When visiting the city of Milan and its museums, exploration of its imposing Gothic cathedral is a must see, which we highly recommend.
The site of the cathedral, also called“Duomo” in Italian or “le Dôme” in French, is divided into 4 spaces: cathedral inside, rooftops (panoramic terrace), a museum and an archaeological area. We detail the different spaces below and indicate if we think it is worth to visiting them.
It is also the most visited monument in Milan. In order to avoid the line, we advise you to book your tickets, with skip the line icket online, to save precious time the day of your visit.
We also give you below all the useful information (prices, how to get ticket to visit?, best times to go to avoid the line..).Yyou’ll have to get up early, really you won’t regret it!
Sommaire
History Milan cathedral
Duomo of Milan literally means “church of the Duomo”. It is in fact a Gothic cathedral that has no rival in Italy! Built in the 10th century and completely destroyed by fire in 1095, it was rebuilt during the Renaissance and renovated between the 20th and 21st centuries.
It is a majestic building, all in marble of Candoglia, which is really worth the visit, anyway considering its impressive size and its location in the heart of the city, you can not miss it during your visit to Milan.
Useful information
Location
The cathedral is unmissable, located in Piazza del Duomo, in the heart of Milan, near the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery and the Royal Palace of Milan.
Opening hours
- Cathedral and terraces: 9am-7am
- Museum: 10am-7am and closed on Monday
We advise you to get there early, as soon as it opens at 9am with your tickets (check the timetable again during your stay), in order to avoid the crowd of tourists. Attention, some days there is more than 2 hours of waiting just to buy the tickets and/or to access the different areas.
Price
There are different tickets to visit the cathedral, depending on the spaces you want to visit, we help you to see more clearly and we detail the different spaces below.
Combined skip the line ticket : cathedral, museum and rooftops
➡️ Our recommendation: we advise you to buy your entrance ticket, combined , skip the line ticket, for cathedral inside, its museum and its rooftops (panoramic terraces) (by stairs or lift) and audio guide in option.
Price (stairs access): 16,50€ full price – 9,5€ reduced price from 6 to 17 years old – 1,50€ under 6 years old (count about 4€ extra for the elevator access)
Ticket : only cathedral inside
If you want to focus on one space, we recommend :
➡️ Either buy your admission ticket, ticket cutter, only, for the interior of the cathedral and the museum.
Price: 7,5€ full price – 4€ reduced price from 6 to 17 years old – 1,50€ less than 6 years old
Ticket only for rooftops (panoramic terraces)
➡️ Either buy your entrance ticket, only, for the panoramic terraces (by stairs or lift), if you want to fully enjoy this incredible place.
Stairs rate: 13€ full rate – 7,50€ reduced rate from 6 to 17 years old – free under 6 years old – (count about 4€ extra for the elevator access)
Guided tour of the cathedral and rooftops (terraces)
If you want to take full advantage of this visit to learn more about the history of the cathedral, understand its architecture and know all the anecdotes about its construction, we recommend you :
➡️ Book your guided tour of the Milan Cathedral, it’s a guided tour in English, 1h30 with access to the interior of the cathedral and the panoramic terraces, for a very attractive price knowing that the entrance tickets, cut line, are included
Rates (lowest: Sundays): 29€ full rate – 19€ reduced rate from 12 to 18 years old – 17€ reduced rate from 6 to 11 years old free under 6 years old – (count about 4€ extra for the elevator access)
The must-sees during your visit
Rooftops for the view
An unforgettable and rarely offered experience, you have access to the terraces located on the roof. Either by a staircase, about 250 steps to climb, or with the help of an elevator.
If you need to focus on one area, we recommend that you reserve your ticket for the visit to the terraces. It’s absolutely beautiful, you can admire the cathedral up close as well as enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the mountains in the distance.
The best time to climb the terraces is at sunset, but you won’t be alone!
Inside the cathedral
As you enter the cathedral, expect to be impressed by its size, a “whoa” should come out naturally.
This is normal because it is the second largest Christian church in Europe, just after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with a capacity of 30,000 people.
You can admire a sumptuous facade where pink dominates and absolutely sublime stained glass windows and many statues, 3 400 in total inside and outside.
In short, we also recommend you to visit the interior of the cathedral.
Cathedral museum
It is located under the church of the Duomo, open since 2003, it houses many original objects of the cathedral (replaced for conservation reasons), as well as works of contemporary artists.
Stained glass windows, objects of worship, tapestries but especially statues and gargoyles recovered in situ and more or less restored. An interesting museum to do during your stay in Milan.
If you want to save time, you can skip the archaeological area with the ruins of the first churches, the Basilica of San Giovanni and the Basilica of St. Thecla (4th century)
Is Duomo Milan Cathedral worth visiting?
As you can understand, this cathedral is really a must-see when visiting Milan.Yes, It is one of the most beautiful theaters in the world, that’s a very good reason to go and see it in real life, to take some time during your visit of Milan!
Our tips for sleeping in Milan
Don’t hesitate to stay in Milan: opt for the city center near the Duomo! This allows you to visit a large part of the city on foot. The city is full of sublime hotels.
1. INTOMILAN Aparthotel Galleria Duomo, located a few minutes walk from the Duomo. The location of the hotel is perfect for visiting Milan. Our room was spacious, clean and well decorated. We had an excellent stay.
2. Brera apartments Alla Scala we had hesitated for a long time with this accommodation also very well located. It’s a flat so it’s easier to cook than in a hotel.
We thank you for having read all the way to the end, don’t hesitate to leave us a note below to tell us if you are planning this trip, or to ask any questions you may have, we will answer you with great pleasure!
