Historic Center Walking Tour (Self Guided), Milan
Immerse yourself in several fascinating centuries’ worth of history and architecture in Milan’s city center. A gorgeous park, elegant palaces and historic houses are just some of the thrilling sights to be seen.
A good place to start is with a saunter down Via Dante, named after the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri. This beautiful pedestrianized street is lined with 18th and 19th-century houses, palaces, shops, cafés and restaurants.
One of the principle highlights of this part of the city is Castello Sforzesco, a 14th-century castle with a turbulent history. It has been demolished and rebuilt on several occasions, and today offers a wonderful window into the past with historical artifacts belonging to the Civici Musei Castello Sforzesco and numerous other museums in the castle complex. Among them is the Egyptian Museum, the Antique Furniture and Wooden Sculpture Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Musical Instruments. You could easily spend days among the many and varied exhibits.
Behind the castle is Parco Sempione (Simplon Park), a large green space designed in the romantic style of an English garden. Amble along winding paths through beautifully landscaped grounds and open grass areas. Check out the attractive bridge across the central pond and the park’s other structures and monuments.
Climb up to the viewing platform of the Torre Branca, a 354-feet (108-meter) tall tower erected in 1933. Stop by the Arco della Pace, originally built as a Victory Arch for Napoleon in 1807.
A good place to start is with a saunter down Via Dante, named after the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri. This beautiful pedestrianized street is lined with 18th and 19th-century houses, palaces, shops, cafés and restaurants.
One of the principle highlights of this part of the city is Castello Sforzesco, a 14th-century castle with a turbulent history. It has been demolished and rebuilt on several occasions, and today offers a wonderful window into the past with historical artifacts belonging to the Civici Musei Castello Sforzesco and numerous other museums in the castle complex. Among them is the Egyptian Museum, the Antique Furniture and Wooden Sculpture Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Musical Instruments. You could easily spend days among the many and varied exhibits.
Behind the castle is Parco Sempione (Simplon Park), a large green space designed in the romantic style of an English garden. Amble along winding paths through beautifully landscaped grounds and open grass areas. Check out the attractive bridge across the central pond and the park’s other structures and monuments.
Climb up to the viewing platform of the Torre Branca, a 354-feet (108-meter) tall tower erected in 1933. Stop by the Arco della Pace, originally built as a Victory Arch for Napoleon in 1807.
How it works: A discovery walk features a route using which you can explore a popular city neighborhood on your own. This walk, along with other self-guided walks in over 1,500 cities, can be found on the app "51: Walks in 1K+ Cities" which can be downloaded from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app's built-in GPS navigation functions allow following this walk route with ease. The app works both online and offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Historic Center Walking Tour Map
Guide Name: Historic Center Walking Tour
Guide Location: Italy » Milan
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Discovery)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Author: naomi
Guide Location: Italy » Milan
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Discovery)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Author: naomi
1) Duomo di Milano
2) Dante Street
3) Dante Street
4) Dante Street
5) Cairoli Square, Garibaldi Statue
6) Sforza Castle
7) Sforza Castle
8) Sforza Castle
9) Sforza Castle
10) Sforza Castle
11) Sempione Park
12) Sempione Park
13) Sempione Park
14) Sforza Castle
15) Sempione Square, Arch of Peace
Walking Tours in Milan, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Milan
Creating your own self-guided walk in Milan is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Milan Introduction Walking Tour
Recognized as one of the world's four fashion capitals, Milan is also a global hub of design and a key tourist destination. The etymology of the name Milan remains uncertain. One theory holds that the Latin name Mediolanum comes from the Latin words medio (in the middle) and planus (plain).
In 286 the Roman Emperor Diocletian moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
In 286 the Roman Emperor Diocletian moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Best Shopping Streets and Malls
One of the world's four fashion capitals and, as of lately, that of industrial design as well, Milan is renowned internationally as a top shopping destination, where fashion is the second religion. In a city as rich as this one, dedicated to art and pleasure, there's no shortage of options for those accustomed to upscale shopping and favoring bargains.
Amid the plethora of places to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Amid the plethora of places to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Leonardo da Vinci's Masterpieces
Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest Renaissance artists and polymaths in history, left an indelible mark on Milan through several of his masterpieces created in this city over the nearly 20 years that he spent here.
One of the notable places where you can explore the maestro's work is the Ambrosian Library (Biblioteca Ambrosiana), which houses a vast collection of his drawings and... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
One of the notable places where you can explore the maestro's work is the Ambrosian Library (Biblioteca Ambrosiana), which houses a vast collection of his drawings and... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Historic Center Walking Tour
Contained within the area once delimited by the medieval walls, the Centro Storico (historic center) of Milan encompasses the city's perhaps most famous landmarks and tourist attractions. Compact in size, the area is easily distinguishable on the map much as walkable. Here you can find almost everything Milan is famous for, in a close proximity to each other.
The best place to start is... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
The best place to start is... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour
Milan may well be a world fashion capital and one of the financial capitals of Europe, but religion, and particularly churches, are an inseparable part of the Milanese life. Indeed, steeped in history, this city has garnered over the centuries a wealth of iconic places of worship.
Among these, the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) stands as a symbol of grandeur and faith. This magnificent... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Among these, the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) stands as a symbol of grandeur and faith. This magnificent... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
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