
| June | 27°C / 18°C | 11 days (115 mm) | 13.0 h/day | 7.1/10 |
| July | 30°C / 20°C | 12 days (100 mm) | 13.5 h/day | 5.7/10 |
| August | 29°C / 20°C | 10 days (107 mm) | 12.0 h/day | 6.3/10 |
| Best month: September | 24°C / 15°C | 10 days (122 mm) | 10.1 h/day | 8.0/10 |
| Best month: October | 19°C / 11°C | 12 days (142 mm) | 7.4 h/day | 7.6/10 |
| November | 12°C / 5°C | 11 days (112 mm) | 5.7 h/day | 4.4/10 |
| December | 8°C / 1°C | 7 days (64 mm) | 5.2 h/day | 2.9/10 |
Avoid. Cold and grey, with highs near 8°C, lows around -0.6°C and only 6.3 sun hours a day. Rain falls on about 6 days.
OK, but not great. Highs reach 11°C and rain falls on about 8 days. It is still chilly, with lows near 2°C.
Good. Highs climb to 14.5°C and rain comes on about 9 days. Days get brighter, with 8.7 sun hours.
Best month, with the top score of the year. Mild highs of 18.5°C, about 9 rain days and 10.5 sun hours.
Good, but wet. Highs reach 22°C, but May has the most rain, with about 16 rain days and 163 mm. Pack an umbrella.
Good. Warm highs of 27°C, 13 sun hours and rain on about 11 days. Long, bright days for walking the city.
OK. The hottest month, with highs near 30°C and warm nights around 20°C. Rain falls on about 12 days. The heat makes sightseeing tiring.
Good. Highs of 29°C and rain on about 10 days. It is still hot, so plan outdoor walks for mornings and evenings.
Best. Highs of 24°C, about 10 rain days and 10 sun hours. The worst summer heat has gone, but days stay warm.
Best. Mild highs of 19°C, though rain rises to about 11.5 days and 142 mm. Bring a rain jacket.
OK, but not great. Highs drop to 12°C and rain falls on about 11 days. Sun is short, at 5.7 hours a day.
Avoid. It has the lowest score of the year. Highs are near 8°C, lows around 1°C, with just 5.2 sun hours. Rain falls on about 7 days.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Italy →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, short stays
This is the historic core around the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala, so most major sights are a walk away. Metro links from here reach the rest of the city easily. The drawback is crowds in the day, and many streets feel empty and quiet at night once shops close.
Good for couples, art lovers
Brera has narrow cobbled streets, small galleries, cafés and the Pinacoteca di Brera art museum, and it is a short walk to the Duomo. It feels calmer and more local than the centre. The downside is that it is one of the more expensive areas, and restaurant terraces can be noisy on warm evenings.
Good for nightlife, younger travellers
Built around the old canals in the south-west, Navigli is known for aperitivo bars, restaurants and a relaxed evening scene. It is a good base if you want to go out without needing transport home. Expect noise late at night, especially at weekends, and a longer trip to the main sights than from the centre.
Good for food lovers, LGBTQ+ travellers
This area east of the centre has Liberty-style buildings, a wide mix of international restaurants and the Giardini Indro Montanelli park. It is well connected by metro and has a lively, open bar scene. Some streets near the busy bars get loud in the evening.
Good for repeat visitors, modern design fans
Isola is a former working-class area next to the new Porta Nuova towers and the Bosco Verticale buildings, with independent bars and restaurants. It feels local and modern, and Porta Garibaldi station is close for trains and the metro. You will need the metro or a longer walk to reach the Duomo and older sights.
Good for early trains, day trips
Staying near Milano Centrale makes sense if you plan day trips to places like Lake Como or arrive by airport bus or train. Transport links are the best in the city. The area has little charm, and some streets around the station feel uncomfortable late at night.
Rice cooked slowly in broth with saffron, butter and Parmesan, which gives it a deep yellow colour. Locals order it in traditional trattorias, often as a first course or served with ossobuco.
A veal cutlet on the bone, coated in breadcrumbs and fried in butter. It is a classic main course in Milanese trattorias and is often served simply with a lemon wedge.
Cross-cut veal shank braised slowly until tender, often finished with gremolata, a mix of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Milanese families and trattorias traditionally pair it with saffron risotto.
A rich winter stew of pork cuts, such as ribs and sausage, cooked with Savoy cabbage. It is a cold-weather dish, so look for it on trattoria menus in the colder months.
A tall, domed sweet bread made with a slow-rising dough, candied peel and raisins. It is Milan's classic Christmas cake, sold in bakeries and pastry shops across the city during the holidays.
April, September and October are the best months to visit Milan. They have the highest scores: 8.2 for April, 8 for September and 7.6 for October. April has mild highs of 18.5°C and 9.2 rain days. September is warmer at 24.2°C. October is pleasant at 19°C but wetter, with 142 mm of rain over 11.5 days.
Yes, August is a good month, but expect heat. It scores 6.3. Highs average 29.4°C and nights stay warm at 19.7°C. You get about 12 sun hours and 10.1 rain days. July is slightly hotter at 29.9°C and scores lower, at 5.7. If you dislike heat, choose September instead.
These are the worst months for weather, so avoid them if you can. December scores 2.9 and January 3.3. Highs are only 7.9°C and 7.8°C. Lows drop to 0.9°C and -0.6°C. December has just 5.2 sun hours. If you must go, focus on indoor sights like the Duomo, The Last Supper and the Pinacoteca di Brera.
May is the rainiest month in Milan. It averages 163 mm of rain over 16.2 rain days. That is almost twice the rain of April, which has 88 mm. May still scores a good 7, with highs of 21.9°C. Pack an umbrella and plan indoor backups.
You need more than one full day to see all the main sights. The Duomo, Sforza Castle, Pinacoteca di Brera and Navigli each take 2–3 hours. The Last Supper, La Scala and Sant'Ambrogio take about 1 hour each. The Monumental Cemetery takes 1–2 hours. The Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala are all in Centro Storico, so you can group them.
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