Day trip by train
On the Frecciarossa you're in Milan in about an hour. Here's how to plan the day: the Duomo and its rooftop terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Leonardo's Last Supper, the Castello Sforzesco, Brera and the Navigli in the evening – with the tickets you need to book in advance.
from€27.00per person
See Duomo + rooftops
From Turin, Milan is the easiest day trip to another big city. High-speed trains run all day, the journey takes about an hour, and the main sights are close together in the centre.
You can't do everything at a relaxed pace in one day. So the plan below sets priorities and shows you what you can skip.
The fastest connection is Trenitalia's Frecciarossa: about an hour from Turin to Milan. In Turin the trains stop at Porta Nuova and Porta Susa – board wherever is closer to where you're staying. According to Italo, Italo runs 13 trains a day in each direction between Torino Porta Nuova and Milano Centrale. Regional trains via Vercelli and Novara take considerably longer, but with a paper ticket you're not tied to a specific train.
For a day trip, an early-morning high-speed train is worth it so you arrive in Milan around 09:00. High-speed tickets are only valid for the train you booked: if you want to stay flexible in the evening, book your return during the day. Check in advance when the last train to Turin leaves.
We cover journey times, stations in both cities, buying and validating tickets in detail on the page Milan to Turin – the information applies in both directions. Which Turin station suits you better is explained under Train stations in Turin.
Getting around Milan: From Milano Centrale, the yellow M3 metro line runs directly to Duomo station. A single ticket from Milan's transport company ATM costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes; a day ticket costs €7.60. It's easier to pay contactless: tap your bank card on the reader at the metro gate when you enter and when you exit, always with the same card. From the fourth journey, you won't pay more than the day price of €7.60 that day. Your train ticket from Turin is not valid on the metro.
The plan works Tuesday to Sunday. The times are a guide – build the day around your Last Supper time slot. If it's in the morning, simply swap the Duomo and the Last Supper.
Frecciarossa or Italo from Porta Nuova or Porta Susa, arriving at Milano Centrale. On the M3 you're at Piazza del Duomo in a few stops.
The Duomo opens at 09:00. The rooftop terraces are quietest early on. Allow a good two hours for the security check, the church and the roof. The entrance to the roof is on the north side of the Duomo.
The covered Galleria starts right next to the Duomo. It leads to Piazza della Scala with the opera house. Then it's time for a lunch break.
Take the M1 to Cairoli or walk along Via Dante to reach the Castello Sforzesco. You can see the courtyards and the park behind in just under an hour; the museums need more time and a separate ticket.
From the Castello it's not far to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (metro Cadorna or Conciliazione). Be there 30 minutes before your time slot – if you're late, you lose your ticket. The visit itself lasts 15 minutes.
From Cadorna, the M2 runs to Porta Genova on the Navigli – Aperitivo starts there in the early evening. The M2 then takes you back to Milano Centrale or Porta Garibaldi without changing. Prefer art and little streets? Then head to Brera instead.
Milan Cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente and is the city's landmark. Its construction and upkeep are still the responsibility of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, set up by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1387. He also gave it the Candoglia marble quarries, where the cathedral's marble comes from.
The highlight is the roof: you walk across the terraces between spires, statues and flying buttresses and look out over the city. You go up on foot by the stairs or by lift – even with the lift you still climb a few steps at the top. According to the provider, wheelchair users can only reach the lower terrace via the south lift, from 10:00 to 17:00.
Timed tickets are available on the official site duomomilano.it or through the options below.
If you want to take your time, the ticket without a guide is enough. With a guide you learn more about the building and its figures and go in together with the group.
Entry to the Duomo, the rooftop terraces and the church of San Gottardo, and according to the provider also the Duomo Museum. You choose stairs or lift when booking. The ticket is valid on the booked day and the following day, with one entry per area. No guide. Cancellation until 23:59 the day before.
from €27.00
Details & booking
Guided tour of the Duomo, then up to the roof by lift, plus the Duomo Museum and San Gottardo, around 1.5 to 2 hours. Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian. Meeting point in front of the Mondadori Megastore. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
from €49.00
Details & bookingNot suitable if you're afraid of heights. Prices and reviews live from the provider.
According to UNESCO, Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper between 1495 and 1497 on the wall of the refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The church and convent with the mural have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.
Because the work is fragile, the museum lets a maximum of 40 people into the room at a time for 15 minutes. That leads to the rules:
If the official time slots for your day are taken, there's still a guided tour with entry: the providers below have their own allocations. They cost more than the official admission, but you get a guide.
All three options include the Last Supper ticket. Bring ID: names are checked on site.
Entry and tour with a licensed guide, headphones included. Around one hour, 15 minutes of it in the room. Language: English. Meeting point at the ticket office on Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
from €89.00
Details & booking
Guided tour with entry to the Last Supper and a visit to the outside of the Castello Sforzesco, around two hours. Languages: English, Spanish. Fixed start times on certain days of the week – check whether one fits your trip day. Meeting point Via Fratelli Ruffini 1. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
from €69.00
Details & booking
Three hours on foot through the centre with skip-the-line entry to the Last Supper and the gardens of the Castello Sforzesco from outside. The Duomo interior and roof are not included. Language: English. Meeting point at the Santa Maria delle Grazie ticket office. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
from €149.00
Details & bookingAll three Last Supper tours with free cancellation that we found on Tiqets and GetYourGuide in October 2026 run in English; one is also offered in Spanish.
These four places fill the rest of the day. Pick two – all four on top of the Duomo and the Last Supper is too much.
The covered neo-Renaissance shopping arcade links the Duomo with La Scala. It's laid out in the shape of a cross and is 250 metres long; the glass dome over the octagon in the middle is 47 metres high. The custom: spin round three times on your heel on the bull in the floor mosaic – it's said to bring luck. Walking through is free.
The castle was built in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly as a fortress. Today the civic museums are arranged around three courtyards, including Michelangelo's unfinished Rondanini Pietà and Leonardo's Sala delle Asse. Times and admission on milanocastello.it.
The artists' quarter north of La Scala, with lanes, galleries and cafés. The Pinacoteca di Brera at Via Brera 28 is open Tuesday to Sunday 08:30–19:15, last admission 18:00. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free, with a reservation. Information: pinacotecabrera.org.
The canal district begins at the Darsena by Porta Ticinese, where the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese split. By day you stroll over the little bridges past the old ringhiera tenement houses; in the evening it becomes a meeting place for Aperitivo and music. Metro M2 to Porta Genova.
Closing days decide your plan. If you can choose the day freely, go on a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
| Day | What's closed | How to plan |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Last Supper, Pinacoteca di Brera | Duomo and roof, Galleria, Castello from outside, Navigli. The Last Supper only on another day. |
| Tuesday | – | Plan as above. |
| Wednesday | Duomo Museum and San Gottardo | Plan as above; the Duomo and roof are open. |
| Thursday to Sunday | – | Plan as above. On the first Sunday of the month, entry to the Pinacoteca di Brera is free (with a reservation). |
As of October 2026 according to cenacolovinciano.org, pinacotecabrera.org and provider information on the Duomo. The Last Supper and Brera are also closed on 25 December and 1 January.
In October 2026 we didn't find any organised day trips from Turin to Milan by train or coach on GetYourGuide or Tiqets. They only exist in the opposite direction, from Milan to Turin.
If you don't need a package: you can book the train yourself in a few minutes, and the Milan tours above start right in the city. That way you can combine, for example, a morning high-speed train with the Duomo tour in the morning and a Last Supper tour in the afternoon.
Would you rather stay based in Turin and still get out for a day? You'll find more destinations by train under Day trips in Piedmont, for example Lake Maggiore or Genoa and Liguria.
If you're staying in Milan for a few days, the Bernina train through the Swiss Alps is the classic day trip from there.
Most tours go by coach from Milan to Tirano in about three hours, then by train over the Bernina Pass (2,253 m) to St. Moritz, and back by coach over the Maloja Pass. Depending on the tour, you ride in the Bernina Express panoramic carriage or on the regional red train. The line is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Allow 11 to 13 hours – from Turin this only works with an overnight stay in Milan. Our sister website compares the tours: Bernina day trips from Milan compared.
Staying in Milan and want to visit Turin? Journey times, bus, car, getting there from Malpensa and a day plan for Turin are on our page for the opposite direction.
About an hour on the Frecciarossa. Italo runs 13 trains a day in each direction between Torino Porta Nuova and Milano Centrale. Regional trains take considerably longer. All the details are on our page Milan to Turin.
Yes. The high-speed train gets you there quickly, and the Duomo, the Galleria, the Castello and the Last Supper are close together. In one day you can comfortably manage the Duomo with its rooftop terraces, the Galleria and the Last Supper, plus the Navigli or Brera in the evening.
No. According to the museum, a reservation is always mandatory, including for small children. If the official time slots are taken, you can still book a guided tour with entry through a provider.
Official admission costs €15.00 full price. You spend 15 minutes in the room, together with a maximum of 40 people. Be there 30 minutes before your time slot.
Tuesday to Sunday 08:15–19:00, last admission 18:45. It's closed on Mondays, and also on 1 January and 25 December.
Both are possible – you choose with your ticket. Even with the lift you still climb a few steps at the top. According to the provider, wheelchair users can only reach the lower terrace via the south lift, from 10:00 to 17:00.
The tour providers require covered shoulders and knees. There's also a security check at the entrance; suitcases and glass objects are prohibited.
Take the yellow M3 metro line directly to Duomo station. An ATM single ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes; a day ticket costs €7.60. You can also pay contactless with your bank card at the gate.
We didn't find any on GetYourGuide or Tiqets in October 2026. Book the train yourself and combine it with a Duomo or Last Supper tour in Milan.
No, the Torino + Piemonte Card is valid for museums in Turin and Piedmont. In Milan you pay for each admission separately.