How To Buy Milan Cathedral Tickets (And Avoid The Crowds) — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

The Essentials | Milan Duomo Tickets

We’ll go into more detail on the ticket types, the terraces and the time slots, but what you really need to know is:

1. Unless you’re a Christian pilgrim or worshipper, you require an entrance ticket to go inside Milan Cathedral. It’s open every day from 9am – 7pm, but the time you enter depends on the type of ticket you buy.

2. At our last count, there are ELEVEN ticket packages to choose from on the official website, giving different access to different parts, priority queue entry, with or without the terraces, the choice between the stairs or the lifts, multi or single day, and the added quandary of whether you want to slap on entrance to a few nearby museums or not!

3. The cheapest option is the €10 Duomo + Museum  (9am – 6pm entry), which also includes the Church of San Gottardo. The museum is a worthwhile stop after the Cathedral, but note that it’s shut on Wednesdays (but the ticket costs the same).

4. However, the majority of you will also want to visit to the rooftops of Milan Cathedral, usually referred to as the ‘Terraces’. They offer some of the best views of the city, as well as wonderful photo opportunities, but you have to buy a specific ticket with a time slot to enter.

Choosing to visit the Terraces in addition to going inside the Duomo increases costs quite a bit, averaging out at €20 – €30 per adult for the popular combined ticket.

5. Alternatively, there are now standalone Milan Duomo Terrace tickets available. These are an increasingly popular option, but it’s important to be aware that they do not allow you to spend time in the Duomo (the Terraces have three separate entrances round the back).

6. If you want to visit the terraces, you can choose to head up via the lift or the stairs. The former is slightly more expensive than the latter, but will obviously be more convenient or essential for some travellers. If you’re fit and able though, then just opt for the 250 stairs which aren’t as steep, confined, or challenging as many others we’ve gone up in old buildings and towers in Italy.

7. There are also ‘fast-track’ tickets available for those who want to take the lift, which will cut down on your queuing times. These skip-the-line type tickets are usually a good option but, as the ‘fast-track’ lift access only opens at 10am (an hour after the stairs and non ‘fast-track’ lift), it prevents you from getting up to the terraces at their emptiest.

8. For the Duomo and the…