What to see in Milan in 2 days

Before every travel, we do a very detailed search about the places we will see. Most of the information we get online. We also like to use travel guide books.

For Milan, there are a lot of websites with suggestions. When we made a sum of them we found out they end up mentioning all the same attractions.

More information on how we planned our trip to Milan and Lake Como you can read in the previous blog Milan and Lake Como in 3 days.

choice of attractions

Among so many, we had to pick our choice. That was not so difficult because many of them are close to each other and within walking distance.

The old city center is a circular shape and there you find most of the mentioned places. That is how you can walk around from one place to another in one or two days.

Fortunately many places worth seeing in Milan are free.

1. Duomo di Milano. Milan’s most popular square is Piazza Duomo. It is the heart of the city as it is home to the famous city cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Gothic white marble cathedral -The Duomo is the square’s focus and the city’s main Catholic place of worship. It is one of the largest and more famous cathedrals in the world.

2. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Milan’s famous shopping mall. The arcade that connects the square with Piazza Della Scala. Through the arcades, there are lines of shops. The stores have large glass windows and house exclusive brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Prada etc.

3. Sforza Castle is a historic fortress. It houses several of Milan’s best museums including the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco. The original fortress on this site was constructed in the 14th century and at that point, it had four long walls with square towers at the corners. Later they expanded the fortress and converted it into a palace house.

Parco Sempione is an English landscape park very close to the Castle. It is worth visiting and having a rest from walking.

4. Pinacoteca di Brera contains one of the leading art collections created by Italian artists from the 14th to 20th centuries. Including masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio, Andrea Mantegna, Canaletto and Giovanni Bellini. The collection grew into one of Italy’s most important galleries.

5. San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore was the church of a Benedictine convent. Today the convent is an archaeological museum and the church is used by locals. The church interior is one of the most beautiful in the city with frescoes covering every surface and bursting with colour.

6. Piazza Mercanti is a public square not far from the Duomo. At one time was the centre of Milan’s commercial and governmental life. During the Middle Ages, the square was surrounded by important civil buildings like the city hall, law courts and a prison. This was where a crier would announce weddings and where the city market was held.

7. Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio is the church founded in the 4th century A.C. by the former bishop Ambrogio and Milan’s patron saint. Later they expanded the church and constructed a Benedictine convent adjoining the church. Donate Bramante began construction of the cloisters and portico.

9. Teatro Alla Scala is one of the world’s most famous opera houses and the leading theatres globally. Its interior is fascinating. The Theatre Museum contains a large collection of objects related to the world of opera and theatre.

10. Piazza Gae Aulenti – is the centre of Milan’s most modern neighbourhood. The square is dedicated to the famous female architect Gae Aulenti. Another of the highlights is The Vertical Forest, a pair of towers covered by 2.000 species of plants.