19 Mistakes Every Tourist Makes in Milan (And How to Avoid Them)
I've been to Milan five times now. The first visit was a disaster — I saw the Duomo from outside, ate an overpriced margherita near the cathedral, failed to see The Last Supper, and left thinking Milan was the most boring city in Italy. I was wrong about everything, and it was entirely my fault.
Here's every mistake I made (and watched others make) so you don't have to.
Getting There
1. Taking a Taxi from Malpensa
The flat rate taxi from Malpensa airport to the city center is 105 EUR. One hundred and five euros. For the same trip, the Malpensa Express train to Cadorna station costs 13 EUR and takes 35 minutes. The Autostradale bus costs 8-10 EUR and takes 50-70 minutes.
The only reason to take a taxi is if you're arriving after midnight (last train is around 12:30AM) or have so much luggage you can't manage public transport. Otherwise, it's a 92 EUR tax on not doing five minutes of research.
If you fly into Linate instead (closer, used by some European carriers), bus 73 to San Babila metro costs 2.20 EUR. Taxi from Linate is a flat 30 EUR — much more reasonable.
2. Not Buying a Transit Pass
A single ATM metro ride is 2.20 EUR. If you take four rides in a day (realistic), that's 8.80 EUR. A day pass is 7.60 EUR. The math is simple. Buy the day pass.
Better yet, get a contactless Rechargeable card and load it up. Works on metro, tram, and bus.
The Last Supper
3. Showing Up Without a Reservation
This is the single most common tourist disaster in Milan. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper allows only 25 people every 15 minutes. Tickets (15 EUR + 2 EUR booking) sell out 2-3 months ahead. If you don't have a ticket, you will not see it. No exceptions.
Book at cenacolovinciano.org as soon as tickets are released. Set a calendar reminder. If you miss the window, authorized tour operators sell spots for 35-50 EUR. Don't buy from anyone on the street.
4. Rushing Through Your 15 Minutes
You get exactly 15 minutes in the refectory. Some people spend the first 10 taking selfies and the last 5 actually looking. Don't do this.
Take one or two photos when you enter, then put your phone away. Stand at the back first to take in the full composition. Then walk closer. Look at the apostles' hands — Leonardo choreographed every gesture. Look at the perspective lines converging on Christ's head. Look at the daylight from the real windows mixing with the painted light. Fifteen minutes is enough if you're actually present.
The Duomo
5. Skipping the Rooftop Terraces
The cathedral interior is 5 EUR. The rooftop terrace by elevator is 16 EUR (stairs: 10 EUR). Most people do the interior only. They're missing the best part.
Up on the roof, you walk among 3,400 statues and 135 spires, with views to the Alps on clear days. It's one of the most surreal architectural experiences in Europe. Go late afternoon for the best light.
6. Falling for the Duomo Scams
People around the Duomo will:
Hand you bracelets then demand 10-20 EUR
Put birdseed in your hand then charge you
Offer to take your photo then hold your phone ransom
Dress as gladiators/centurions and charge for photos
Say "no" firmly to everything. Don't make eye contact. Don't take anything. Keep your hands in your pockets walking through Piazza del Duomo. I watched a woman get charged 20 EUR for a string bracelet she didn't ask for. Don't be her.
Food Mistakes
7. Eating Near the Duomo
Restaurants with a direct view of the Duomo charge 3-4x normal Milan prices. A margherita pizza near the cathedral: 15-18 EUR. The same pizza ten minutes away in any direction: 7-9 EUR.
The exception: the Rinascente rooftop food hall (top floor of the department store on Piazza del Duomo) has decent food with a Duomo view at only slightly inflated prices. The terrace bar is worth a drink.
8. Not Understanding Aperitivo
Milan's aperitivo culture (6-9PM, buy a cocktail and get access to a food buffet) effectively replaces dinner. A cocktail costs 8-12 EUR and comes with unlimited food. If you're eating a separate dinner every night, you're spending double what you need to.
Best aperitivo neighborhoods: Navigli (most options), Brera (more upscale), and Porta Venezia (local crowd). Skip the aperitivo at hotel bars — overpriced and underwhelming.
9. Ordering Cappuccino After 11AM
Italians don't drink cappuccino after mid-morning. You won't get arrested, but the barista will know you're a tourist immediately. After lunch, it's espresso or macchiato. This isn't snobbishness — Italians genuinely believe milk disrupts digestion after a meal.
At the bar (standing), espresso is 1-1.50 EUR. At a table, it can be 3-5 EUR at fancy places. Always check if there's a separate bar price.
10. Ignoring Milanese Cuisine
Milan has its own food identity and it's incredible. Don't spend your entire trip eating "generic Italian." You must try:
Risotto alla milanese (saffron risotto, 14-18 EUR)
Cotoletta alla milanese (bone-in breaded veal, 18-25 EUR)
Mondeghili (Milanese meatballs, 8-10 EUR)
Panettone (Christmas bread, but available year-round at bakeries, from 8 EUR)
Trittoria Masuelli San Marco and Ratana near Porta Garibaldi both do excellent Milanese cooking at reasonable prices.
Exploring
11. Staying Only in the Center
Most tourists never leave the Duomo-Brera-Galleria triangle. They miss:
Navigli: Canal district with the best nightlife and antiques market (last Sunday of each month)
Porta Venezia: The city's most diverse neighborhood, excellent Ethiopian and Eritrean food, LGBTQ+ scene
Isola: Trendy, gentrifying, with the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) towers and great brunch spots
Chinatown (Via Paolo Sarpi): One of Europe's largest Chinatowns with fantastic dumplings at Ravioleria Sarpi (6 EUR for a plate)
12. Not Going to Lake Como
Lake Como is one hour by train from Milano Centrale. Train to Varenna: 12 EUR. Ferry day pass between villages: ~15 EUR. Villa del Balbianello entry: 10 EUR. Total cost of one of the most beautiful day trips in Europe: under 40 EUR.
If you skip Como because "it's too far" or "it's a separate trip," you're making a mistake. Take the 8AM train, come back on the 9PM. It will be the highlight of your Milan visit.
13. Thinking Milan Has No Culture
Beyond The Last Supper, Milan has:
Pinacoteca di Brera (15 EUR, Raphael, Mantegna, Caravaggio)
Fondazione Prada (15 EUR, contemporary art in a stunning Rem Koolhaas-designed space). For more Italian art cities, see our Milan food and design guide in a stunning Rem Koolhaas-designed space)
Museo del Novecento (10 EUR, 20th-century Italian art, free views of the Duomo from the top floor)
La Scala museum and tour (12 EUR, peek inside the world's most famous opera house)
Free on the first Sunday of the month: most civic museums including the Natural History Museum and the Acquario.
Practical Mistakes
14. Not Booking La Scala in Advance
La Scala opera season runs December to July. Good seats for major performances book out months ahead. But here's the secret: same-day gallery tickets (30 EUR, upper levels) are sometimes available, and under-26 discounted tickets exist for select performances.
Even if you don't see a show, the museum (12 EUR, open 9:30AM-5:30PM) includes a peek into the theater from a box, which is atmospheric enough on its own.
15. Shopping at Full Price
Milan's fashion outlets offer 30-70% off Italian and international brands. Serravalle Designer Outlet (90 minutes south, shuttle bus 25 EUR round trip from Foro Buonaparte) is the biggest. FoxTown in Mendrisio across the Swiss border (50 minutes by car) is another option.
The saldi (official sales) run January and July. If you're in Milan during either month, regular shops have the deepest discounts.
16. Forgetting August
Milan in August is a ghost town. Milanesi flee to the coast or mountains for Ferragosto (August 15 holiday). Many restaurants, shops, and even some museums close. Consider visiting Rome or the Amalfi Coast instead if you're planning an August trip for 2-4 weeks. If you visit in August, check opening schedules carefully. The upside: the city is empty and peaceful, and hotels are cheap.
17. Not Validating Train Tickets
If you have a paper ticket for regional trains (to Como, Bergamo, etc.), you MUST validate it at the green/yellow machines on the platform before boarding. Un-validated tickets result in a 50 EUR fine from the conductor. Trenitalia app tickets and printed reservation tickets for high-speed trains don't need validation — but when in doubt, stamp it.
18. Ignoring the Galleria Floor
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is free to walk through and most people just look up at the iron-and-glass ceiling (which is stunning). But look down: there's a mosaic bull on the floor, and the tradition is to spin your heel on its, um, anatomical area three times for good luck. It's silly and fun and the hole worn in the mosaic proves thousands of people do it daily.
The Big One
19. Giving Milan Only One Day
The biggest mistake. One day gives you the Duomo, maybe The Last Supper if you booked ahead, and nothing else. You'll leave thinking Milan is a transit stop.
Three days is the minimum. Day one: Duomo, Galleria, Brera. Day two: Last Supper, Navigli aperitivo, Castello Sforzesco (free to enter the courtyard, 5 EUR for museums). Day three: Lake Como day trip or deep dive into neighborhoods.
Milan isn't a city that grabs you by the collar. Unlike Florence or Venice, it's a city that earns your respect gradually. It's a city that earns your respect gradually — through its food, its design, its rhythm. But you have to give it the time.
Packing Essentials
Comfortable walking shoes (cobblestones are everywhere)
Layers (Milan's weather shifts within hours, especially spring/fall)
A shoulder bag or crossbody (not a backpack for nice restaurants — Milan cares about appearances)
Cash (some markets and bacari are cash-only, aim for 50-100 EUR)
A portable umbrella (Milan rain arrives without warning)
The One Thing I Wish Someone Had Told Me
Milan is not a beautiful city in the way Florence or Rome are. It's a functional, modern, occasionally ugly city with pockets of extraordinary beauty. The beauty is in the details: the ironwork on a Liberty-style building in Porta Venezia, the way a bartender makes your Negroni with a slow-motion pour, the sunset hitting the Duomo's Candoglia marble and turning it pink.
You have to look for it. But when you find it, it stays with you.
