Milan is underrated for its cultural values. Besides fashion, Milan has lots of notable museums within its palace or castle worth visiting.
Some museums are even free to visit.
We will share the top 18 best museums In Milan:
#1. Sforzesco Castle
#1. Sforzesco Castle is best for relaxing and walking around. Rating: 4.6 stars from 46989 ratings.
In the 15th century, Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, built the Sforza Castle at northern Italy. It was built on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe.
It is a nice walk through even if you do not pay to enter one of its many museums. There are also café on site and you can easily spend more than an hour there.
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Address: Piazza Castello, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8846 3700
#2. Pinacoteca di Brera
#2. Pinacoteca di Brera is best for appreciating incredible art pieces. Rating: 4.7 stars from 17874 ratings.
In 1809, Napoleon I founded Pinacoteca di Brera art museum in Milan and became one of Italy’s largest art galleries.
The museum's collection of over 400 works includes masterpieces such as Raphael's "Marriage of the Virgin" and Caravaggio's "Crucifixion of Saint Peter". The museum also features works by other Italian Renaissance artists such as Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, and Tintoretto. A fun fact about the Pinacoteca di Brera is that it used to be an art school, and it's still the primary art school in Milan today.
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Address: Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 7226 3230
#3. Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci
#3. Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci is best for people interested in models, engineering, and technology. Rating: 4.5 stars from 14428 ratings.
Opened in 5 February 1953, Alcide De Gasperi. Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" was inaugurated by the prime minister of Italy for Italian painter and scientist Leonardo da Vinci.
It is the largest science and technology museum in Milan and you can see a lot of models and ships, submarines, planes.
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Address: Via San Vittore, 21, 20123 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 485551
#4. Museo del Novecento
#4. Museo del Novecento is best for ever-updated art pieces with a great view of Duomo at its top floor. Rating: 4.5 stars from 3681 ratings.
Opened in December 2010, Museo del Novecento displays about 400 works from various timeline based on its current display. They changed the art pieces regularly and you will need hours to visit the large museum with multiple floors.
It features works by Futurist and metaphysical painters such as Giorgio de Chirico, Umberto Boccioni, and Giorgio Morandi. The museum also has a collection of sculptures and installations by artists such as Fausto Melotti and Arnaldo Pomodoro. Fun fact, the museum has a rooftop terrace with a beautiful view of the city, it's a great place to take a break and enjoy the view.
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Address: Piazza del Duomo, 8, 20123 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8844 4061
#5. Ambrosian Library
#5. Ambrosian Library is best for medieval artworks from great artists. Rating: 4.6 stars from 434 ratings.
Founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo,the library contains books and manuscripts, paintings from Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli.
It housed original pages from Leonardo da Vinci's codex and exhibits pre-planning sketches from Raphael's paintings at the Vatican.
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Address: Piazza Pio XI, 2, 20123 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 806921
#6. Poldi Pezzoli Museum
#6. Poldi Pezzoli Museum is best for unique Neo-classical art pieces. Rating: 4.6 stars from 1649 ratings.
On 25 April 1881, Giuseppe Bertini, director of the Brera Academy opened the Poldi Pezzoli Museum.
The museum was the private collection of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (1822–1879) and was refurbished by the architect Giuseppe Balzaretto. Pezzoli in his testament left the house and contents to the Brera Academy.
The museum showed exhibits from Northern Italian, Netherlandish, and Flemish artists. The exhibition includes weaponry, glassworks, ceramics, jewelry, and furnishings.Visit Website
Address: Via Alessandro Manzoni, 12, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 794889
#7. Milan Natural History Museum
#7. Milan Natural History Museum is best for a wide variety of exhibits like mineralogy, paleontology, zoology, etc. Rating: 4.4 stars from 4929 ratings.
In 1838, Milan Natural History Museum was founded when naturalist Giuseppe de Cristoforis donated his collections to the city. Its first director was Giorgio Jan.
It contains 5 beautifully arranged exhibitions like Mineralogy, Paleontology section, Natural History of Man, Invertebrate Zoology, and Vertebrate Zoology.
There is very few English content though.
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Address: Corso Venezia, 55, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8846 3337
#8. Mudec
#8. Mudec is best for learning the history in a beautiful building . Rating: 4.4 stars from 10928 ratings.
Inaugurated in 2014, the Museum of Cultures of Milan is a museum and exhibition center dedicated to the enhancement and interdisciplinary research on the cultures of the world.
It contains collections of the ethnographic and anthropological collections of the Municipality of Milan.
It is highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn history while being amazed by its beauty with explanation in both English and Italian.
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Address: Via Tortona, 56, 20144 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 54917
#9. Villa Necchi Campiglio
#9. Villa Necchi Campiglio is best for touring the architecture of rich Milaneses. Rating: 4.7 stars from 2954 ratings.
Built between 1932 and 1935 by architect Piero Portaluppi, Villa Necchi Campiglio is surrounded by a large garden with tennis court and swimming pools.
It is a beautiful villa and the surrounding area is very stunning. It is a great hidden gem if you love art and architecture. This house is a great example for the lifestyle of rich Milanese people around in the last century.
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Address: Via Mozart, 14, 20122 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 7634 0121
#10. Civic Archaeological Museum
#10. Civic Archaeological Museum is best for learning history of Middle Age Europe with remains of Rome and Greek. Rating: 4.4 stars from 839 ratings.
Founded in the 4th century BC and conquered by the ancient Romans in 222 BC, the museum is dedicated to the history of Mediolanum (ancient Milan) with Roman walls and fortifications to see.
There are Gandhara's arts, Roman remains (1st-3rd century AD) and also the 24-sided tower. There are also early Middle Ages section, the Etruscan section, the Ancient Greek section.
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Address: Corso Magenta, 15, 20123 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8844 5208
#11. Triennale di Milano
#11. Triennale di Milano is best for learning about design, architecture and performing arts. Rating: 4.5 stars from 3312 ratings.
Built in 1933, Triennale di Milano was financed by Antonio Bernocchi and his brothers Andrea and Michele and designed by Giovanni Muzio.
It is a design and art museum in the Parco Sempione housed in the Palazzo dell'Arte. The Milan Triennial, an international exhibition of art and design, was held at the museum thirteen times between 1936 and 1996, and after a break of twenty years again in 2016.
A permanent museum of Italian design, the Trienniale Design Museum, was opened in 2007 hosting design, architecture, and performing arts.
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Address: Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 724341
#12. Royal Palace
#12. Royal Palace is best for visiting the Duomo and a museum. Rating: 4.6 stars from 12821 ratings.
The Royal Palace is the best museum near Duomo with a great atmosphere. It is one of the best museums in Milan and offers different exhibits throughout the year and periodically changes them.
The museum is also free every first Sunday of each month, thanks to a government's initiative.
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Address: Piazza del Duomo, 12, 20122 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8846 5230
#13. Museo del Risorgimento
#13. Museo del Risorgimento is best for learning the history of Italy from Napoleon's invasion to the 19th century in a free exhibition. Rating: 4.3 stars from 464 ratings.
In 1951, Museo del Risorgimento was housed in the Moriggia Palace. The exhibition was founded from collections of documents on the Risorgimento gathered for Exhibition of Turin in 1884.
It showed the history of Italy from Napoleon's invasion up to the unification of Italy in the mid of the 19th century. It is also free entrance to see the exhibits.
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Address: Via Borgonuovo, 23, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8846 4177
#14. Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
#14. Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is best for learning medieval culture. Rating: 4.6 stars from 665 ratings.
Founded in 1974 and open to the public since 1994, Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is dedicated to medieval culture. It houses an excellent collection of European Renaissance arms and armor, clocks, textile fine art, scientific and musical instruments, and example of Italian architecture assembled by the Barons Bagatti Valsecchi.
Visitors are allowed to take non commercial photo without flash light and tripod. Every room tells a different story and is full of interesting details that are waiting to be discovered.
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Address: Via Gesù, 5, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 7600 6132
#15. Gallerie d’Italia
#15. Gallerie d’Italia is best for appreciating paintings and sculptures from the 12th and 19th centuries. Rating: 4.7 stars from 4272 ratings.
Established in 3 November 2011, Gallerie d’Italia hosts hundreds of artworks from the collections of Fondazione Cariplo with a strong representation of nineteenth century Lombard painters and sculptors, including Antonio Canova and Umberto Boccioni .
A new section was opened in the Palazzo della Banca Commerciale Italiana on October 25, 2012 with 189 art works from the twentieth century.
During the 2017 Corporate Art Awards Ceremony hosted by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, Gallerie di Piazza Scala received a special award as “Patron of the XXI century”.
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Address: Piazza della Scala, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 800 167 619
#16. Teatro alla Scala Museum
#16. Teatro alla Scala Museum is best for learning the history of music in Milan. Rating: 4.6 stars from 1353 ratings.
Established in 1913, Teatro alla Scala Museum hold over 140,000 works related to theatre history, opera and ballet including librettos, periodicals and the correspondence of musicians, actors and dancers.
It also is a beautiful opera house with live performance.
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Address: Largo Antonio Ghiringhelli, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8879 7473
#17. Monumental Cemetery
#17. Monumental Cemetery is best for enjoying a visually stunning tomb. Rating: 4.7 stars from 1186 ratings.
Opened in 1866, the Monumental Cemetery is filled with a wide range of contemporary and classical Italian sculptures as well as Greek temples, elaborate obelisks, and other original works such as a scaled-down version of the Trajan's Column.
Many of the tombs belong to industrialist dynasties, and were designed by artists such as Adolfo Wildt, Giò Ponti, Arturo Martini, Agenore Fabbri, Lucio Fontana, Medardo Rosso, Giacomo Manzù, Floriano Bodini, and Giò Pomodoro.
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Address: Piazzale Cimitero Monumentale, 20154 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8846 5600
#18. Modern Art Gallery
#18. Modern Art Gallery is best for enjoying a simple collection of avant-garde artworks in Milan. Rating: 4.4 stars from 1614 ratings.
The Modern Art Gallery contains a nice collection of the avant-garde period, to tell the story of artists in Milan.
It include minor pieces by well known artists such as Picasso, Corot, Gauguin.
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Address: Via Palestro, 16, 20121 Milano MI, Italy, Tel Number: +39 02 8844 5943
Conclusion
Look forward to our other guides as we uncovered more about Italy.
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