Fun for the Family – What to do with kids in Milan
Although Milan may not be the first choice for a family holiday, if you are planning on bringing the kids on your city break there is some good news. Milan has plenty to offer the whole family and as it is not a typical tourist destination, entrance prices for museums and attractions are lower than in places like Rome and Florence and public transport is free for under 14s. No matter what you plan to do with the kids, one thing that never gets old is chasing the scores of pigeons in Piazza del Duomo.
Duomo
You do not have to miss out on the main attractions because the whole family in tow, in fact Milan’s top attraction the Duomo, is surprisingly child-friendly. Not only is it enormous and extremely ornate, you can have lots of fun looking for bizarre elements in the sculpture like the gargoyles or modern things that look out of place, like boxing gloves. The Duomo is the only church where you can not only the dome, but you can clamber on the roof. The views are fantastic and exploring the intricate spaces around the top of the duomo is like discovering a whole new building. (See our Main page for more detailed information)
Although Milan may not seem the greenest of Italian cities, Parco Sempione in the very centre of the city boasts over 95 acres of outdoor space. Formerly private parkland attached to the Sforza Castle, the grounds were turned into a public park in the 19th century. With numerous statues, Milan’s Triumphal arch of ‘Peace’ and a lake at the centre, it is more a relaxation space for walks, jogging or picnics; the park offers a great place to just sit back and chill.
Sforza Castle
The nearby Sforza Castle also offers lots to see and do for visitors of all ages with art galleries and museums covering everything from Renaissance art and musical instruments to Egyptian mummies and mediaeval armour. The expansive castle grounds have thick surrounding walls, towers and a dry moat that is often the place to find sunbathing cats. It offers a great place to explore with spaces for picnics, several fountains to run through and more pigeons to chase.
The attractions of Milan are easily walkable, but the open top buses are great for getting an overview of the city, plus they also give tired legs a rest. A great option for exploring on the first day with the multilingual commentary, you can take the whole tour to decide what attractions you might like to see or use it to hop on and off to explore.
Museum of Science and Technology
If you have budding engineers with you then the Museum of Science and Technology Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci is excellent. There is something for everyone from learning about the raw materials to particle physics, the lifecycle of everyday objects to exploring huge transport machines like fighter planes and going inside a submarine. In the Leonardo da Vinci galleries, you can learn more about the famous painter’s engineering work in Milan, employed by the Sforza’s to make war machines; there are working replicas that date back the late 1400s, including a hydraulic saw, revolving crane, air screw, pontoon bridge, his flying machine and a paddle boat.
The Naviglia district with its two long canals is also great for kids, offering a completely different pace and scenery. You can take a boat trip along the Naviglia Grande, explore the craft shops and workshops and stroll along the canal.
Milan’s Natural History Museum Museo Civico di Storia Naturale is the largest in Italy and has a wonderful collection dedicated to mineralogy, palaeontology including several full-size dinosaur skeletons, zoology of vertebrates and invertebrates as well as the natural history of mankind. There are over a hundred dioramas - displays of animals in their natural habitat. Not only will everyone enjoy learning something, entrance for adults is only €5 and the kids are free!
Leolandia
Outside of Milan, but easy to get to is the world of Leolandia, an amusement park for kids. It offers 6 themed areas and over 40 attractions for all ages set in an immense 50,000 acres of parkland. There are amusement rides, cartoon characters in costume and musical shows. At Animal World there is a farm, an aquarium and a reptile house. A highlight is Minitalia where you can stroll past replicas of 160 monuments across Italy, from the Milan Duomo and the Colosseum to a mini-Venice set amongst landscaped gardens. Leolandia operates a shuttle service that takes 50 minutes from Milan or there is a regional train station at the park.
Porta Nuova
If you are wondering where is the best place to stay for families, San Marco in the north of the city is fantastic as it is sandwiched between Parco Sempione and the Indro Montanelli Gardens with four metro stations close by that will get you to the central attractions in five minutes. Prices are more reasonable here too.
Or if you like the idea of staying in an ultra-modern part of Milan there is Porta Nuova the former industrial area now home to space age buildings and skyscrapers by famous architects and a futuristic park BAM that has botanic gardens, a children’s play area, picnic space and activities. This is also where Milan’s famous vertical forests can be found.
