Milan in 3 days

Morning

• The Duomo and Rooftop2h

  Begin at the Duomo with a ticket booked ahead and ride the lift up onto the roof to walk among the spires before the crowds and the heat build. The dress code covering shoulders and knees is enforced at the entrance.

  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

  Step into the glass-roofed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II next door, free at any hour and grandest under its lit dome. Spin a heel on the bull mosaic for luck, and admire rather than sit at the very expensive 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

  Take a light lunch a few streets off the Duomo, where prices drop away from the cathedral square. Keep it easy before an afternoon of museums and shopping streets.

• Teatro alla Scala1h

  Visit the Teatro alla Scala and its museum on Piazza della Scala, glimpsing the famous auditorium from a box when no rehearsal is running. Check the opening on the official site, and consider a performance later in your stay.

  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

  Stroll the Quadrilatero della Moda around Via Montenapoleone, free to window-shop the great Italian fashion houses. Many boutiques close Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings, so time it if you want them trading.

  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

• Milanese Aperitivo2h

  Head to Brera for an early-evening aperitivo, a Negroni or Campari spritz with snacks from around six. Sit down to get the buffet, and let it stand in as a light first dinner in the prettiest corner of the centre.

  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 booked Last Supper slot at Santa Maria delle Grazie and collect the tickets before the strict 15-minute entry. Miss the slot and it is gone, so be there a good twenty minutes ahead.

  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 Sforza Castle, free in the courtyards, and see its museums and Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta on a single paid ticket. Take the museums first thing, ahead of the mid-morning school groups.

  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

  Lunch near the castle or toward Sant'Ambrogio at a neighbourhood trattoria, better value than the Duomo cafes. Keep it light before the afternoon walk.

• Sant'Ambrogio and the Columns1h15

  See the ancient Sant'Ambrogio basilica, free outside Mass times, then walk to the Roman Colonne di San Lorenzo nearby. The columns are quiet by day and busy with young Milan drinking outdoors after dark.

  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.

Evening

• The Navigli Canals1h30

  Ride tram 2 or 3 to the Navigli canals for the evening, the main aperitivo and nightlife strip along the water, about 20 minutes from the Duomo. Expect it loud and busy, especially at weekends.

  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.

• Risotto, Cotoletta and Panettone1h30

  Have dinner canal-side and try a Milanese classic, the saffron risotto alla milanese or the breaded cotoletta. Pick a place a street back from the water for a fairer bill and better 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.

Morning

• Lake Como or Bergamo Day Trip4h

  For the day-trip option, take an early fast train from Milano Centrale, about an hour to Como on Lake Como or to medieval Bergamo. For Como, ride a lake ferry to the villages; for Bergamo, take the funicular up to the walled upper town.

  TipFast regional trains from Milano Centrale reach Como on Lake Como or the walled hilltop of Bergamo Alta in about an hour, making either an easy day out. For Como, take a train to Como San Giovanni and a lake ferry to the villages; for Bergamo, ride the funicular up to the old upper town. Buy tickets at the station machines and go early to make the most of the day.

• Brera and the Pinacoteca2h

  For the stay-in-town option instead, spend the morning at the Pinacoteca di Brera, with Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna's Dead Christ. It closes on Mondays, and the first Sunday of the month is free but busy.

  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.

Afternoon

• Bosco Verticale and Porta Nuova1h30

  If you stayed in the city, walk from Brera to the modern Porta Nuova district and the plant-covered Bosco Verticale towers around Gae Aulenti square. The towers are homes seen from the street, and the raised piazza gives the best view.

  TipThe Bosco Verticale, a pair of residential towers planted with hundreds of trees, is the icon of the modern Porta Nuova district around Gae Aulenti square. The towers are private homes so you view them from the street, best from the raised piazza or the elevated park nearby; it is free and always open, and the walk over from Brera or Corso Como takes about ten minutes.

• 2h

  If you took the lake or Bergamo trip, simply enjoy the afternoon there before an easy train back, aiming to return in time for a last Milan dinner. Trains run frequently, so you need not rush the last one.

Evening

• Milanese Aperitivo2h

  Round off the trip with a final aperitivo and dinner, either in buzzy Corso Como by Porta Nuova or back in Brera. If tomorrow is an early flight, check which airport you fly from and how long the transfer takes.

  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.