Milan Travel Guide: Duomo and Last Supper Tickets, Getting Around and What to Eat
Milan's two big sights are the Duomo and Leonardo's Last Supper. A Duomo Culture Pass costs €15, and the Duomo Pass with rooftop access is €22 by stairs or €26 by lift. The Last Supper costs €15 for adults, must always be booked, and gives you just 15 minutes; tickets are released quarterly and sell out fast. From Malpensa, the Malpensa Express reaches the city in about 37 minutes; from Linate, metro line M4 gets you to the centre in about 12.
Key takeaways
- The Duomo is right outside Duomo metro station (lines M1 and M3); the Culture Pass is €15, and the Duomo Pass with rooftop terraces is €22 (stairs) or €26 (lift).
- The Last Supper is open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15–19:00 and closed Mondays; up to 40 people per 15-minute slot, €15 for adults, booking always required.
- Metro line M4 has been fully open since October 2024 and runs from Linate Airport to San Babila in the centre in about 12 minutes.
- Since 1 January 2026, Milan's public transport no longer sells paper tickets; a standard single costs €2.20 (90 minutes with transfers), and you can tap in with a contactless card or phone.
- The Malpensa Express has cost €15 one way since August 2025: about 37 minutes to Cadorna and 51 minutes to Milano Centrale.
Top things to do in Milan at a glance
These four sights are all close to the centre and easy to link by metro or tram. Prices are 2026 figures; check each official site before you go.
| Sight | Adult ticket | How to get there | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Cathedral (Duomo) | Culture Pass €15; Duomo Pass €22–26 | Duomo station, M1/M3 | 2–3 hours |
| Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II | Free | Duomo station, M1/M3, north side of the cathedral square | 30 min–1 hour |
| The Last Supper (Santa Maria delle Grazie) | €15, booking required | Conciliazione (M1) or Cadorna (M1/M2); tram 16 | 15-minute visit |
| Navigli canal district | Free | Porta Genova (M2); trams 9 and 10 | Evening |
Which Milan Cathedral ticket should you buy? Prices and opening hours
Duomo tickets fall into two groups: inside only, or with the rooftop terraces. For the cathedral, the Duomo Museum and the archaeological area, buy the Culture Pass (€15); to walk among the spires on the roof, buy the Duomo Pass: €22 by stairs or €26 by lift. Buy tickets on the official Duomo ticket site.
| Ticket | Full price | Reduced | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culture Pass | €15 | €7.50 | Cathedral, archaeological area, Duomo Museum, San Gottardo church (valid 72 hours) |
| Duomo Pass (stairs) | €22 | €11 | Culture Pass areas + rooftop terraces by stairs |
| Duomo Pass (lift) | €26 | €13 | Culture Pass areas + rooftop terraces by lift |
| Rooftop terraces only | €16 (stairs) / €18 (lift) | €8 / €9 | Rooftop terraces |
- The cathedral is open for visits roughly 8:00–18:00 and the terraces roughly 9:00–19:00 (last entry around 18:10); hours change for services, events or bad weather.
- If you take the lift up to the roof, you still walk down.
- Since 27 September 2026 the Duomo Museum is free on the last Sunday of every month; book on the official site from the Tuesday before.
- You go through a security check at the entrance and must dress appropriately for a place of worship; see the official visitor rules.
Construction of the Duomo began in 1386, and its last bronze doors were only finished in the 20th century. It is the largest church in Italy. The roof has 135 spires, topped by the gilded statue of the Madonnina, and about 3,400 statues decorate the building.
Milan Cathedral and Piazza del Duomo. Photo: Jiuguang Wang / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: Milan's free landmark
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II sits on the north side of the cathedral square and is free and open all day. This glass-roofed shopping arcade links the Duomo with La Scala opera house. Designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni and built in 1865–1877, it's lined with luxury shops, cafés and restaurants.
It's also one of the busiest tourist spots in Milan, so wear your bag in front of you and be wary of strangers who approach you to chat or ask for a signature.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Photo: Steffen Schmitz (Carschten) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
How to book Last Supper tickets in 2026
You must always book the Last Supper. Adults pay €15, EU citizens aged 18–25 pay €2, and under-18s are free (booking still required). To protect the mural, each slot admits up to 40 people for 15 minutes. It's open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15–19:00 (last entry 18:45) and closed on Mondays.
Tickets go on sale every three months; for example, September–December 2026 tickets went on sale at noon on 23 June 2026, and peak dates sell out quickly. Check the official Last Supper website for the next release date and buy through the official ticket site, cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it; online orders are limited to 5 tickets.
Leonardo painted the mural around 1495–1498 on the wall of the refectory beside Santa Maria delle Grazie; the church and the painting became a UNESCO World Heritage Site together in 1980.
How to get to the Last Supper
- Take metro M1 to Conciliazione and walk about 5–10 minutes.
- Take metro M1 or M2 to Cadorna and walk about 10 minutes.
- Take tram 16 to the Corso Magenta / Santa Maria delle Grazie stop, right by the church.
Address: Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, Milan.
The apse of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Photo: Masi27185 at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
How to get to the Navigli: Milan's canal-side nightlife
For the Navigli, take metro M2 to Porta Genova and walk about 5 minutes to the Naviglio Grande, or take tram 9 (which ends at Porta Genova) or tram 10 (which ends at Piazza XXIV Maggio). Digging of the canal began in the 12th century, and it once carried the marble used to build the Duomo. Today its banks are lined with restaurants, bars and small shops.
- Early evening is the liveliest time, and many bars serve aperitivo (snacks with your drink).
- A large antiques market runs along the Naviglio Grande on the last Sunday of every month (except July); it gets crowded, so keep an eye on your belongings.
The Naviglio Grande in the evening. Photo: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
How to get from Milan's airports to the city
From Malpensa (MXP), the easiest option is the Malpensa Express: €15 one way, about 37 minutes to Cadorna and 51 minutes to Milano Centrale. From Linate (LIN), metro line M4 takes about 12 minutes to San Babila in the centre on a standard €2.20 ticket.
| Route | Transport | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malpensa → Cadorna | Malpensa Express | €15 | About 37 min |
| Malpensa → Milano Centrale | Malpensa Express | €15 | About 51 min |
| Linate → San Babila | Metro M4 | €2.20 | About 12 min |
How to use the Milan metro
The Milan metro has five lines: M1 (red), M2 (green), M3 (yellow), M4 (blue) and M5 (purple). A standard single ticket costs €2.20 and gives 90 minutes of unlimited transfers between metro, buses and trams. Since 1 January 2026, paper tickets are no longer sold or accepted: use a contactless bank card, phone payment or a RicaricaMi card. Some M4 ticket machines only take electronic payment.
What to eat in Milan
Milan's three classic dishes are saffron risotto, braised veal shank (ossobuco) and gelato; the risotto and ossobuco are often served together.
Risotto alla Milanese
Risotto alla Milanese is flavoured with saffron, which turns it golden. The traditional recipe adds butter, Parmesan and beef marrow for a creamy texture. In traditional restaurants it's often served as the side for ossobuco.
Ossobuco alla Milanese
Ossobuco is a cross-cut slice of veal shank with the marrow bone, braised slowly in white wine and stock until tender and finished with gremolata, a mix of lemon zest, garlic and parsley; some versions add tomato. The marrow in the bone is the best part.
Ossobuco with risotto alla Milanese. Photo: pier / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Gelato
Gelato has less air whipped into it than regular ice cream, so it tastes denser and richer; pistachio, hazelnut and lemon are the most popular flavours. There are plenty of artisan gelaterie in the centre and the Navigli. Shops with naturally coloured flavours that aren't piled up high are usually the more authentic ones.
Big luggage in Milan? How to get around without it
Sightseeing in Milan with a suitcase isn't easy. You queue for security at the Duomo entrance, many metro stations involve stairs, and Milano Centrale and the Duomo area are crowded and known for pickpockets. If you want to see the Last Supper after check-out (15-minute slots, no late entry), or you're taking the train on to Florence or Rome, your bags become the biggest burden.
The usual options are:
- Leave your bags with the hotel front desk and come back for them (you have to return to the hotel).
- Use the left-luggage office at Milano Centrale or a storage shop in town.
- Use a luggage delivery service to send them straight to your next stop.
LuggAgent collects luggage from hotels, apartments and airports in Milan and delivers it to hotels and airports in the city, or to hotels in Florence and Rome: choose a 09:00–11:00 pickup time when booking, leave your bags at the front desk before then and they arrive by 21:00 the same day. Most services need to be booked at least 24–72 hours in advance; the exact cutoff is shown on the booking page. See Milan luggage delivery for details.
Landing at Malpensa, you can hand us your bags at the airport and take the airport train into the city hands-free:
If you fly into Linate from elsewhere in Europe, we can also take your bags straight to your Milan hotel:
Moving on to Florence by train, travel with just a day bag while your luggage goes to your Florence hotel the same day:
FAQ
Do you have to pay to enter Milan Cathedral?
Yes. Visiting the inside of the Duomo requires a ticket; the cheapest is the €15 Culture Pass (cathedral, museum and archaeological area), and the rooftop terraces need a Duomo Pass: €22 by stairs or €26 by lift. Admiring the façade from the square is free.
What if Last Supper tickets are sold out?
Official tickets are released every three months and sell out quickly. Check the official site from time to time for newly released places, or book an officially authorised guided tour that includes entry, which usually costs much more than the ticket alone. Avoid unknown resale sites: tickets are for a fixed time slot and you must arrive on time.
Can you pay for the Milan metro with a credit card?
Yes. Since 1 January 2026 Milan's public transport no longer uses paper tickets, so you can tap in and out with a contactless card or phone; a standard single is €2.20 with 90 minutes of transfers. The same fare applies on metro line M4 from Linate Airport into the city.
How long does it take from Malpensa Airport to central Milan?
The Malpensa Express takes about 37 minutes to Cadorna and about 51 minutes to Milano Centrale, for €15 one way. Timetables and fares can change, so check Trenord's official announcements.
How many days do you need in Milan?
Milan's main sights are close together, so 2 days is enough for the Duomo, the Galleria, the Last Supper and the Navigli. Add a day or two if you want a day trip to Lake Como or elsewhere nearby, for 3–4 days in total.
Cover photo: mnuernberger (Flickr) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
This article offers general travel tips for reference only. For actual services and conditions, please rely on the booking page and the latest official announcements.
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