A weekend in Milan: tips and ideas for a weekend in the city

Even when time seems to be short, spending a sterling weekend in Milan is still possible! What should you not miss if you only have a couple of days? Here are some good tips on on how to organise a weekend in Milan and the must-sees of the city for a weekend stay in the shadow of the Madonnina. Here we go!

To move around the city more easily, buy a public transport day ticket or a 3-day ticket and download the Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) App: in this way you do not have to worry about travel and you can calculate your routes and check the frequency of the public transport and waiting times at any time. Taking a tram ride is often the ideal way to see different areas of the city and rest your legs as you move from one point to another!
 
If you don't want to miss an exhibition you've heard a lot about, our advice is to book a visit to the museums of Milan in advance. Otherwise, you risk spending hours and hours queueing, thus losing the possibility of seeing anything else. With just a few clicks you can schedule a visit to the MUDEC or Palazzo Reale and perhaps to the Cathedral and Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper too, two of the must-sees in Milan: two treasures like that are not to be missed!
 
Think ahead and avoid problems even at mealtimes: to enjoy a nice weekend in Milan and avoid missing out on the best Milanese restaurants, check the opening times and whether it is possible to book. The pizzerias and restaurants best-loved by the Milanese are often full or have long waiting times, especially between 8 and 10 pm and at weekends.

Let's imagine a possible itinerary for the first day of a weekend in Milan.
 
Let's start with the Fashion Quadrilateral, the haute couture shopping district. A walk among the famous high fashion boutiques made in Italy and international in Via della Spiga, Via Montenapoleone, and the neighboring area is a must! Leaving high fashion behind, in just a few minutes you could walk along Via Manzoni to Piazza della Scala Square, where there is the most famous theatre in the city, a temple of opera and ballet.

You can't say you've been to Milan, then, without having walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which connects Piazza della Scala to Piazza Duomo: The Gallery is one of the city's most spectacular sights because it elegantly connects the historic center of Milan. Look up and see for yourself! When you arrive in Piazza Duomo, taking a souvenir photo is practically mandatory. The Duomo is Milan's magnificent Gothic cathedral dedicated to the Madonna, and indeed the statue of the "madunìna" on the main spire is the symbol of Milan. A visit to the interior, the underground ruins, and the terraces of the Duomo takes two to three hours, but it's really worth it.

After you have explored the Duomo, you will be able to make a small detour to  Piazza Mercantione of the oldest parts of Milan, and then at the beginning of via Torino, you could be amazed by the trompe l'oeil perfected by Bramante in the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro. Wander into the narrow streets of the Cinque Vie and continue south, where you will find the Columns of San Lorenzo, a late Roman building located in the square in front of the Basilica of the same name and a stone's throw from the medieval Porta Ticinese.
 
At this point, as a worthy end to the first day of the weekend stay in Milan enjoy an aperitif, a dinner or a drink in the Navigli canal area, one of the areas best loved by the Milanese and visitors to Milan, due to the many clubs and the unique atmosphere of the bygone Milan.

In the hypothetical itinerary of the second day of a weekend in Milan let's start with one of the symbols of Milan, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is the early Christian church dedicated to the patron saint of the city and is freely visitable. From here you could head to Corso Magenta and then Piazza Affari, which you can see L.O.V.E., Maurizio Cattelan's iconic "middle finger" sculpture. A walk in the beautiful pedestrian area of Via Dante will take you to Castello Sforzesco, one of the must-see sights of Milan. Even when time is short, it is worth dedicating a few minutes to the enormous Courtyard of Arms.
 
To the east of Parco Sempione is Brera, one of the most characteristic districts of Milan where you will also find the Brera Accademia delle Belle Arti. If it's already lunchtime, stop by one of the many small restaurants to taste a Milanese risotto or an "elephant's ear" cutlet and fortify yourself with a good glass of wine. From Brera, the heart of Milan, it's easy to get to San Marco, a particularly evocative area: where a canal once flowed. Indeed you can see Leonardo da Vinci's lock, designed to regulate the flow of water and make the canal navigable in the Renaissance period. 

Corso Garibaldi, on the other hand, leads to the Moscova/Corso Comoareas that are very busy, especially at aperitif time, but also full of gems, like the Basilica of San Simpliciano and its large cloister. From here you can go on towards  Piazza Gae Aulenti where the skyscrapers of the financial world give way to the beautiful Parco La Biblioteca degli Alberi and the two iconic apartment blocks known as the Bosco Verticale, a must-see sight for a weekend in Milan! With a short ride on a tram, you can also explore the Lazzaretto district and Porta Venezia, perhaps to be inspired by the Liberty style of Casa Galimberti, by the eclectic architecture of Casa Berri Meregalli, or by the  Villa Necchi Campiglio house museum.

Milan is full of museums and attractions, and if you have a little more time to devote to art, you could take the opportunity to visit the Museo del Novecento, the Fondazione Prada, or explore the area of Via Tortona with its fashion and design studios. Two increasingly more frequented areas are the Chinatown of Via Paolo Sarpi, perfect for a walk and the oriental street-food, and City Life, a futuristic district just steps from the Fieramilanocity exhibition center.

A solution for those who have little time but still want to know what there is to see in Milan on a weekend is a hop on-hop off the tour on one of the tourist buses that arrived in the city of Milan some years ago. If you love cycling in the open air, rent a bike to tour the parks of the city and move around faster, speeding along the typical Milanese paved streets and cycle paths, which in Milan are gaining more and more space in everyday life.