We went to Milan for the weekend primarily to do a parkrun. Basically, we found ourselves in Switzerland, as we had transported some equipment our daughter needed for an experiment. But they don’t do parkrun in Switzerland. So, on Friday, we drove to Milan for the weekend. Milan is, in fact, the perfect place for a weekend break, regardless of whether you intend to spend Saturday morning running round the park or not. We didn’t do 10 things during our visit, so here is my pick of the top 7 things to do in Milan.

How to get to Milan

We drove to Milan from Switzerland. Italy has a good motorway system, but parts of it are privately owned. In some places, there are toll booths. On the A36 Pedemontana, you must pay online afterwards. Note: The signs explaining this are very small and the fine for not doing so is steep. Further details about Italian tolls can be found here. 

The drive to Milan from Switzerland is a combination of beautiful mountain scenery interspersed with numerous tunnels. In all, we notched up 54 km underground – I felt a bit like a Womble. We crossed the Italian border and were happily driving along, when we spotted a not particularly large sign stating that we were in a booth free toll area and had 15 days to pay online.

If you choose to fly, Milan Malpensa Airport is around 30 miles northwest of the city. The train will get you into central Milan in 32 minutes. Tickets cost €14.

Getting around Milan

The best way to get around Milan is by Metro. It’s relatively easy to use, once you’ve worked out the ticket machine. (It’s a question of knowing the difference between interurban tickets and intraurban tickets.) A standard ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes across different transport modes.

Where to stay in Milan

We stayed at the Milano Re Hotel to the north of the city. We chose the hotel because it is opposite Parco Nord, location of Milan Parkrun. It is also close to a metro station (Sesto Rondò on the M1), so convenient for getting into the centre.

Milan: Top 7 Things to do

1	Have a picnic in Monza Park
2	Watch motor racing at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
3	Go for a run/stroll in Parco Nord
4	Visit the iconic Milan Cathedral
5	Admire some art at the Museo del Novecento
6	See Da Vinci’s The Last Supper
7	Eat pizza

No 1 – Have a Picnic in Monza Park

Monza is just 10 miles to the north of downtown Milan. By car, it is a quick drive up the SS36. There are also regular trains and buses. The train from Milan Central to Monza takes just 11 minutes.

The enormous Monza Park spreads north from the northern end Monza. The consists of 700 hectares of parks, gardens, a villa, sports facilities etc. but is best known for its iconic race track.

Pick up some supplies and head to the beautiful Monza Park for a picnic.

There are plenty of picnic benches spread around the park where you can relax in the shade and have a picnic.

No 2 – Watch motor racing at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza

On the northern side of the park, approached via a long road through the woods, sits the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It takes a while to work out where to go in the huge 113,000 seat complex.

If you are lucky, you may get to see some racing in action. On non race days, it is possible for members of the public to pay to drive round the track. We were in luck, as there was racing action during our visit. We found our way into a stand on the Ascari Chicane to witness the racing accompanied by a crescendo of noise.

During a break, we moved to the main stand, opposite the pit lane to watch the next session.

No 3 – Take a run/ stroll round Parco Nord

One reason we went to milan was to run Milano Nord parkrun which takes place on saturday mornings in the Parco Nord. Even if you don’t intend to run round it, the park is well worth a visit.

No 4 – Visit the iconic Milan Cathedral

In the main piazza, you will find the iconic Milan Cathedral with its 135 spires and 3400 statues of pink marble. It’s quite spectacular!

To visit, you need to queue to get a ticket, to join the queue to buy a ticket, before you can queue to get in.

Finally, we have negotiated all the queues and make it into the cathedral, which is equally grand, with its carved pillars and stained glass.

The cathedral is open from 8 am until 7 pm daily. A ticket for the cathedral costs €10. It’s €20 if you also want to climb to the roof terrace via the stairs or €25 to take the elevator up (you may still need to take the stairs down).

No 5 – Admire some art at the Museo del Novecento

Just across the piazza is the Museo del Novecento; a modern art gallery housed in the Palazzo dell’Arengario.

The Palazzo was built in 1936 as the seat of the fascist government, with a balcony from where Mussolini used to deliver speeches to the masses in the piazza below.

Through the middle of the stone building is a large glass spiral staircase. You work your way up the spiral through a series of chronologically arranged galleries.

There are great views across the piazza to the cathedral from the top floor.

The museum is open daily except Monday from 10 am until 7.30 pm (10.30 pm on Thursday). Entry costs €5.

No 6 -See Da Vinci’s The Last Supper

We would have loved to see Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper, which hangs in the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie. But tickets sell out well in advance. So, if that is on your wish list, more foresight is required that merely jumping in a van and hoping for the best!

Tickets go on sale in 3 month blocks (i.e. 2- 4 months in advance) and cost €15 for admission or €24 for a guided tour.

No 7 – Eat pizza

We rounded off our visit to Milan with dinner on the patio of a pizzeria. A trip to Italy wouldn’t be complete without eating pizza.

I hope you found the above information useful. For more guides from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Travel Guides list here.

• Trip Taken: June 2019
• Updated: June 2024

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