Milan Cathedral: How to Make the Best of Your Visit
PRACTICAL INFO
Milan Cathedral’s Opening Hours:
The Cathedral and the Rooftop is open Everyday.
Cathedral – 8 am to 7 pm | Rooftop – 9 am to 7pm | Last entry is at 6pm
For further details on their daily activities and prayer times, please check Milan Cathedral’s official website here.
For Accessibility information, click here.
How to Dress for Milan Cathedral: Duomo Milan Clothing
As with all places of religious worship, there are some dress codes visitors need to adhere to. Milan Cathedral has a strict dress code for everyone and it is only fair that such an expectation is adhered to by all visitors to the Cathedral.
When visiting or entering Milan Cathedral, ensure you are dressed in a manner where shoulders and knees are covered.
Shoulders and knees must be covered to enter the Cathedral. You may be refused entry if not appropriately dressed even if you have fully paid ticket.
How Much Time is Needed at Milan Cathedral
To see the inside of Milan Cathedral including the Crypt may only take an hour. Add another hour to the roof and a further hour for the Museum. Realistically it will take up to 3 hours at the very least to see the entire Duomo complex.
However, I must add that it can take longer. During our visits, we were at the Duomo complex for several hours. We spent more than an hour on the rooftop.
To truly enjoy Milan Cathedral’s rooftop experience, you need to spend some time here. If you take the lift up, it may make it quicker but only marginally. There are only 250 steps to the rooftop and this can take anything from 10 to 20 minutes given your fitness level. When you are on the terraces, you need to keep to the route and go all the way to the top where the Madonnina is. This takes about 45 minutes. So, if you are getting a ticket to the rooftop, give yourself more time. There are plenty of Instagram worthy photo opportunities here as well. It will really be worth your time and money spent.
Just so you know, the route back down is via the steps. The lift operates only one way.
Combination Tickets: How to Visit Milan Cathedral and Other Places in One Best Ticket Option
There is more than one way to experience Milan Cathedral for memories that will last a lifetime. If it’s worth exploring, you will find them here. Below are your best ticket options:
Walking tour of Milan + Access to Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper and Milan Cathedral
Stroll through the city of Milan in a small group and see the piazzas, fashion district, The Last Supper painting at Santa Maria delle Grazie and Milan Cathedral. This tour takes about 6 hours, leaving you with time to explore afterwards more of the city. There are several places that you get to see during the walking tour which makes this a highly popular tour among tourists. To secure your spot in this tour, you’ll need to book in advance for your digital ticket.
La Scala Theatre + Milan Cathedral Only
This combo ticket offers a guided experience to the world famous Opera House, La Scala Theatre where you get to experience the magnificent interior. Afterwards, you will enjoy a fast-track entrance to the Milan Cathedral (inside only).
BOOK YOUR MILAN CATHEDRAL + LA SCALE EXPERIENCE
finally…
Milan Cathedral is one of the most impressive and iconic landmarks in Milan, Italy as well as one of the largest and significant churches in the world. A visit here will provide you with a glimpse into the rich history and culture of Milan.
To make the best of your visit to Milan Cathedral, I recommend that you plan your trip in advance. This involves booking your tickets ahead of time to avoid long queues and deciding which areas of the Cathedral you wish to explore.
During your visit, take time to admire the intricate details of the Cathedral’s exterior, which features thousands of statues and hundreds of spires. Don’t miss the opportunity to climb to the terraces where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the city from the rooftop.
For inside the Cathedral, a guided tour or an audio guide is invaluable as you will learn more about the Cathedral’s architecture, history and artwork. It is indeed a great way to appreciate the beautiful stained glass windows, and marble floors.
I hope this guide has given you a good idea about what to expect during your visit, the best ticket options and how to make the best of your visit to Milan Cathedral.
Have a great time discovering Milan Cathedral.
Before you go, take a look at some of my travel tips for Milan. You may find these helpful to design your itinerary for Milan.
Additional Travel Tips for Milan
Milan is a lot more than Milan Cathedral and there are so many wonderful places to visit. You can visit several places in a day alongside the Milan Cathedral as these are located close to each other. I have written a number of articles about places to visit in Milan which may help you explore yourself and design your itinerary.
Milan
Where to Stay in Milan: 5 Best Areas
Top 3 Leonardo’s Last Supper Tours
12 Very Best Easy Day Trips from Milan
An Overview of Milan Centrale Station
5 Attractions in Parco Sempione, Milan Not to Miss
Sforza Castle and Museum, Milan
Getting Around Milan like a Local: A Simple Guide to Milan’s Public Transportation
Quotes about Milan that makes the City Irresistible
Milan at a Glance: An Overview of What to Expect
Milan Bucket List Ideas: Best 19 Attractions
How to Enjoy the Best of Milan in One Day
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan
Milan Cathedral: How to Make the Best of Your Visit
The Best of Milan: The Sunset from the Rooftop Milan Cathedral
When visiting Milan, it is really nice to include a couple of destinations near Milan. Add Verona to your itinerary. Go here for my complete guide to Verona which includes some wonderful things to do besides Juliet’s balcony. Here are some articles about Verona which you may like to read also:
9 Charming Walking Tours in Verona
Verona by Bike: 6 Fun Cycle Tours
Best 7 Places to Stay in Verona
31 Best Things to do in Verona
Verona Wine: 11 Best Garda Wines
Food in Verona: Best 16 Traditional Food to Try or to Know About before you go
Romeo and Juliet in Fair Verona
Mazzanti Houses, Verona, Italy
An Incredible Valpolicella Winery Visit in Verona
Majestic Gran Guardia Palace, Verona
Complete Guide to Verona, Italy
Also, another beautiful destination in the northern region of Italy is the Italian Lakes region. If you don’t have much time, you can explore Lake Como in a day from Milan. To fully appreciate Lake Como, you really need to spend a few days. If you can allocate more time, I recommend that you explore some of the best towns in Lake Como which are worth your time. You can also find the best ways to travel around Lake Como with or without a car to help you figure out how best to explore.
Lake Garda is one of the prettiest places in Italy to visit and is not too far from Milan. Take a look at the following articles and see if you can fit in a visit to this pretty lake.
Prettiest Towns in Lake Garda: The Best 17 You Must Visit;
10+ Top Things to do in Peschiera del Garda, Italy;
Sirmione Old Town: The Charms of this Quirky Castle Town in Lake Garda, Italy.
Essentials for Milan Travel
1 | From Bergamo Airport to Milan City Centre — Direct Bus Transfer
2 | From Malpensa Airport to Milan Central Station
3 | Linate Airport to Milan Central Station
4 | Private transfer from Milan Airport
6 | Entry to Milan Cathedral and Rooftop
7 | Milan Hop-on Hop-off Bus Ticket
Our Best Selling Selling Activities for Milan
1 | Fast-track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guide Tour
2 | Day trip from Milan: Lake Como + Bellagio + Lugano
3 | Day trip from Milan: Lake Como + Bellagio + Varenna
4 | Leonardo Science & Technology Museum Entry
5 | Leonardo da Vinci Last Supper and Santa Maria delle Grazie Tour
If there is one thing you want to do in Milan, it will have to be the sunset on the rooftop of the Duomo. It is such an experience that you too will recommend it to your friends. Thank you so much for your encouraging comments.
I am sure you will soon visit Italy. Glad the post was useful. Thank you for your encouraging comments.
Thank you Albi. So glad that you found the article informative, I appreciate it.
You are absolutely correct – it is such a unique and beautiful experience.
I am so glad that you found the article useful and will be handy for when you visit in the future. Thank you so very much for your comments. I appreciate it.
I have been to Italy but skipped Milan mostly because I didn’t think there was much else to do besides the cathedral. But the cathedral itself looks like a great reason to visit! I didn’t know that you could walk on the rooftop of the cathedral, that sure sounds like something I’d want to do when I get there!
Thank you for opening my eyes to this beautiful cathedral! I so desperately want to visit Italy
I always love to see a pictures of this cathedral. I haven’t been so far, but now I know all the info about it
I loved seeing and walking on top of the milan cathedral, such a unique experience!
I have never been to Milan but I have heard about the cathedral. It looks beautiful and your review is incredibly detailed and helpful. This would be an excellent guide to use when I go in the future.
Duomo di Milano has so much to offer and I enjoyed my visit immensely. Thank you so much for your positive comments. i appreciate it.
I am super happy that you enjoyed the rooftop experience at the Duomo – it certainly makes a memorable activity. Many thanks for sharing your experiences, appreciate it much.
Il Duomo di Milano! I’ve lived in Milan for over 18 uears and it’s the first time I’ve read such a comprehensive post about this cathedral! Super well done!
I loved the Milan Cathedral. It’s so, so stunning. The rooftop is such a quiet place despite being in such a busy area of the city. Such a gem!
I am so glad that my post inspires you a visit to Milan Cathedral – I assure you, the rooftop experience at sunset will not disappoint. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
The cathedral looks majestic. Absolutely loved the floor of the Cathedral. Reading your post I do feel like going to get the rooftop experience.
Wonderful news Ann! Awesome. Fall will be perfect for sunsets and cool breeze at the rooftop of the Duomo. Look forward to your experiences. Thank you so much for reading my blogs and taking time to share your thoughts. I appreciate it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for commenting. Milan is lovely and the Duomo is even more so. I am sure that you will visit Milan one day and I look forward to your thoughts. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
After reading your post the last time, I have started to warm up my travelcompany the process of going to Milan. So maybe we’ll get there in the fall 🙂
What a wonderful and very informative post on the Cathedral. The pictures are stunning as Im sure it is in real life. I do hope one day that I get to visit Milan and this beautiful place.
So happy to hear that my article has inspired you to visit and have Milan on your list! Italy has so much to offer besides their grand cities and I totally appreciate by Milan may not have been the top. Thank you so much for your lovely comment. Much appreciated.
Some fabulous travel inspo here thanks! We haven’t been to Milan, yet we’ve managed to visit many cities and towns in Italy. Adding Milan back to the list and putting the Cathedral at the top. Thank you
So glad that Milan Duomo is on your list now! The rooftop experience is highly recommended. Thank you so much for appreciating my IG feed on this experience.
Having experienced the rooftop of the Duomo, I would be very disappointed if they close off the rooftop. It is an amazing experience and one I would strongly encourage visitors to Milan to explore. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
It’s never too late – Milan awaits you and you should so go! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
So happy that you have visited the rooftop of Milan Cathedral – you know what I am talking about. Completely surreal at times! An experience I would encourage every visitor to to Milan to discover.
I was lucky enough to visit the Milan Cathedral a few years ago. The rooftop was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced at any other cathedral anywhere in the world. So amazing!!!
Milan was on my radar for quite some time, but I kind of forgot about the city since my travelbuddie was a no-go on Milan… I should not have given up on the city, I will keep trying to go there 🙂
I love walking on the roof of the Duomo, it’s such a unique activity and one way to really appreciate the detail of all the statues. I still marvel that its allowed.
Wonderful post about the cathedral — great information/history and lovely photos to go along. I have never been but definitely adding to my list after reading this and seeing your IG posts.