Milan in 2 days

Morning

• The Duomo and Rooftop2h

  Start at the Duomo with a combined ticket booked ahead, and take the lift up onto the roof to walk among the marble spires before the day heats up. Cover shoulders and knees, as the dress code is enforced at the door.

  TipMilan's giant Gothic marble cathedral took nearly six centuries to finish, and the real highlight is going up onto the roof to walk among the spires and statues. Buy a combined Duomo-plus-rooftop ticket online ahead of time and choose the lift rather than the stairs to skip the longest queue; go early or late for softer light, and remember shoulders and knees must be covered to get in.

• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II45 min

  Walk straight into the glass-vaulted Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II beside the cathedral, free to stroll at any hour. Find the bull mosaic on the floor and spin a heel in it for luck, but skip the famously pricey arcade cafes.

  TipThis 19th-century glass-roofed shopping arcade links the Duomo to La Scala and is free to walk through at any hour, grandest when it is lit up after dark. Find the bull mosaic on the floor and join the local tradition of spinning a heel in the hollow for luck; the cafes under the glass are famously expensive, so admire the arcade and drink your coffee elsewhere.

Afternoon

• 1h

  Have a light lunch just off the Galleria or toward Brera, keeping it simple before an afternoon on foot. Sit-down places near the Duomo charge a premium, so walk a couple of streets out for a fairer price.

• Teatro alla Scala1h

  Walk through the Galleria to Piazza della Scala and visit the Teatro alla Scala museum, which lets you glimpse the auditorium from a box when no rehearsal is on. Check the day's opening on the official site, as rehearsals can close the view.

  TipOne of the world's great opera houses, La Scala works as a museum by day, where you can see the auditorium from a box when no rehearsal is on, and as a stage by night. For a performance, book on the official site well ahead, though a limited number of cheap same-day gallery tickets are sold from the side box office; the season traditionally opens on 7 December, Sant'Ambrogio, which is the hardest night to get into.

• Quadrilatero della Moda1h

  Wander the Quadrilatero della Moda around Via Montenapoleone, free to window-shop the flagship stores of Italian fashion. Remember many boutiques shut on Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings if you want them open.

  TipThe Quadrilatero della Moda is the fashion quadrilateral of flagship stores around Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, the heart of Milan's luxury shopping. It costs nothing to walk and window-shop the grandest names in Italian fashion, and it is at its most theatrical during the Fashion Weeks in February and September; note that many boutiques close on Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings.

Evening

• Brera and the Pinacoteca45 min

  Cross into the cobbled Brera quarter in the early evening for its galleries and village feel, saving the Pinacoteca itself for the three-day trip if time is short tonight. It is the prettiest part of the centre to stroll before dinner.

  TipThe Pinacoteca di Brera holds one of Italy's finest painting collections, with Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna's foreshortened Dead Christ, set inside the arty Brera quarter of cobbled lanes and cafes. It closes on Mondays, so plan around that, and the first Sunday of the month is free but crowded; allow about ninety minutes for the galleries, then linger for aperitivo in the streets outside.

• Milanese Aperitivo2h

  Settle in for a Milanese aperitivo on a Brera terrace, a Negroni or a Campari spritz with a spread of snacks from around six. Sit down rather than order at the bar to get the buffet, and treat it as a light early dinner.

  TipAperitivo is the Milanese evening ritual of a drink, usually a Negroni or a Campari-based spritz, served from around six with a spread of snacks, and in some bars a full buffet. Expect to pay roughly 10 to 15 EUR for the drink with the food included, sit down rather than order at the bar for the buffet, and treat it as a light early dinner before a late meal out.

Morning

• The Last Supper (Cenacolo)1h

  Arrive early for your pre-booked Last Supper slot at Santa Maria delle Grazie, collecting the tickets before the strict 15-minute timed entry. Latecomers lose the slot, so aim to be there twenty minutes before your time.

  TipLeonardo's fragile mural fills a wall of the refectory beside Santa Maria delle Grazie, and entry is a strict timed slot of about 15 minutes for a small group. Tickets are released in batches on the official Cenacolo Vinciano site and sell out weeks ahead, so book the moment your dates are set; if they are gone, an official guided tour is usually the only way in, and you must arrive early to collect tickets.

• Sforza Castle and Sempione Park2h

  Walk to the red-brick Sforza Castle, free to enter and roam the courtyards, and take its museums, including Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta, on one paid ticket. Do the museums now, before the school groups fill them mid-morning.

  TipThe huge red-brick Sforza Castle is free to enter and wander in the courtyards, while its several museums, including Michelangelo's unfinished Rondanini Pieta, share one paid ticket that is free on the first Sunday of the month. Behind it stretches the big Sempione park, open and free all day; combine the two in a couple of hours and take the castle museums in the morning before the school groups arrive.

Afternoon

• 1h

  Break for lunch near the castle or the Sant'Ambrogio side of the centre, keeping it light before more walking. A neighbourhood trattoria here is better value than the cafes around the Duomo.

• Sant'Ambrogio and the Columns1h15

  Visit the ancient Romanesque basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, free outside Mass times and one of the oldest churches in Milan. Walk on to the Roman Colonne di San Lorenzo nearby, a row of columns that comes alive in the evening.

  TipThe Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is one of the oldest churches in Milan, a Romanesque landmark founded in the 4th century by the city's patron saint, and it is free to enter outside Mass times. A short walk away stand the Colonne di San Lorenzo, a row of Roman columns where young Milan gathers to drink outdoors on warm evenings; pair the two, seeing the quiet basilica by day and the columns after dark.

• Risotto, Cotoletta and Panettone30 min

  Line up a Milanese dinner later by noting a trattoria for the saffron risotto alla milanese and the breaded cotoletta. Choose a proper local place over a tourist cafe for both the price and the cooking.

  TipMilan's own dishes are worth seeking out: the saffron-yellow risotto alla milanese, the breaded and fried veal cotoletta alla milanese, and panettone, the tall sweet Christmas bread that was born here. Order the risotto and cotoletta at a traditional trattoria rather than a tourist cafe, and if you visit in December buy a panettone from a proper pastry shop to take home.

Evening

• The Navigli Canals1h30

  Take tram 2 or 3 down to the Navigli canals for the evening, the city's main aperitivo and nightlife strip along the water. It is about 20 minutes from the Duomo and gets loud and busy, so go with the flow.

  TipThe Navigli are the surviving canals of a medieval waterway network, now the city's main aperitivo and nightlife strip, liveliest from early evening onward. Walk the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese for the bars, and come on the last Sunday of the month for the long antiques market along the water; it is about 20 minutes from the Duomo, so take tram 2 or 3 rather than walking.

• 1h30

  Have dinner and a drink canal-side on the Naviglio Grande, picking a place a street back from the water for a fairer bill. The quarter stays lively late, especially at weekends.