Six icons of Milan, with the hours, prices and tricks that turn a checklist into a great day.
The marble cathedral of the city - 135 spires, 3,400 statues and a rooftop you can walk across. Tickets and opening times on the official Duomo site.
Tip: Book the rooftop at opening or near sunset; the view over the spires is the payoff.
Official site →Leonardo da Vinci's faded masterpiece in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The official booking portal is Vivaticket, and it sells out weeks ahead.
Tip: Book two to three months out and arrive 20 minutes early - the slot is strict.
Official site →The most famous opera house in the world, where Verdi premiered and the audience still dresses up. The official site sells museum tickets and tour slots.
Tip: Even without a performance, the museum lets you peek into the hall from the boxes.
Official site →The city's great painting gallery inside a 17th-century palace in the Brera quarter - Raphael's 'Marriage of the Virgin' and Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus' are the headliners. Book via pinacotecabrera.org.
Tip: Weekday mornings are quiet; pair the visit with a wander through Brera's wine bars.
Official site →The 15th-century fortress of the Sforza dukes, wrapped in parkland and home to Michelangelo's unfinished Pietà Rondanini plus a dozen civic museums. Details on the official castle site.
Tip: The courtyards are free and lovely at dusk; the museums deserve two hours, not a sprint.
Official site →The glass-vaulted 19th-century shopping arcade beside the Duomo - mosaics, historic cafés and Italy's oldest mall under a dome that made architecture history. City guide on yesmilano.it.
Tip: Locals wince at the bull-mosaic spinning ritual - a polite step on the mosaic will do for luck.
Official site →