Guide
Milan on a budget: eating and seeing the city for less
Milan is expensive if you treat it as a shop window. If you treat it the way Milanese people do, it costs a lot less. Here is how.
Eating well for less
The neighbourhood market is the cheapest option: fruit, olives, focaccia, half a rotisserie chicken. The eating from the market guide goes into detail.
For a quick hot meal: a panzerotto at Luini (3 euros), a pizza slice at Spontini (5), or apericena with the buffet included (12 to 15). All in the street food guide.
Free museums on the first Sunday of the month
On the first Sunday of the month the civic museums are free: Museo del Novecento, GAM, the Natural History Museum, the Castello Sforzesco. Leonardo's Last Supper is free that day too, but must be booked weeks ahead.
Outside that day, many civic museums are free in the last hour before closing, after 4 to 5pm.
What is always free to see
- The Duomo from outside, the Galleria, piazza della Scala, the Castello Sforzesco and its courtyards.
- The churches: Sant'Ambrogio, San Maurizio (the 'Sistine Chapel of Milan'), San Bernardino alle Ossa with its ossuary.
- The Cimitero Monumentale, an open-air sculpture museum.
- The neighbourhoods: Brera, Navigli, Isola, and the walks in the Milan on a Sunday guide.
Parks instead of bars
Parco Sempione, the Giardini Montanelli, the Parco delle Basiliche, the Idroscalo outside town: all free and full of life at weekends. The parks page also maps dog areas and playgrounds.
A lunch bought at the market plus a park bench is the most Milanese, and the cheapest, way to spend a good day.
Getting around
A single ATM ticket (metro, tram, bus) costs 2.20 euros and lasts 90 minutes. The day pass is 7.60; carnets and weekend passes are worth it if you stay longer.
The centre is small and flat: almost everything inside the Bastioni ring is walkable. BikeMi and shared scooters cover the rest for a few euros.
When to come
Outside the fashion weeks and the Salone del Mobile (late April) hotels cost far less. August is half-empty and hot: low prices, but many neighbourhood places closed. The month by month guide helps you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Is Milan an expensive city to visit?
Hotels and central restaurants are expensive, but the rest is not. Civic museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, markets feed you for a few euros, parks and churches are free, and public transport is 2.20 euros a ride.
Which museums are free in Milan?
The civic museums (Museo del Novecento, GAM, Castello Sforzesco, Natural History) are free on the first Sunday of the month and often in the last opening hour. Many historic churches are always free.