Best views in Milan: the Duomo terraces, Torre Branca, the Highline roof walk, the Palazzo Lombardia belvedere and the Sforza battlements

💡 The Short Version: The Duomo terraces are the view among the spires: the Combo Stairs is €22 and the Combo Lift €26, and they close in bad weather. Torre Branca is €9 and closes in wind. The Highline roof walk over the Galleria is from €15, closed Mondays, with a terrace facing the Duomo. The Sforza Castle’s Panoramic Battlements are €10. The Palazzo Lombardia belvedere, 161 metres up, is free but opens only on listed dates, with the next on 8 November 2026. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the Duomo and terraces ticketad is from €27 and the Branca Tower ticketad from €6 (GetYourGuide).

The viewpoints at a glance

The Duomo terraces

Combo Stairs €22 · Combo Lift €26 · daily 9:00 to 19:00 · Piazza del Duomo

The walkways run round the roof at about 31 metres and, up two steep staircases from the inside of the façade, at about 45 metres, among 135 spires and over 3,400 statues. The Madonnina, gilded copper and 4.16 metres high, stands on the main spire. The lift reaches only the first level, and the second level and the descent are by stairs. The terraces close in bad weather and have no toilets. Milan Duomo tickets has the prices, what Fast-Track skips and the dress code.

The spires on the roof of Milan Cathedral. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Torre Branca

€9 · hours published month by month · closed in wind and bad weather · Parco Sempione

Torre Branca is a 108.6-metre tower designed by Gio Ponti in 1933, with a lift to the top. Ages 7 and over pay €9, ages 4 to 6 pay €6, and children up to 3 are free. The operator publishes the hours monthly: Tuesday to Sunday, with Monday not listed, and on holidays it follows the Sunday hours. In summer, from late May to 30 September, it also opens from 20:30 to midnight. GetYourGuide lists the tower’s ticket from €6.

Highline Galleria

From €15 · Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 · Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, no. 11/12

Highline is a walkway over the roof of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Every visit includes the walkway, a panoramic lift, an exhibition in the Sala degli Orologi, the historic room that held the control centre for the city’s public clocks in 1932, and the climb to a terrace on top of the entrance arch, with a view of the Duomo. The entrance is in the atrium on the Piazza della Scala side, and the route begins on the sixth floor. A booked slot is from €15, an open-date ticket €20 and a guided visit €25. On Saturdays from 18:00 the Sunset entry is €10. Places per slot are limited. The nearest stops are M1 and M3 Duomo, two minutes’ walk, and M1 Cordusio.

The view from the Duomo’s roof across the Galleria’s glass dome to the skyline. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Sforza Castle battlements

€10 · Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00 last entry · Castello Sforzesco

The Panoramic Battlements are a stretch of the castle’s patrol walk, on a separate ticket from the museums. Groups of up to 25 go in every 20 minutes with attendants, and a lift serves the walkway.

Palazzo Lombardia belvedere

Free · 39th floor, 161 metres · listed dates only · Piazza Città di Lombardia

The belvedere of the Lombardy Region’s headquarters opens to the public only in some periods of the year, and the dates are on the Lombardia Experience page. The next is 8 November 2026, 10:00 to 18:00. The entrance is Nucleo 1 of Piazza Città di Lombardia.

What to see

1. The Duomo terraces. Close to the stone, among the spires.
2. The Highline terrace. A view of the cathedral from above the Galleria.
3. Torre Branca. A 108.6-metre tower in Parco Sempione.
4. The Palazzo Lombardia belvedere. The highest of the five, at 161 metres, when it opens.
5. The Sforza battlements. The castle’s walls.

The order that works: the Duomo terraces and the Highline in one morning, since both are within a few minutes of the cathedral, and Torre Branca at the end of a day in Parco Sempione. What to skip: the lift at the Duomo, unless you cannot climb stairs.

What to book in Milan has the closed days for every sight. The Milan historic centre walk passes the Duomo, the Galleria and the castle. The Sforza Castle is beside Parco Sempione and Torre Branca. Free things to do in Milan has the belvedere and the Galleria. Milan with kids has the age limits for the tower and the battlements. Best time to visit Milan has the weather and daylight by month. 3 days in Milan places a viewpoint on each day. For a bed, see where to stay in Milan.