Milan itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Milan is a working city, not an open-air museum, so the itinerary is short and dense. The Duomo, the Galleria and La Scala sit within a ten-minute walk of each other. The Last Supper is a 15-minute timed visit on the far side of the centre, and Leonardo's other Milan work, the Codex Atlanticus drawings, is in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana nearby.

Two days covers the core without rushing. A third day is worth it only if you leave the city: Lake Como by train, Bergamo's upper town by funicular, or a match at San Siro. If you are passing through on the way to the Lakes, one day is enough, provided you have a Last Supper slot booked.

Start at the Duomo before 9am, when the piazza is quiet and the queues for the terraces are short. The cathedral itself is free to enter with a security line; the roof terraces are ticketed, and the stairs option is cheaper than the lift. From the roof you see the spires up close and, on a clear day, the Alps.

Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to La Scala, then north to the Brera district for lunch. Brera is the gallery quarter: the Pinacoteca di Brera holds Italian painting from the 13th century onward and is usually calm in the early afternoon. Finish the day at Castello Sforzesco and Parco Sempione, then walk or take the metro to the Navigli canals for aperitivo. In Milan, aperitivo means a drink that comes with a buffet of small food, usually from about 6pm.

The Last Supper is the one fixed appointment. Visits are timed, groups are small, and tickets released in batches sell out weeks ahead; if the official site shows nothing, check again closer to the date. The fresco is in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a 15-minute walk west of the Duomo. Pair it with the church next door, then continue to the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan's oldest church and the city's patron saint.

Afternoon: the Ambrosiana library and its Caravaggio, or the Museo del Novecento if you prefer modern work. Evening: Navigli again if you liked it, or the Brera bars. If you want a view at sunset, the Duomo terraces or the Branca Tower in Parco Sempione are the two options.

Lake Como is the classic. Trains from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni take about 40 minutes; from Como you can take a ferry up the lake to Bellagio, but that eats most of a day. A simpler version: train to Varenna, ferry across, walk the waterfront, return by evening. Book the return train if you are travelling on a Friday or Sunday.

Bergamo is the other easy option: about 50 minutes by train, then a funicular to the upper town, Città Alta, with its walls and views. If you are in Milan for football, a San Siro match is an evening in itself; buy through the club, not a reseller. In winter, the Alps are reachable by train for a day of skiing, but that needs an early start.

Milan is the most expensive of the big Italian cities for hotels, and the trade fair calendar moves prices sharply. If a design or furniture fair is on, rooms in the centre can double; check dates before you book. Eating is cheaper than you might expect away from the Duomo: a standing coffee at the bar costs a fraction of a table on the piazza, and aperitivo buffets can stand in for dinner.

Book the Last Supper first, then build the rest of the itinerary around the slot you get. Duomo terraces and the major museums are easier, but a timed entry still saves an hour in summer.

Milan's metro is fast and cheap; you rarely need a taxi inside the city. Validate tickets and keep them until you exit. On Sundays some smaller shops and restaurants close, and in August many family-run places shut for the holidays, so check before you plan a specific meal.

If you are arriving from Malpensa, the train to Cadorna beats a taxi on cost and usually on time. Linate is closer to the centre; Bergamo's Orio al Serio airport is a bus ride from the city and is often used by low-cost carriers.