Guide
Milan in the rain
A rainy Milan is not a stalled Milan. Most of what you do here, food shopping included, can be done under cover.
The street markets run anyway
When it rains the street markets do not skip: food stalls almost always have a canopy, and by mid-morning it is business as usual.
What changes are the non-food stalls, which sometimes stay home, and the lower turnout: if an umbrella does not put you off, it is the day with the shortest queue at the fish stall.
Check which markets are open today and bring sturdy bags: cardboard falls apart in the wet.
The covered municipal markets
The obvious answer: 21 indoor halls, open Monday to Saturday, often in the afternoon too. You buy meat, fish, cheese and produce without getting a drop on you.
The largest and most convenient are Wagner near the Fiera, Zara towards Isola and the Ticinese one on the Navigli.
The full list with a map is on the covered municipal markets page.
The Galleria and a dry centre
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II links Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala entirely under cover, beneath the glass vault.
From there you reach the Museo del Novecento without stepping outside, and the arcades of corso Vittorio Emanuele shelter almost the whole stretch to San Babila.
Heritage tram line 1, the orange 1920s car, runs a loop past the Duomo, Cordusio, Cairoli and Porta Venezia: a dry, slow way to see the centre.
Museums for a rainy afternoon
- Museo del Novecento, on Piazza del Duomo: 20th-century Italian art with a view over the square.
- Pinacoteca di Brera and, next door, the Botanical Garden with its greenhouse.
- Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, near Sant'Ambrogio: vast, with the Enrico Toti submarine.
- Gallerie d'Italia on Piazza della Scala and HangarBicocca (free entry) for contemporary art.
Sponsored · GetYourGuide
Civic museums are free on the first Sunday of the month and often in the last opening hour: see the Milan on a budget guide.
The churches
Always open and free: the Duomo interior, Sant'Ambrogio with its four-sided portico, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore (frescoed like a miniature Sistine Chapel) and San Bernardino alle Ossa, its chapel lined with skulls.
With kids
The Museo della Scienza, the Acquario Civico in Parco Sempione and MUBA at the Rotonda della Besana are built for a washout day: the Milan with kids guide lines them up.
Frequently asked questions
Do Milan's markets run when it rains?
Yes. Open-air street markets are not cancelled for rain: food stalls have cover and stay open. Some clothing and housewares stalls may be missing. As an alternative there are the 21 covered municipal markets, all indoors.
What to do in central Milan when it rains?
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the Museo del Novecento, the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Duomo and the churches are all walkable in the centre while staying mostly under cover, between arcades and passages.