I Spent 3 Days in Milan: Here Are the 15 Things You Absolutely Can Squeeze into 72 Hours

• Metro Stop: Duomo
• Price: from $0
• Reservations: recommended, especially if you want roof access

Say Milan and chances are your mind either goes to Fashion Week or the famous Duomo cathedral. The gargantuan edifice took over 600 years to complete, and now dazzles visitors with gargoyles rising towards the sky. A scamper to the top offers a unique perspective of both the church and the city, while the sanctuary offers a respite of calm and wonder under the majestic, vaulted ceilings. Tickets are required to ascend to the roof, though you can walk inside the nave free of charge. A tour can help you make sense of the long, complex history, including the interesting and dramatic story behind the fifth bronze door. Afterwards, have a meal at Giacomo, the art-deco restaurant located in the Museo del Novecento across the street. (I can vouch for the Milanese veal cut and wild boar tagliatelle.)

• Metro Stop: Duomo
• Price: Free
• Reservations: N/A

Ready to do some shopping? For the last 150 years, La Rinascente has been an iconic Italian department store known as purveyor of specialty goods. Whether you seek one-of-a-kind beauty products or classic sweets, this emporium doesn’t fail to delight. And pro tip: If you go to the top floor, you’ll find the food hall overflowing with a Champagne bar, restaurants, a chocolate shop and a market, served with cathedral views. It’s also known for its dazzling Christmas lights display, if you’re traveling in the winter season.

• Metro Stop: Teatro alla Scala
• Price: Varies
• Reservations: Yes

Another Milanese landmark is the dazzling Teatro alla Scala. The opera house dates back to 1778 and today shows all manner of the classics. I saw Simon Boccanegra, but the season also includes performances of Don Carlo, Turandot and Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze. Pack a nice outfit (but not NYC Met Opera over-the-top), because you’ll definitely want photos. The majority of the audience sits in private boxes above the stage, the interior richly decorated with crimson red velvet and gilded crown molding.

• Metro Stop: Republica
• Price: From $772
• Reservations: Yes

If you stay at the Hotel Principe di Savoia, you have the option to book the Fontana – Slashing Space experience. The rate includes accommodations for two nights, breakfast and a two-hour walking tour inspired by the life of Italian avant-garde artist Lucio Fontana. You’ll visit the sculptor and painter’s favorite haunts, stopping by some of the city’s most renowned landmarks. (Shown above: “The House of the Big Men”.) The best thing is that the tour caters to everyone, even if someone isn’t an art fanatic. I found it an accessible and easy way to get a feel for the city, and then had inspiration for the places I wanted to visit on my next visit.

• Metro Stop: Lodi Tibb
• Price: from $15
• Reservations: Yes for foundation, no for Bar Luce

You can’t go to Milan and not visit the Prada Foundation, the arts and culture institute that features a mix of permanent and rotating contemporary art exhibitions on display. Throughout the year, it hosts screenings, talks and other public events related to contemporary art and culture. (Think of it as the Italian version of the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.) Admittedly, I was there for Bar Luce, the café designed by Anderson in 2015. Be prepared to spend at least half a day wandering through the galleries.

• Metro Stop: Romolo
• Price: Free
• Reservations: N/A

In the past, Milan had many canals, some of whose construction was overseen by Leonardo da Vinci. Today, Navigli Milano, Navigli Grande and Navigli Pavese are of the few that remain. Walk along them and you’ll find cafés and restaurants by the water—a little respite from the bustling city center.

• Metro Stop: Palestro
• Price: N/A
• Reservations: N/A

In Milan’s Quadrilatero del Silenzio (“Silent District”) sit beautiful buildings that date to the Hapsburg empire. One of them is Palazzo Invernizzi, home to a flock of flamingos, imported about a quarter century ago from South America. The villa is private property, but you can see everything from the street. It’s a nice surprise as you walk through the neighborhood—it’s just around the corner from the Duomo.  

• Metro Stop: Lanza
• Price: Varies
• Reservations: N/A

Bar Jamaica was established in 1911 and remains in the same family, with the same allure as Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore in Paris—albeit grittier. For the artistic types, this is a legendary stop. Fledgling artists, including Fontana, were known to take their coffee here—and sometimes pay in artwork. Stop in for a cappuccino (but no later than lunch) and a pastry at the bar or sit with your newspaper or sketchbook and watch the world go down Via Brera.

• Metro Stop: Republica
• Price: Contact to Inquire
• Reservations: Yes

Honestly, this should be the first thing you to once you step off the plane. I rolled right from my flight into the spa, and it was a lifesaving remedy from the dry air. I went with a facial, which uses luxuriously calming products from the Japanese brand Sensai Kanebo. The spa also offers massages, a pool and sauna and nail treatments.

• Metro Stop: San Babila or Montenapoleone
• Price: N/A
• Reservations: N/A

The storied Via Monte Napoleone is part of the city’s renowned fashion district, where you’ll find both Italian and international luxury labels, from Loro Piana and Valentino to Hermès and Goyard. It’s fun to walk down the cobbled street and peer into the windows, and who knows? Maybe you’ll even take home a trinket or two. And for those of us whose budget doesn’t include $9,000 for a Loro Piana sweater, Zara isn’t far (and it’s fun to see what the European-based stores are offering).

• Metro Stop: Tricolore
• Price: From $15
• Reservations: Yes

Private garden, swimming pool and tennis court? Sign me up. The Villa Necchi Campiglio was built in 1935 as a traditional noble home for the Necchi Campiglio family, industrial scions of the city. It was renovated after World War II with 18^th-century influences. Visitors can tour the sumptuous rooms, including the library, grand salon and bedrooms. There are also permanent art collections on display and a rotating music program.

• Metro Stop: Duomo
• Price: Varies
• Reservations: N/A

Fashion, food, literature and more converge on the emporium that is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The belle-epoque structure dazzles with its glass roofs and mosaic tiles, in addition to being home of the first Prada store. Other must-visits are La Feltrinelli bookshop and the ornate Camparino in Galleria. We stopped in at the latter for drinks before heading to the opera, and it’s a great place to people watch over a glass of—what else?—Campari Spritz.

• Metro Stop: Cadorna and Cairoli
• Price: $5
• Reservations: Yes

If you went to Europe and didn’t see a castle, did you actually go to Europe? Quandary solved with a visit to Castello Sforzesco, a sprawling complex with courtyards, cloisters, towers and battlements. Entry into the courtyard is free, but if you pony up $5, you can see the rest of it, too. That grants you access to the libraries and archives, like the Museum of Decorative Arts and Archeological Library. Bonus: it’s kid friendly, as the castle regularly hosts school field trips.

• Metro Stop: Lanza or Montenapoleone
• Price: $15
• Reservations: Yes

The Pinacoteca di Brera is a museum dedicated to Italian painting and foreign art dating between the 13^th and 20^th centuries. The baroque building was constructed on top of a 14^th century monastery and is also home to the Academy of Fine Arts. (Fontana studied here.) The collection ranges from Modigliani’s “Enfant Gras” to Raphael’s “The Marriage of the Virgin.” If, after taking the tour, you’re inspired to start taking some art lessons, stock up on supplies around the corner at Ditta Cesare Crespi di Massimo Morlacchi, a hole-in-the wall art supply store popular with working artists.

• Metro Stop: Conciliazione or Cadorna
• Price: $15
• Reservations: Yes

Save the best for last, right? Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is, besides the Mona Lisa, perhaps the most recognizable Western artwork (alongside David, of course). You can find it on the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a basilica in the western part of the city. Be forewarned: You cannot execute this last-minute. I tried, only to find out reservations sell out months in advance. So if you’re even thinking about seeing it, I’d hop on it.