HOW TO VISIT MILAN CATHEDRAL: WHAT TO SEE, TICKETS, TOURS
How many times have you been to Milan and wanted to visit Milan Cathedral?
I entered the Cathedral at least twice in my life, but I never had the time to admire the details and especially to explore the interiors of the museum complex of Milan Cathedral.
Visiting Milan Cathedral, in fact, means not only entering the Church which is the symbol of Milan, but also going up to the rooftops, admiring at a short distance the spires and statues placed at dizzy heights, discovering the history of this place by going down to the undergrounds and its Museum.
At last I could admire Milan Cathedral in all its beauty and in this post I’ll tell you what to see.
Visiting Milan Cathedral
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HOW TO GO UP AND VISIT MILAN CATHEDRAL
To visit Milan Cathedral, go up to the rooftops and visit the museum, the archaeological area and the Church of San Gottardo, I used the Duomo pass, a unique ticket that grants the entrance to the entire Museum Complex of the Duomo.
Well, first of all I went up to the Duomo Rooftops and I enjoyed a stunning view of the city.
The Madonnina Statue, towering from the top of the cathedral, is so close that it feels like you can touch it.
Actually, it is placed much higher and to realize its right size I had to admire its life-size copy at a short distance on exhibition along the Duomo Museum tour.
THE VISIT TO THE MUSEUM COMPLEX OF MILAN CATHEDRAL
After visiting the Rooftops, I went down to admire the Cathedral interiors, and at last I immersed myself in the majestic impressiveness of this Gothic Church.
Construction of Milan Cathedral began in the late 14th century in the area of the ancient Basilica of Santa Tecla, and to understand the long history of this building you need to go to the undergrounds after visiting the Duomo interiors.
Here is the archaeological area with the remains of the ancient Basilica of Santa Tecla and the first Baptistery with basin and octagonal building of Christendom.
After the visit to the archaeological area, all I had to do was go towards the Duomo Museum, located next to the Cathedral which tells the 600 year-old history of the Cathedral. The tour is silent and you’re immersed in a cozy atmosphere which makes you discover the magic of the Duomo.
In addition, you shouldn’t miss the life-size copy of the Madonnina Statue and the Church of San Gottardo.
Duomo Museum
MILAN CATHEDRAL TICKETS AND TOURS
The visit to the Cathedral is free of charge, but you need to book the ticket to access the Rooftops, the archaeological area and the Museum.
There are different types of tickets and I used the Milan Cathedral and Rooftop Ticket.
However, there are other options to choose from, such as those below.
For the guide I used the official and free app available on Google Play and App Store. Contents are available in 10 languages.
You’d better check all the possibilities and the available Tours –> Milan Duomo and Tour
If you want to book now, we recommend that you check the availability of tickets on the day you are interested in. Select the day you want to visit from the calendar below.
WHERE TO EAT NEAR THE MILAN CATHEDRAL
How long did I take to visit the Milan Cathedral and the Museum Complex interiors?
One day, with great calm and the chance to enjoy all the beauty of Piazza Duomo.
I also had my lunch break, with a spectacular view of the Duomo, by going up to the last floor of the Rinascente to sit at a table at Maio Restaurant.
Recommend because: you eat very well; you can admire Milan from above and at the same time look at the Duomo from a unique perspective; you don’t need to walk away from Piazza Duomo.
THE MUSEUMS OF MILAN
If you have the opportunity to stay in Milan for more than a day or you want to go back to the city to discover other historical and fascinating places, I suggest you read the post in which I made the list of Museums in Milan to visit.
If, on the other hand, you only have 24 hours to visit the city, take a look at the post with advice on what to do in Milan in one day. It is a ready-made itinerary to be replicated to visit the city without wasting time.
