Milan Official City Pass with Duomo and 10 Attractions

Milan Cathedral (Duomo) and the rooftop terraces

Milan Cathedral is the symbol of the city and among the largest Gothic churches in the world. Building began in 1386 and continued for centuries, using pink-veined white marble from the quarries of Candoglia, floated to the city along the canals. Inside, five naves are lit by vast stained-glass windows; outside, a forest of spires and statues rises to the gilded Madonnina on the highest spire. The Duomo Museum in the Royal Palace next door keeps original sculptures, stained glass and models of the cathedral.

The highlight is the walk on the rooftop terraces, among the spires and with views over the Galleria and, on clear days, the Alps. With the All-Inclusive Pass you go up by lift; the other options use the stairs. Duomo rooftop tickets are subject to availability, so plan your visit early in your stay and arrive early in the day.

Sforza Castle Museums

Sforza Castle was built in the fifteenth century by the Sforza dukes of Milan on the site of an older fortress, and its red-brick towers and courtyards now hold a group of civic museums. The Museum of Ancient Art shows sculpture and frescoed halls, while other sections display musical instruments, furniture, decorative arts, a picture gallery and Egyptian and prehistoric collections.

In the former Spanish hospital beside the castle you find the Pietà Rondanini, an unfinished marble sculpture that is one of the most moving works in Milan. Allow two to three hours if you want to see the main sections. Behind the castle stretches Parco Sempione, the city's great park, with the Arch of Peace at its far end and the Civic Aquarium on its edge, so this area makes a full and easy morning with your pass.

Museo del Novecento, the Archaeological Museum and the civic museums

The Museo del Novecento occupies the Palazzo dell'Arengario on Piazza del Duomo and tells the story of Italian art in the twentieth century, from Futurism to the post-war years. A spiral ramp leads up through the galleries to large windows that frame the cathedral and the square, one of the best views in the centre. The Archaeological Museum on Corso Magenta, in a former monastery, presents Roman Milan, with a tower of the ancient city walls in its garden.

The Modern Art Gallery fills the neoclassical Villa Reale with nineteenth-century painting and sculpture beside an English-style garden. The Natural History Museum in the Porta Venezia gardens is loved by children for its dinosaurs and dioramas, and the Civic Aquarium, in a graceful Liberty building from 1906, shows the sea and freshwater life of Italy. Most civic museums close on Mondays.

Premium museums: Science and Technology, La Scala and the house museums

With the All-Inclusive Pass you can visit all the premium museums on the pass list. The National Museum of Science and Technology, in a former monastery, displays models of Renaissance machines, steam trains, ships, aircraft and a real submarine, and is a favourite with families. La Scala Theatre Museum, next to the famous opera house, shows costumes, instruments and stage designs, and when there are no rehearsals you can look into the auditorium from a box.

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, founded in the early seventeenth century, holds one of the city's great collections of Old Master paintings and manuscripts. Three house museums show how wealthy Milanese families lived: Poldi Pezzoli, Bagatti Valsecchi in the fashion district and the 1930s Villa Necchi Campiglio with its garden and pool. The interactive Leonardo3 Museum brings Renaissance inventions to life with reconstructed models.

Getting around Milan with unlimited public transport

Your pass includes unlimited travel on the metro, trams and buses in zones Mi1 to Mi3 for the whole validity of the pass, which covers the city centre and the main districts visitors use. Simply scan the pass at the metro gates or validate it on board. The red and yellow metro lines meet at Duomo station, right below the cathedral, and the historic orange trams are a pleasant way to cross the centre.

If you are wondering how to get to the main sights, almost everything on the pass lies within a few metro stops of Piazza del Duomo: Cairoli for Sforza Castle, Sant'Ambrogio for the Science and Technology museum and Palestro or Porta Venezia for the Modern Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum. Note that Malpensa airport lies outside zones Mi1 to Mi3, so the airport train needs a separate ticket.