Cheap things to do in Milan
Street food, free culture and good cheap bars across the city's best neighbourhoods.
This is Milan for people who know the city rewards you most when you slow down and spend less. Three days move from Brera and the Castello to Porta Venezia to the Navigli, eating panzerotti and pizza by the slice, drinking espresso at bars that have been there for decades, and paying nothing to walk through some of the finest architecture in northern Italy. No reservations required, no fine dining, no regrets.
Day 1: Brera, the Castello and Sempione
A morning of free courtyards and fortress grounds leads into street food, a sprawling park, cult pizza by the slice and a glass in a Brera wine cellar.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Castello Sforzesco
Iconic free-entry courtyards and grounds of Milan's great fortress, great free culture stop.
Map - 12:30 PM
Panzerotti Luini
Fried panzerotti stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, eaten on the pavement by the Duomo; expect a queue.
Map - 2:00 PM
Parco Sempione
Big free park right behind Castello, perfect afternoon wander with Milanese families.
Map - 7:30 PM
- 9:00 PM
N'Ombra de Vin
A Brera wine bar in an old cellar; a glass of something Italian at a fair price to end the day.
Map
Day 2: Porta Venezia to Città Studi
Tree-lined parks, the old neoclassical city gate and a trail of cheap food through a neighbourhood locals actually live in.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Giardini pubblici Indro Montanelli
Free public park right by Porta Venezia, a relaxed morning stroll under the trees.
Map - 12:30 PM
PORTOBELLO pizzeria ristorante
A neighbourhood pizzeria in Città Studi with Neapolitan-style pies at student prices.
Map - 2:15 PM
Porta Venezia
Twin neoclassical toll houses from the 1820s mark the old gate; the Art Nouveau villas are in the streets behind.
Map - 7:30 PM
Mao Hunan
Fiery Hunanese cooking near Loreto; share a few chilli-heavy plates with plenty of rice.
Map - 9:00 PM
LeccoMilano
Local neighbourhood bar near Porta Venezia, a nightcap with the regulars before heading back.
Map
Day 3: Ticinese, Navigli and the ossuary
A proper coffee roaster, Roman columns, an eerie bone chapel and the kind of sandwich shop that makes you reconsider every lunch you have ever eaten.
- 9:30 AM
NOWHERE FUTURE COFFEE ROASTERS
A specialty roaster in Ticinese for a proper filter or flat white, a few minutes from San Lorenzo.
Map - 10:15 AM
Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore
Free Roman-era basilica with stunning colonnaded portico, one of Milan's oldest and most impressive landmarks.
Map - 12:30 PM
Panozzi e Panelli Bottega Meneghina
Milanese panini made to order near the Statale university; cheap, filling and quick.
Map - 2:00 PM
Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa
Eerie ossuary chapel decorated with thousands of human bones, bizarre, free and utterly unforgettable.
Map - 7:30 PM
All'Antico Vinaio
Florence's famous schiacciata sandwiches, huge and cheap, a short walk from the Duomo.
Map - 9:00 PM
Where to stay
Palazzo Segreti
Palazzo Segreti sits right between the Castello and the Navigli plan, priced at $$ and close to nearly every stop across all three days.
Urban Hive Milano
A design hostel and hotel on Corso Garibaldi in Brera, walkable to the Castello and Day 1.
Make Milan your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Duomo di Milano: weeks ahead
- Cenacolo Vinciano: months ahead
- Pinacoteca di Brera: a few days ahead
- Teatro alla Scala: weeks ahead
- Stadio Giuseppe Meazza: weeks ahead
- Lake Como: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Eating or drinking seated on Piazza del Duomo or in the Galleria at terrace prices for mediocre food.
- Any restaurant with a tout, laminated photo menus and a tourist menu in six languages.
- Aperitivo buffets chosen for size rather than drink quality.
- Como coach tours giving one rushed hour in Bellagio in August; go self guided to Varenna instead.
The full Milan travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around