Best things to do in Milan, including free and rainy-day options

Milan rewards a short, tight list. Everything below sits inside a walkable centre or one metro ride away, so you can pair two or three in a morning and leave the afternoon for food and the Navigli canals.

Start at the Duomo. The cathedral itself is the city's anchor, and the terraces are the reason to go up: you walk among the spires rather than look at them from a window. Stairs cost less than the lift, and the queue moves faster early. Dress for a church: shoulders and knees covered.

The Last Supper is the one thing that genuinely needs planning. Entry is by timed slot in small groups, so tickets sell out and resale is risky. Book as far ahead as your dates allow, and treat any same-day walk-up as unlikely. Nearby, Santa Maria delle Grazie is worth the extra twenty minutes.

Walk from the Duomo through the Galleria to La Scala, then on to the Castello Sforzesco and Parco Sempione. The Galleria is free and covered, which makes it the default rain stop; the Castello courtyards and park are free, while the museums inside are ticketed. Brera, just north, is the neighbourhood for a slower afternoon: the Pinacoteca, small galleries, and streets that stay busy into the evening.

Finish at the Navigli. The canals are free to walk, and the aperitivo hour along them is the city's most social ritual. If you have a third day, choose between a Lake Como run by train and ferry, a San Siro visit, or the Cimitero Monumentale, which is free and unlike anything else in Italy.

Milan's headline sights are ticketed, but the city's best hours are free: the Duomo exterior, the Galleria, the Castello courtyards, Parco Sempione, the Navigli and the Cimitero Monumentale. Budget for the Duomo terraces, the Last Supper, one museum and a La Scala ticket or museum entry, and the rest of the day costs nothing but coffee.

Food and transport are the variable costs. A standing coffee at the bar is a fraction of a table service price, and metro and tram tickets are cheap by Western European standards. A Lake Como day trip adds a return train fare plus a lake ferry; check times before you commit, as the last useful ferry back can be early in shoulder season.

Book the Last Supper before you book anything else, because it sets your dates. Pair it with the Duomo on the same morning if slots allow, since they are a short walk apart.

August is hot and many family-run places close for holidays, while the big sights stay open and busy. April to June and September are the comfortable months. If rain is forecast, front-load the indoor list: Brera, Museo del Novecento, the Gallerie d'Italia and the science museum all sit within a metro ride of the centre.

Milan is a business city, so weekday mornings are calmer at the Duomo and the museums fill after work. For football, check the fixture list before you plan a San Siro visit; a match night changes the whole area.