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3 Days with Kids in Milan

3 Days with Kids in Milan

It doesn’t matter how old your children are as Milan offers activities and entertainment for all ages. Use our 3-day family-fun itinerary to make the most out of your 72-hour stay in this most wondrous city.

Intro

At first glance it may seem inappropriate to visit Milan with kids. Many look upon Milan only as a city of high fashion, business, finance, and soccer. I must confess, they are not wrong but Milan on the other hand has a different side to its coin.

I’ll do my best to show you everything that makes Milan a child-friendly city. My mission will be to gather information on everything that happens on the planet of childhood in Milan.

At the same time, it will be a great help for parents who would like to reconcile everything before they get to Milan. They will find information on activities to do in their free time with children.

I will not forget to indicate the best family-friendly restaurants, child-friendly museums, the best theater shows. I’ll do my best to indicate an agenda that will tell you day by day what to do with the children, particularly on the weekend.

It will be helpful to know what Milan offers on Saturdays and Sundays such as creative workshops, theater shows, museum appointments, sporting events, and much more.

Climb to the Top of the Duomo

Among the things to do in Milan with children, I compulsory suggest to include a visit to the Duomo Terraces. It’s one of those activities that the whole family can enjoy.

It will be a unique experience, because, believe me, the view that can be enjoyed from the Terraces of the Duomo is wonderful, with the city lying under your feet and the people that look like many colorful ants.

If you want to climb to the top of the Duomo with small children I recommend taking the elevator. It will cost you a little more but will avoid fatigue. At the top, it is not dangerous but it usually blows the wind so it could get rather chilly even on the hottest days.

Recommended Tours

Milan Cathedral Rooftop Ticket Only Fast-Track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guided Tour

It is one of the most characteristic areas of Milan and the only one that still maintains the water channels that once crossed the city. Along the canals, there are numerous places to have a drink or a quick bite.

Children will love the picturesque “Vicolo delle Lavandaie” where there are still the wash houses that were used by women to wash clothes. The new Darsena, the water basin that joins the two canals (the Grande and the Pavese), just reopened to the public after a year-long restoration.

In the summer season from the end of May to mid-September don’t miss the 55 minutes cruise on the canals in Milan.

Recommended Tours

Milan:1-Hour Navigli Guided Walking Experience

Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology

It is the largest museum dedicated to science and technology in Italy. The collection also includes some models of machinery taken from Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings.

It is a real paradise for children. Among the most popular pavilions is that of transport where one of the first locomotives is preserved. Do not forget to visit the Toti submarine (booking is recommended for this visit).

Recommended Tour

Leonardo3- The World of Leonardo Museum Entrance Ticket

Il Muba Children’s Museum

Muba, the children’s museum is one of the places dedicated to children in the city and it’s one of must-visit places for those visiting Milan with kids.

However, this museum is very different from the classical image of a museum institution. It’s located inside the former church of San Michele alla Rotonda della Besana.

The objective of the private non-profit organization that manages the MUBA is indeed to develop the creativity of small visitors, through experiences of creative play and experimentation. Before you go, visit their website!

Milan Gardens and Parks

Visiting Milan for the first time, you can have the impression that Milan has very few gardens and parks, particularly if your visit is limited to Duomo Cathedral, Scala, or the Fashion district.

You will be pleasantly surprised that Milan is called a green city with a wide variety of parks, varying from the largest parks to the smallest gardens in Milan, both private and public.

For your information, Milan’s wider area has more than 50 parks and gardens of all sizes. Let’s see some most beautiful and children friendly parks in Milan.

Sempione Park

Located just behind Castello Sforzesco, it’s Milan’s very own version of Central Park. There is so much to see and do, you could easily spend a full day there.

Sempione Park is the green lung of the city. This park offers everything you need for a fantastic family day out in Milan.

Take a walk through the park, where children will admire the “Bagni Misteriosi” fountain, and charming Sirenette bridge, adorned with four Sirens. Climb Torre Branca (tower) for stunning views of the city.

Visit the civic aquarium, situated in the beautiful context of the Sempione Park, and discover more than 100 marine species. Don’t miss to take a family photo under the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace).

Visit La Triennale di Milano, a design and art museum. After you’ve visited the rich expositions, take a break at Triennale’s cafe overlooking Parco Sempione.

The Milan Planetarium

Considering this Planetarium as Italy’s largest planetarium, this place can be a good idea to spend an hour or two with your kids.

It’s located in Corso Venezia, 57 (Palestro – Underground station red line), and makes up part of another beautiful garden Indro Montanelli park.

Planetarium organizes events just for the little ones, a kind of guided observation of the planetary sky through shows or fairy tales. Their intention is to approach the small spectators to astronomy, in a simple and amusing way.

The entrance fee is only Euro 5 for adults and Euro 3 for kids. If you decide to visit it, in the immediate vicinity you can also visit Natural History Civic Museum.

Once there don’t miss Hall 7 which is part of the exhibition on Vertebrate Paleontology. It is entirely devoted to dinosaurs. I know kids love this stuff.

This museum is located in Corso Venezia, 55. The entrance fee is the same as for Planetarium.

Important: Free admission every first and third Tuesday of the month from 14:00 and every first Sunday of the month for the whole day.

You Are Leo

You are Leo is the first ‘street tour’ that combines the real and the virtual. It’s absolutely a uniqueness among the city tours. It will be available from 23 May 2019 to 23 May 2020.

This 1,8 km long walking tour will be organized to discover one of the most fascinating stories of human genius in the company of two guides accompanying the tour.

It’s an innovative audiovisual experience of virtual reality immerses you at 360 degrees in Renaissance Milan. This one hour and 30 minutes tour includes a walk in the historic center of Milan.

The tour is available every day at different times depending on the language you chose. The English language tour starts at 10.00 am and 3.30 pm. The tour is recommended for ages 10 and up, but there are tours dedicated to families with children aged 6 to 10 years.

The tour is divided in five stages and it will start from Duomo square. For more info, visit their website (https://youareleo.com/eng/)

Ticket prices go from 15 € to 30 € but there is a significant reduction for families with kids, as well for over 65. For example (Reduced English family min. 2 people with minimum 1 adult + 1 child from 10 to 17 years – € 20

San Siro Stadium tour

Milan hosts two A division football teams at San Siro Stadium, the largest in Italy. Also known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, the stadium was built in 1925 for the AC Milan team, and in 1947, the rival FC Inter team also started to use it.

During this tour you, and your kids will have the possibility to see the trophies of the victories of A.C. Milan and F.C. Inter football clubs. The tour lasts 4,5 hours and also includes a visit to Casa Milan, the new home of AC Milan.

Recommended Tours

Milan: San Siro Stadium and Museum Self-Guided Tour Milan: San Siro Stadium and Casa Milan with Sightseeing Bus

Lake Como and Bellagio Day Trip

If you visit Milan with kids between May and September during your 72 hours stay in this city, don’t miss to dedicate one day to jump to Como lake.

Indulge yourself in taking a tour of Como lake aboard one of the stunning boats. Enjoy a full day at spectacular Lake Como, Italy’s famous lakeside resort. Explore the beautiful streets of Como city with your guide. Enjoy a cruise to Bellagio Island on the summer tour.

Recommend Tour

FromMilan: Lake Como and Bellagio Day Trip

The Milano Card

Visiting Milan with or without kids don’t miss to provide Milano Card, the tourist & travel card of Milan, that entitles to free access to 8 museums of Milan (Sforza castle, Museo del 900, Fashion museum, Risorgimento museum, Aquarium, Modern Art Gallery of Milan, Museum of Natural History, Archeological museum).

Thanks to MilanoCard you can save time and money and enjoy your visit to Milan. This card gives you also:

Buy the Milano Card before you go by visiting their website.

More Tourist Pass Info

Read our Milan Tourist Passes article for an in-depth review of all available city card options including the Milan City Pass and the Milano Card mentioned above.