Milan Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

The Duomo of Milan and the Galleria

Milan Cathedral took almost six centuries to complete, from 1386 until the last details in the 20th century, and is one of the largest churches in the world. Its white and pink Candoglia marble facade bristles with more than a hundred spires and thousands of statues, crowned by the golden Madonnina that has watched over the city since 1774.

The Duomo stop on your bus pass puts you right on the cathedral square. Next door is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a glass-roofed shopping arcade of the 1870s that leads to La Scala opera house. Duomo tickets, including the rooftop terraces, are sold separately; the best time to visit the Duomo is early morning, before the queues build.

Sforza Castle and Sempione Park

Sforza Castle, the main departure point of the bus, was rebuilt in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, and later decorated by Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Sala delle Asse. Today its courtyards are free to enter and its civic museums hold Michelangelo's final sculpture, the unfinished Rondanini Pietà.

Behind the castle stretches Sempione Park, the city's green heart, ending at the Arco della Pace, a triumphal arch begun for Napoleon. Line C starts here too, so the castle is the easiest place to begin a Milan hop-on hop-off tour. Allow at least an hour for the courtyards and the Pietà museum.

The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie

The Cenacolo stop is a short walk from the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper on the wall of the former refectory between about 1495 and 1498. The painting is fragile, and visits are limited to small groups for a short time.

Many travellers search for Last Supper tickets only to find them sold out: book them well in advance and separately, as entry is not included in the bus pass. The bus then makes it easy to reach the church for your time slot, and nearby Corso Magenta has elegant cafés and the Archaeological Museum.

The Navigli Canals

Line D stops at the Navigli, the last surviving part of a network of canals that once linked Milan to the lakes and rivers of Lombardy. Leonardo da Vinci studied their locks, and barges once carried the marble for the Duomo along the Naviglio Grande to a dock near the city centre.

Today the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese are lined with galleries, vintage shops and restaurants, and the best time to visit the Navigli is late afternoon and evening, when the canals come alive. On the last Sunday of most months an antiques market stretches along the water.

San Siro Stadium and CityLife

Line C runs out to the west of the city, past the modern skyscrapers of CityLife, designed by leading international architects, to San Siro, officially the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. Shared by AC Milan and Inter, it is one of the most famous football venues in Europe and seats around 75,000 fans.

Football fans often ask how to get to San Siro stadium from the centre; this line is one of the simplest ways, and nearby Casa Milan houses the AC Milan museum. Stadium tours and museum tickets are sold separately. Note that Line C runs less often than the city-centre lines, so check the timetable.