How far in advance do I need to book Last Supper tickets?

Tickets for the Cenacolo Vinciano typically release about 3 months ahead. Popular dates sell out within days of opening. Check the official Cenacolo booking site regularly, as cancellations do appear. Some tour operators hold allocated slots that might still be available when the official site shows sold out, though these cost 40 to 60 euros rather than the standard 15.

Is Milan worth visiting for 2 days, or should I spend more time?

Two full days covers the major landmarks comfortably. The Duomo, Galleria, Brera, and The Last Supper fit into day one. The Navigli, Fondazione Prada, and a slower neighborhood walk fill day two. Three days lets you add a day trip to Lake Como (Varenna is about an hour by train from Stazione Centrale). Four or more and you can explore Città Studi, the Cimitero Monumentale, and eat your way through Porta Romana without rushing.

Do I need to speak Italian to get around Milan?

English is widely understood in the center, at hotels, and in tourist-facing restaurants. Metro signage is reasonably clear without Italian. That said, smaller trattorias in Porta Romana or Città Studi may have Italian-only menus. Learning basic ordering phrases (vorrei, il conto, un tavolo per due) goes a long way and tends to shift the service noticeably.

Is Milan expensive compared to other Italian cities?

Milan is the most expensive city in Italy for hotels and dining. A mid-range hotel room in the center runs 150 to 250 euros per night. A sit-down dinner with wine at a non-touristy trattoria costs roughly 35 to 55 euros per person. Coffee at a bar is still 1.20 to 1.80 euros if you drink standing, which is how Milanese do it. The aperitivo tradition helps stretch a budget, since a 10-euro cocktail often comes with enough food to skip dinner.

Which airport should I fly into, Malpensa or Linate?

Linate (LIN) is closer, about 7 kilometers east of the center, and serves mostly European routes. Bus 73 reaches Piazza San Babila in roughly 25 minutes. Malpensa (MXP) handles intercontinental flights and sits 50 kilometers northwest. The Malpensa Express train to Cadorna takes about 50 minutes and costs 13 euros. If you have a choice on a European route, Linate saves time. Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY), used by Ryanair, is about an hour by shuttle bus.

What is the tipping culture in Milan?

Tipping is not expected the way it is in the United States. Many restaurants include a coperto (cover charge) of 2 to 3 euros per person, which appears on the bill. Rounding up or leaving a euro or two on the table for good service is appreciated but not obligatory. At a bar, tipping for coffee is uncommon. Taxi drivers don't expect tips, though rounding to the nearest euro is normal.

Is the metro safe at night?

Milan's metro is generally safe, though it closes early by international standards. The last trains run around 12:30 a.m. on weekdays and about 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. After closing, night buses (marked with an N prefix) cover the main routes. Pickpocketing happens on crowded M1 trains between Duomo and Cadorna during rush hour. Keep bags in front of you on those stretches.

What should I wear in Milan?

Milanese dress tends toward understated and dark. Black, navy, and grey dominate. You won't be turned away from anywhere in sneakers and a t-shirt, but you might feel underdressed at restaurants in Brera or around Via Montenapoleone. Churches including the Duomo require covered shoulders and knees. Bring a light jacket even in summer, as air-conditioned interiors can run cold and evening temperatures in September drop to around 15 degrees after sunset.

Things to Do in Milan: A Complete Guide

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Milan sits on the Po Plain, flat enough that the Duomo's roofline commands the skyline for blocks, its forest of Gothic spires finished in Candoglia marble quarried from a single deposit near Lake Maggiore. That geography (landlocked, fog-prone, closer to Zurich than to Rome) shaped a city that always looked outward, building wealth on trade, textiles, and finance rather than papal patronage or coastal charm. The result is a place that rewards a different kind of attention than Florence or Venice. Your first morning will likely start in the Centro Storico, where the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II still functions as an actual shortcut between the Duomo and La Scala rather than a relic roped off for photos. By noon you might be in Brera, the neighbourhood north of the cathedral where the Pinacoteca shares narrow streets with independent bookshops and wine bars that serve lunch to working Milanese, not tourist prix fixe. The Navigli district to the south follows two surviving canals from a network Leonardo helped engineer; the Sunday antique market along the Naviglio Grande draws locals who have come for decades. Milan's rhythm runs later than most Italian cities: dinner before nine is unusual, and the aperitivo hour between six and eight is a genuine social institution, not a marketing gimmick, with bars in Porta Romana and Isola setting out elaborate spreads included with the price of a Negroni Sbagliato, which was invented here at Bar Basso in 1972. The contemporary art scene, anchored by the Fondazione Prada in a converted distillery on the southern fringe and Pirelli HangarBicocca in a repurposed industrial hall to the north, competes with London and Berlin. What Milan lacks in postcard scenery it compensates for in substance: this is a city that works for a living and expects you to keep up.