The Perfect 3-Day Milan Itinerary
Milan… we liked you. When I say we, I mean my mom and I, and my mom is a New Yorker… meaning she is a tough cookie to crack – but three days in Milan was enough to have both her and I sold on the city.
Milan is most definitely your typical European city… except, it’s Italy – meaning there is warmth, pizza, pasta, and gelato… I mean, how much better can a 3 day trip to Milan get?
Climbing up the Duomo in Milan, Italy
It’s exactly what you’d expect: pizza, pasta, and high end fashion… over Paris, London, or New York. My mom and I did some serious window shopping here.
It’s clean, it’s public transportation is excellent, but most of all: it’s a beautiful & functional place to live.
Is Milan worth visiting?
Yes, Milan is worth visiting if you like manicured, clean, functional cities and enjoy window shopping. Furthermore, Milan could make for a nice break from other tourist-heavy Italian cities like Rome or Venice.
Is 3 Days Enough For Milan?
Yes, 3 days is truly the perfect amount for Milan – as you’ll be able to see all the famous Leonardo’s Supper, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Duomo Milano with enough time to discover more local places like Corso Como, Navigili Canals, and window shopping in Quadrilatero della Moda.
⭐ Are Milan's Main Attractions Worth It? ⭐
| Attraction | My Rating | Is It Worth It? |
|---|---|---|
| 🎨 Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | Definitely worth seeing, especially because it is one of the most famous works of art in the world. However, you absolutely need to book your tickets in advance because visits are timed and tickets regularly sell out. |
| ⛪ Duomo di Milano | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | A complete must-see in Milan. I loved going up to the rooftop and being surrounded by the cathedral's incredible architecture, but even simply visiting the plaza for pictures is completely free and absolutely worthwhile. |
| 🛍️ Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ | The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is so beautiful inside, even if you don't plan on doing any shopping. The glass ceiling, intricate floors, and elegant architecture make it well worth walking through while you're near the Duomo. |
Switzerland on the way to Milan 😍🇨🇭😍
💶 Estimated Budget for 3 Days in Milan 🇮🇹
| Expense | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| 🏨 Mid-range hotel (per night) | €140–220 |
| 🚇 Public transportation (3-day metro pass) | ~€15 |
| 🍝 Meals & cafés (per day) | €35–70 |
| 🍷 Aperitivo or wine | €8–18 |
| ⛪ Duomo rooftop ticket | €20–30 |
| 🎨 Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper | ~€15 |
| 🛍️ Shopping budget (optional) | Whatever your wallet can survive 😅 |
| 💶 Total mid-range budget (excluding shopping) | ~€650–1,000 |
How To Spend 3 Days in Milan
Let me break down what our three day trip to Milan looked like in depth to help you plan your travels to one of Italy’s most vibrant cities:
Day 1:
📍 Main Stops: Duomo di Milano • Sforza Castle • Sempione Park
⏰ Time Needed: 6–8 hours
✨ Best For: First-time visitors wanting to see Milan's most iconic landmarks while getting a feel for the city's atmosphere.
⭐ Highlight: Admire the breathtaking Duomo, wander through Sforza Castle, relax in Sempione Park, and finish the day shopping for inexpensive groceries and Italian treats.
My mom and I took a train from Lucerne into Italy, and it resulted in a train ride that looked something like this…
Views of the Swiss country side as we approach the Swiss-Italian Border; July 2018
… for the entire time. We even passed Lake Como. One of the Europeans on the train closed the curtains on the windows, as it was July, midday, and sunny… but he opened them back up after he saw how encapsulated I was by the European country side. I mean, come on… how could you not be?!
… how could you not be?!
Once we arrived, we headed straight for the Duomo.
Just like most European cities, the minute you pop out of the metro… there it is, bold and commanding before your eyes.
Milan Duomo; July 2018
We then made our way to Sforza Castle.
Sforza Castle; July 2018
My mom and I compromised: she stopped at all of the spots to read on the history on the castle, and then we took a pause to enjoy the European park while we could.
Sempione Park in Milan, Italy. Taken July 2018.
Afterwards, we took advantage of the fridge in our hotel room and went grocery shopping. Let me tell you, if you are chill with eating salads and getting creative with cooking while traveling… do it in Italy. Groceries are incredibly cheap there. My mom and I would buy lemon juice, salad mixes, tofu, and some bread and be good to go.
We even bought dumplings and cooked them in the hot water machine from our room… but you don’t have to be as ridiculous as we were; that part is optional.
Not to mention, wine is literally cheaper than water nearly everywhere in Italy.
Wine for €1,49 for a carton… this, is Italy.
I mean, €1,49 for a carton… how could you not take advantage?
Day 2:
📍 Main Stops: Duomo Rooftop • Navigli Canals • Leonardo's Last Supper • Duomo Shopping District
⏰ Time Needed: Full day (8–10 hours)
✨ Best For: Travelers who want a mix of famous attractions, beautiful canals, shopping, and authentic Italian food.
⭐ Highlight: Climb to the top of Milan's Duomo, stroll along the charming Navigli Canals, see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, and finish the day with pasta and wine in the heart of Milan.
I knew I wanted to climb up the Duomo for a city view, as it’s one of my favorite things to do when I travel, so it was the first things on our list that morning. Beware: you need to have your legs & shoulders covered to be able to go inside. Having previously traveled Europe in the winter and going into churches in jeans & a jacket… I blanked that wearing my too-short-for-Europeans-American-styled-short-shorts wouldn’t cut it as an acceptable entry fee.
My mom, in her true New Yorker essence, bargained with the guys surrounded the Duomo for a deal on the cloaks. I now keep mine in my suitcase in the event that I’ll need it somewhere around the world while sightseeing…
… but I advise that you don’t be us and buy a €7 cloak when you don’t need to. Bring it with you before if you intend to travel Italy in the summer.
The views from the top of the Duomo are okay… nothing special in comparison to other views-from-the-top that I’ve seen.
View from the top of the Duomo in Milan; July 2018
Still, it was cool to be submersed in the Duomo itself.
It was cool to be ‘in’ the Duomo
Then we were off to the Navigili Canals, which were recommended to us by my mom’s college friend who studied abroad. It’s a charming area that gives you a breather from the touristy areas, as well as several gelato opportunities.
Navigili Canals in Milano; Taken July 2018
Don’t eat dairy?
It’s honestly not a problem, in Italy.
Everywhere you go, they most likely will point out the dairy-free options if you just ask. They’re usually a fruity flavor or dark chocolate… I would just default to strawberry and dark chocolate each time. Absolutely no complaints… it’s a match made in taste-bud-heaven.
My Strawberry & Dark Chocolate Dairy-Free Gelato at the Navigili Canals in Milan, Italy: July 2018.
We then ventured to go see Leonardo’s Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Do I need to reserve tickets to see leonardo’s last supper?
If you want to do this, again… buy your tickets online ahead of time. My mom & I were hoping to go in together, but there was only one ticket left.
I can’t believe I was lucky enough (and that my mom, an architect and artist at heart, willing to let me go inside instead of her), to get to snap a picture and see it in person. It is fading… but it’s still worth seeing.
Leonardo’s Last Supper; July 2018
My mom enjoyed a cannoli while I was in there (the tours of Leonardo’s Last Supper are timed; you can’t go in just to see the painting), so I suppose we were both winners that day!
She said it tasted incredible, and by the looks of how that cream is seeping out the cannoli in this picture: we have no reason to not believe her.
An authentic Italian canonoli that my mom thoroughly enjoyed.
We then strolled through the shops surrounding the Duomo (there are lots of things there that everyone knows of, like Lush, the Lego Store, etc…) and then went back to our room for a quick rest before our first Italian feast.
What makes eating pasta in Italy different than how we make it in the U.S. is the duration of how long they cook it for. We tend to overcook our pasta; when it’s actually meant to be eaten al dente.
I had never had pasta the “right” way before my first Milanese dining experience… and I loved it.
My first Italian spaghetti tasting in Milan; July 2018
Again: wine is cheaper than ordering water for the table… so take advantage of that, like my mom did.
Day 3:
📍 Main Stops: 10 Corso Como • Quadrilatero della Moda • Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II • Gallerie d'Italia
⏰ Time Needed: 6–8 hours
✨ Best For: Fashion lovers, shoppers, café hopping, and discovering Milan's elegant side beyond the main tourist attractions.
⭐ Highlight: Browse Milan's luxury fashion district, explore charming local streets and supermarkets, admire the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and enjoy one last Italian pastry before continuing your journey.
We slept in this day after going at it non-stop for the past 36 hours. After breakfast, we walked to the famous 10 Corso Como.
10 Corso Como; July 2018.
It’s a typical, charm-filled street with cafes, pizzerias, and tiny expensive, but exquisite, stores.
Isn’t this bag just the cutest?!
We then decided to get lost, and find the local shopping the was just past the 10 Corso Como.
An outdoor mall in Milan; July 2018.
We came across what appeared to be an outdoor shopping mall, and perused that before getting lost inside an Esselunga, an Italian grocery store. When traveling, I advise you always pop into local supermarket, even if you don’t need something… just to see how, “the other half” lives.
Gnocchi in a local grocery store in Milan.
This day, I actually needed more leave-in-conditioner: something that’s not easy to travel with… I have a small habit of trying a new one every time I leave the country. It seems trivial, but it’s the little things like this, buying something that you need and seeing the options available to other people on a day-to-day basis, that make traveling so much fun.
Because it brings new to what’s usually ordinary and routine to you.
Afterwards, we made our way to the Quadrilatero della moda.
The whole Quadrilatero della Moda area definitely makes you feel like your on the inside of a high-end fashion magazine.
We marveled in all of the expensive shoes…
The way they present fashion in Milan is truly unique.
… and I do mean all of them.
We were low-key mad that we couldn’t afford any of those shoes.
We then made our way back to the Duomo area, where my mom had a legit tiramisu, and I had a vegan chocolate croissant (they’re so good and so cheap all over Italy. Just say, ‘soy vegano’ and they’ll know what you’re talking about).
In Italy, Tiramisu is actually a pudding, not coffee cake.
We popped into Gallerie d'italia for a brief moment to take a peek at all of the modern art inside.
Outside the Gallerie d'Italia in Milan, Italy; July 2018
Inside the Gallerie d'Italia in Milan, Italy; July 2018
We went into Galleria Vittorio Emanuele briefly on the first day, but went back inside the last day for a better feel. There’s a lot of shopping in there, too.
Basically, Milan is about shopping.
My mom cracked a joke that she thought Ceaser’s Palace in Las Vegas was beautiful, until she saw inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele…
Inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele; July 2018.
It was a jam-packed day. We were going to hop onto the metro, but it was closed. After a two mile (around 3.3 kilometer) walk back to our room, we finished off our salad mixes and our leftover pizza from the night before as we were off to Rome the next day.
Our leftover Milanese feast on our last night.
I hope this gave you an idea of how you want to spend your time in Milan!
If you’re looking for other things to do in Italy, click here.
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Last updated: July 25, 2026