Duomo di Milano or Milan Cathedral dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary which also known as the celebrating the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Duomo di Milano is also the seat of Archbishop Milan and the current Archbishop Mario Delpini. Maybe you won’t believe but it took more than 6 centuries to finish this fascinating building. Duomo di Milano is also the largest church in Italy. Also 3rd in Europe and 5th in the world. You will find the all content in this post below.
History of Duomo di Milano
Construction of Duomo di Milano started by Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo in 1386. After almost 600 years construction of cathedral finished in 1965. At the place of the cathedral, there was St. Ambrose basilica from 5th century 8th. From 8th to 1075 Basilica of St. Tecla built at the very same spot. During almost the 600 years numerous architects, sculptors and artist worked in the construction of the Duomo di Milano. In 1389, Nicolas de Bonaventure appointed as the chief architect and he made the strong, fascinating and very detailed Gothic style of the building. Also in 1774, golden copper statues which was created by the Giuseppe Perego put on the top of the highest point of the Duomo di Milano.
Today, you will fascinate as soon as see this magnificent building. You will be shocked by the details of the creativity of art. Duomo di Milano has 45 meters height and 157 meters in length. With its dimensions cathedral can hold more than 40.000 people. There are also lots of symbols belongs to the Christian belief and early Christians period. Cathedral has more than 1000 works of art. Also, you will 44 different glass painted windows around the duomo. I will give more detailed information about thing to see inside and the outside of the cathedral in the next chapters.
Where is Duomo di Milano?
It is easy to say that Duomo di Milano is the centre of the Milano city. Milano has a central district with numerous historical landmarks, plazas and squares. Within the only a couple of minutes walk long-away from the cathedral there are world-famous spots like Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Statua di Vittoria, Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Marino, Piazza Mercanti and more… This place is also called as Zona 1 Centro Storico. Zone 1 covers a little more than 5 km2 and in this zone their 7 metro stations. Duomo metro station is a stop for both Metro Line 1 (Red) and Metro Line 2 (Orange). There are also many tram lines around the Milano city. Trams will be a nice option to explore the city rather than the metro.
Duomo di Milano Tickets and Visiting the Cathedral
The best time to visit the Duomo di Milano is between April and September. But also know that there will be long and long queues on the peak seasons. To avoid this crowd you can think to plan your trip to Milano beginning of April or the end of September. If you go to Milano in the peak season it is better to visit the cathedral at mid-week, Wednesday or Thursday to not a long time at the queue.
Guide Tours
There 6 different places to see in Duomo di Milano. but each of them has different timetables which should be taken into account while planning your trip to Milano. You can find information about these places below.
- Cathedral
- Every day between 08.00 – 19.00
- Ticket price is 3 Euro
- Archaeological Area – Baptistry of San Giovanni Alle Fonti
- Access inside the cathedral
- Every day between 09.00 to 19.00
- Should buy Culture Pass or duomo Pass Lift ticket
- Rooftops
- Every day between 09.00 – 19.00
- Fast-track lift price is 23 Euro
- Lift price is 14 Euro
- Stairs price is 10 Euro
- Crypt of St. Charles
- Access inside the cathedral
- Monday to Friday between 11.00 – 17.30
- Saturday between 11.00 – 17.00
- Sunday between 13.30 – 15.30
- Free for entry, no ticket
- Archaeological Area – Baptistery of St. Stephen
- Entry from the north lift
- Every day between 09.00 – 18.00
- Free for entry, no ticket
- Duomo Museum – Church of San Gottardo in Corte
- Every day (Excluding Wednesday) between 10.00 – 18.00
- Ticket price is 3 Euro
Enjoy the stunning view from the rooftop of the Duomo di Milano (Source).
There are also reduced and free tickets for groups, families and kids under different requirements. You can any of those ticket given on above but there are also 4 different combined tickets for the visitor. Combined tickets detailed given below. It is possible to buy all type of ticket online from this website.
Pass Cards
- Culture Pass
- Cathedral
- Crypt of St. Charles
- Archaeological Area
- Duomo Museum
- Church of San Gottardo
- Ticket price is 8 Euro
- Duomo Pass List
- Cathedral
- Crypt of St. Charles
- Archaeological Area
- Duomo Museum
- Church of San Gottardo
- Rooftops (by Lift)
- Ticket price is 17 Euro
- Duomo Pass Stairs
- Cathedral
- Crypt of St. Charles
- Archaeological Area
- Duomo Museum
- Church of San Gottardo
- Rooftops (by stairs)
- Ticket price is 13 Euro
- Fast Track Pass
- Cathedral
- Archaeological Area
- Duomo Museum
- Church of San Gottardo
- Rooftops (Fast Track by lift)
- Ticket price is 25 Euro
Best Seller Duomo Di Milano Cathedral Tours
In this part, I would like to give you a piece of information about the most selling and best tours for this magnificent cathedral. As you can visit the cathedral all by yourself there are a couple of guide tours to join which will be a great experience for you.
Milan: Fast-Track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guided Tour
This tour will offer a totally unique and private experience. If you join this tour you will enter the cathedral through a separate entrance. Also, you will get access to all area of the cathedral including the terraces and the archaeological site. However, you will gain a %20 discount at the official bookshop. This tour will take around 1.5 hours and the meeting point of the tour is located outside the ticket office at 1, Piazza del Duomo 14/A, 20122 Milan. Your guide will be waiting for you at that location. You can check the Milan: Fast-Track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guided Tour tickets from here.
Milan Cathedral and Rooftop Tour
This one is another popular tour for the visitors of the cathedral. If you join this tour you will gain access to all areas of the symbol of Milan. You will enjoy the advantage of skip the line option like the tour above. However, you will get a %10 discount at Duomo shop and %20 discount if you spend more than 50 Euros. You can check the details of the Milan Cathedral and Rooftop tour from here.
Milan Cathedral: Rooftop Terraces Tour (No Church Access)
If you are looking for only the rooftop experience this tour is for you. The rooftop of the cathedral is an attraction for most people just by itself which really worth to experience. With this tour, you will get access to the rooftop of the Duomo Di Milano Cathedral. Like the others, this tour will also %10 discount at the Duomo shop and for some of the books. You can read the details of the Milan Cathedral: Rooftop Terraces Ticket (No Church Access) from here. Please check the widget below to find more information about these three tours.
If you love the Duomo Di Milano Cathedral you can even buy its puzzle for your kids or yourself from this link. Also please share your question about the cathedral on the comment section.
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