The best free things to do in Milan

Look past chic Milan's posh exterior because the fashion-forward metropolis doesn’t have to hit your wallet hard, despite being Italy's most expensive city. 

Time travel from Roman ruins to innovative modern towers, with detours for ritzy window-shopping or maybe a pop-up design-focused event. Choose among glorious churches, unusual museums, opulent palazzos and a stalwart fortress while you are coming from the park, going to the canal or just tooling around a neighborhood.

There are enough free things to do in Milan to fill up a weekend or a longer itinerary. Here are 22 of the best.

1. Duomo

The famous Duomo is no longer free to enter, but that’s not to say you can’t enjoy it from the outside. Not only is it a pearly vision in Candoglia marble, it’s also covered in over 3000 statues and gargoyles. Look for unusual figures like a mini Statue of Liberty (above the front entrance), said to be one of the sources of inspiration for the American one we know so well.

2. Naviglio Grande

The city’s main canal makes for a picturesque stroll at any time of day. Get a taste of what Milan used to look like on the side street Vicolo dei Lavandai, where 20th-century writers like Georges Simenon came searching for inspiration.

Planning tip: On the last Sunday of the month, the whole Naviglio is taken over by the Mercatone dell’Antiquariato, a lively flea market selling antiques, books, secondhand clothing and vintage furniture and homewares.

3. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Italy’s oldest shopping gallery, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is known for its soaring vaulted glass arcades and timeless elegance. But did you know that spinning on your heel on the mosaic bull will grant you good luck? So legend has it. The bull is in the center of the gallery, often surrounded by a small crowd.

4. Cimitero Monumentale

One of the largest cemeteries in town, Cimitero Monumentale is impossible to miss. The majestic complex of bicolored marble was designed by Carlo Maciachini and opened in 1866. Admire the impressive sculptures, Greek temples and tombs of the city’s most illustrious in the Famedio (Hall of Fame).

5. Fuorisalone

The international event known as Fuorisalone welcomes design enthusiasts from all corners of the world, crowding the city for good reason; for one week in April, the city runs amok with free design events, large-scale installations, exhibitions and epic parties.

6. Bosco Verticale

These high-rise apartments in the Porto Nuovo district, standing 111m (364ft) high and overflowing with green, are known as the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). Each tower has balconies loaded with hundreds of trees, plus shrubs and plants in the thousands. Part of an extensive redevelopment project, the buildings have become models for sustainable living.

7. Piazza Gae Aulenti

Inaugurated in 2012 and arguably the main symbol of modern Milan, the sleek Piazza Gae Aulenti pairs skyline-defining towers with three fountains that always have some sort of water flow going on. The square is the perfect place to sit down for a while, update your Instagram feed and get a sense of where Milan is heading in the future.

8. Quadrilatero d’Oro

Gawking tourists and well-heeled locals – no one can resist the lure of the Quadrilatero d’Oro, one of the world’s most famous fashion districts. It won’t cost a thing to gaze at the extravagant shop windows, nor the equally extravagant divas walking by.

9. Parco Sempione

The former hunting ground for the royal Sforza family is now the city’s green lung and open to all. Parco Sempione is an English-style garden, with lush lawns and dreamy ornamental ponds. Significant sights include the Castello Sforzesco, the Arco della Pace and the imposing Arena Civica.

10. Casa Museo Boschi-di Stefano

The impressive private art collection of a Milanese couple is open to the public in their former home, which was designed by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi. Casa Museo Boschi-di Stefano's 20th-century Italian works by big names such as Giorgio de Chirico and Piero Manzoni are second only to the house's exquisite art deco features.

11. Via Lincoln

Not many people know Via Lincoln, but it offers definite proof that Milan isn’t as gray as the rumors say. Planned in the 19th century as a neighborhood for the area's factory workers, Via Lincoln and its colorful houses have turned into a quirky and exclusive corner of the city.

12. Brera

Winding cobblestone streets dotted with furniture stores, boutiques and the occasional shawled fortune teller reading palms, this historic district never fails to charm with its romantic touch. Don’t forget to duck into the Pinacoteca di Brera to marvel at its imposing courtyard and the hidden garden Orto Botanico.

13. Museo Civico di Storia Naturale

Learn about everything from the history of mankind to the evolution of plants at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. The neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic building from 1844 makes for a storybook setting, while the lifelike dioramas add a touch of kitsch to the experience.

Planning tip: Tickets are usually €5 (US$5.75), but admission is free after 2pm on the first and third Tuesday of the month and all day on the first Sunday.

14. Palazzo Morando

For a glimpse of aristocratic life during the 18th century, wander around the Palazzo Morando Costume Moda Immagine. Housing the personal collection of Countess Bolognini, the apartments are also hung with the city’s civic art collection, which provides a picture of Milan as it was during the Napoleonic era.

15. Chiesa di San Maurizio

The nondescript exterior will in no way prepare you for what’s inside the Chiesa di San Maurizio. Resplendent frescoes and paintings seem to cover every inch of the walls of this 16th-century chapel, which was originally part of the Monastero Maggiore, a convent of Benedictine nuns.

16. San Lorenzo Columns

It has to be one of the most atmospheric settings for a drink: beneath towering columns from the Roman era. Bring your own or buy a drink to-go from the bars surrounding the San Lorenzo Columns and enjoy the sprawl of amateur guitar players and maybe some BMX bikers.

17. Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa

The Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa has an ossuary, decorated entirely with bones, that looks like something out of an Indiana Jones film. It’s said that the adjacent cemetery was running out of space, so they decided to store the bones in an oddly decorative manner in this nearby church.

18. Acquario

On the edge of Parco Sempione, you’ll find the third-oldest aquarium in Europe. As might be expected, it is somewhat outdated. The selection of sea life is small, but the charm of the building in the Liberty style (akin to art nouveau), with a grand Titan statue at the entrance, makes up for it.

Planning tip: It’s free on the first and third Tuesday of the month after 2pm.

19. Castello Sforzesco

Originally a fortress, then later the royal residence of the Sforza dynasty and finally a cultural institution, the mighty red brick Castello Sforzesco has seen many transformations in its time. It hosts several museums that allow you to delve into its history.

Planning tip: It’s free on the first and third Tuesday of the month after 2pm.

20. 10 Corso Como

On the top level of fashionable 10 Corso Como, you’ll find a space entirely devoted to photography. It has a revolving program of exhibitions that are often organized around niche themes or unusual early works by famed photographers such as Annie Leibovitz and Helmut Newton.

21. Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie

Most visit the basilica’s refectory for The Last Supper, without sparing a look at the rest of this 15th-century church designed by Guiniforte Solari and completed in 1469. The Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie is an exceptional example of Renaissance architecture, with impressive works by Titian, Gaudenzio Ferrari and Bramantino.

22. Pirelli Hangar Bicocca

In an industrial area once dominated by factories, the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca is a unique space for contemporary art. Known for its permanent work The Seven Heavenly Palaces, which incorporates huge towers of concrete created by German artist Anselm Kiefer, the gallery also puts on edgy temporary exhibitions that will challenge your expectations.