One of 2 self-guided walks in Milan. See every walk.
In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Start at Missori metro station, the M3 stop after Duomo, and finish at Porta Genova on M2: 3.2 km, about 45 minutes of walking and half a day with the visits. Go Tuesday to Friday. The Sant’Eustorgio museum is shut on Mondays and costs €4 instead of €6 from 13:00 to 14:00; San Lorenzo closes from 12:30 to 15:00 on weekdays. The Colonne, the Darsena and the towpath are free. The antiques market fills the towpath on Sunday 29 November and Sunday 20 December. The canal bars serve aperitivo from the early evening. Or book a tour: the Sunset Navigli Food and Drinks Tourad is from €81 for three hours.
The route
Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order
Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.
The route runs south down Corso di Porta Ticinese from the Roman columns of San Lorenzo to the basilica of Sant’Eustorgio, reaches the canal basin of the Darsena at Piazza XXIV Maggio and follows the Naviglio Grande west along the towpath to Porta Genova. The Navigli is the area guide; this page puts the stops in order with the days they are open. Prices are the adult rate in euros from each operator.
| Stop | Entry (adult) | Open |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Colonne di San Lorenzo | Free | Always |
| 2. San Lorenzo Maggiore | Open to visitors | Monday to Friday 8:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:30; weekends 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 |
| 3. Sant’Eustorgio and the Portinari Chapel | €6; €4 from 13:00 to 14:00 Tuesday to Friday | Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00; shut Mondays |
| 4. The Arco di Porta Ticinese and the Darsena | Free | Always |
| 5. The Alzaia and the Vicolo dei Lavandai | Free | Always; antiques market on 29 November and 20 December |
| 6. Porta Genova | Metro ticket | Metro M2 |
Walk it with a guide
A guide or a bike covers more of the canals than the walk does, and none of these includes entry to the churches. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
- Milan: Sunset Navigli Food and Drinks Tour with a Localad: from €81, 4.7 stars, 3 to 3.5 hours.
- Milan: Milan Navigli Small-Group Food Tour with Aperitivo & Winead: from €104, 4.8 stars, 3 hours. Eating Europe runs it and sells it from €97 on its own site. It meets at the Arco di Porta Ticinese.
- Milan: Hidden Gems Guided Bike Tour ENG and NLad: from €39, 4.8 stars, 3 hours, with the bike included.
- Milan: Navigli Canal Boat Experience with Aperitivo Optionad: from €20, 3.6 stars, 50 minutes. The Navigli says what the boat covers.
1. The Colonne di San Lorenzo
Free · always open · Corso di Porta Ticinese
Missori metro station is 950 m from the columns, west by Piazza della Vetra. Sixteen Corinthian columns, 7.60 m high and cut from Musso-Olgiasca marble, stand in a row in front of the basilica of San Lorenzo. The basilica says they were probably raised with it, at the end of the 4th century, as the entrance to a courtyard, and that they were taken from a building of the 2nd century AD. They are one of the rare survivors of Roman Milan.
- The medieval gate: the Porta Ticinese Medievale, 70 m south on Corso di Porta Ticinese, is a gate of the 12th-century walls and one of three that remain.
The Porta Ticinese Medievale seen from inside the line of the walls. Photo: Blackcat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Walk to the basilica’s door: 100 m.
2. San Lorenzo Maggiore
Open to visitors · Monday to Friday 8:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:30, weekends 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 · Corso di Porta Ticinese 35
The basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is late Roman. The Chapel of Sant’Aquilino, an octagonal chapel that recent studies date to between 390 and 430, a little after the central building, opens off its south side, and mosaics survive in two of its lunettes.
The front of San Lorenzo Maggiore across its forecourt, with a bronze statue in front of the arches. Photo: Blackcat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 it.
- Hours: the basilica closes in the middle of the day: Monday to Friday between 12:30 and 15:00 and at weekends between 13:00 and 15:00.
- Services: Mass is at 9:00 on weekdays, 18:00 on Saturday evenings and 9:30, 11:30 and 18:00 on Sundays. Visit outside those times.
Walk south down Corso di Porta Ticinese to Piazza Sant’Eustorgio: 570 m.
3. Sant’Eustorgio and the Portinari Chapel
€6, €4 from 13:00 to 14:00 Tuesday to Friday · Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 · shut Mondays · Piazza Sant’Eustorgio 3
The museum of the basilica of Sant’Eustorgio takes in the early Christian burial ground, the chapter house, the monumental sacristy of the old Dominican monastery and the Portinari Chapel, which was painted between about 1462 and 1468 for Pigello Portinari. Best churches in Milan covers the basilica itself.
The brick front of the basilica of Sant’Eustorgio on its square. Photo: Sciking, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Tickets: €6, or €4 reduced for ages 6 to 18, university students and disabled visitors. From 13:00 to 14:00, Tuesday to Friday, everyone pays €4. Children up to 6 are free.
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. The ticket office closes half an hour before, and the last entry is at 17:30. It is shut on Mondays.
- Next door: the Carlo Maria Martini Diocesan Museum shares the entrance at Piazza Sant’Eustorgio 3 and the opening hours, at €10. It is shut on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May, and 25 and 26 December. Online tickets add €1.
- Access: the whole museum is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility except the early Christian burial ground.
Walk to Piazza XXIV Maggio: 370 m, down Via Santa Croce.
4. The Arco di Porta Ticinese and the Darsena
Free · always open · Piazza XXIV Maggio
The Arco di Porta Ticinese is a neoclassical gate of four Ionic columns whose pediment is dated 1815. Beside it the Darsena, the basin where the canals meet, was made the port of Porta Ticinese in 1603. Between 1830 and the end of the century it recorded an average of 8,300 boats a year, and the last cargo barge, loaded with sand, tied up there on Friday 30 March 1979.
- Gelato: Terra Gelato has a shop at Corso San Gottardo 1, which starts at the square.
- Eating Europe’s meeting point: its Navigli tour starts at the arch.
Walk along the Alzaia Naviglio Grande: 550 m to the Vicolo dei Lavandai.
5. The Alzaia and the Vicolo dei Lavandai
Free · always open · Alzaia Naviglio Grande 14
The Naviglio Grande, according to the association that represents the people and businesses along it, is the first Milanese and Lombard hydraulic work, dug in the 12th century. The Alzaia is the towpath along which horses and men hauled the barges. The Vicolo dei Lavandai is a cobbled lane to the water with the tiled wooden roof of the old public washing place beside it. The old houses along the canal are case di ringhiera, courtyard houses with shared balcony walkways.
A casa di ringhiera, with balcony walkways round a cobbled courtyard, on the Naviglio Grande. Photo: Saggittarius A, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Santa Maria delle Grazie al Naviglio: the church stands at Alzaia Naviglio Grande 34, 170 m on.
- The antiques market: the Mercatone dell’Antiquariato runs from Viale Gorizia to the bridge at Via Valenza, on the association’s calendar. The remaining dates for 2026 are Sunday 29 November and Sunday 20 December. It has more than 380 stalls, with two streets, Via Corsico and Via Paoli, given to vintage, and the shops, eateries and art studios along the canal stay open.
- Aperitivo: the bars along the water serve it from the early evening. Aperitivo in Milan has the prices.
Walk on along the towpath to Porta Genova: 630 m.
6. Porta Genova
Metro M2 · Piazzale Stazione Genova
The walk ends at Porta Genova station, on the green M2 line and beside the bridge on Via Valenza, where the antiques market stops. If you still have light, the towpath continues west along the canal.
- Back to the centre: M2 runs north through Sant’Agostino to Sant’Ambrogio and Cadorna, where the historic centre walk ends.
- Next: Sant’Ambrogio is two stops on. Best churches in Milan has its hours.
Where to eat
Pasticceria Cucchi
Corso Genova 1 · every day 7:30 to 21:30
A pastry shop since 1936, 380 m from the Colonne. Where to eat in Milan has the others.
Terra Gelato
Corso San Gottardo 1, beside the Arco di Porta Ticinese
A gelato shop that holds the top mark of Tre Coni in the Gambero Rosso guide, with this shop between the Darsena and the Navigli. Where to eat in Milan lists the other four Tre Coni shops.
The bars on the Alzaia
Alzaia Naviglio Grande · aperitivo from the early evening
Aperitivo is a drink with food included in the price, and guides put it at €12 to €15 on the Navigli and in Porta Venezia, with a spritz alone at €7 to €9 on the Navigli. Aperitivo in Milan has the figures and the sources.
The best day to go
| Day | What changes on the route |
|---|---|
| Monday | The Sant’Eustorgio museum and the Diocesan Museum are shut. San Lorenzo is open 8:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:30 |
| Tuesday to Friday | Everything is open. The Sant’Eustorgio museum is €4 from 13:00 to 14:00. San Lorenzo closes from 12:30 to 15:00 |
| Saturday | San Lorenzo is open 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00. The Sant’Eustorgio museum is €6 all day |
| Sunday | As Saturday, with Mass at San Lorenzo at 9:30, 11:30 and 18:00. On 29 November and 20 December the antiques market fills the towpath |
The timing that works, on a Tuesday to Friday: the Colonne and San Lorenzo before 12:30, the Sant’Eustorgio museum at 13:00 for €4, the Darsena by 14:30 and the towpath in the afternoon, with an aperitivo as the bars fill. On a market Sunday, walk the towpath early and leave the churches for the afternoon, because the market runs from Viale Gorizia to the Via Valenza bridge and takes the whole stretch.
What closes:
- Mondays: the Sant’Eustorgio museum and the Diocesan Museum.
- 12:30 to 15:00 on weekdays, 13:00 to 15:00 at weekends: San Lorenzo.
- After 17:30: the last entry to the Sant’Eustorgio museum.
- 1 January, 1 May, 25 and 26 December: the Diocesan Museum.
What does not close: the Colonne, the Darsena, the towpath and the Vicolo dei Lavandai.
Getting there and back
- To the start: Missori is on M3 (yellow), one stop after Duomo. From Piazza del Duomo on foot, the Colonne are 1.2 km south. Milan public transport has the fares.
- From the end: Porta Genova is on M2 (green). Sant’Agostino, the next stop towards the centre, is the other way in.
- In reverse: start at Porta Genova and finish at the Colonne, with the Sant’Eustorgio museum before it closes at 17:30.
What to do with the rest of the day
- The historic centre: the Milan historic centre walk starts at Duomo metro station, one stop from Missori, and runs through the Galleria and Brera to the Sforza Castle.
- The area guide: the Navigli covers the boat, the food tours and the canals beyond this walk.
- Eating: aperitivo in Milan and Milan food tours have the places and the guided versions.
- The churches: best churches in Milan has Sant’Ambrogio and the others.
- The days: 3 days in Milan puts the Navigli on an evening, and what to book before you go to Milan has the closed days for every sight.
- Guided walks: Milan walking tours sets the free tours against the paid ones.
- Where to sleep: where to stay in Milan compares the areas, the Navigli among them.
Common questions
How long is the Navigli and Ticinese walk?
3.2 km from Missori metro station to Porta Genova, measured along the streets: about 45 minutes of walking. The Sant'Eustorgio museum adds an hour, and the towpath is the part to slow down for.
Which day is best for the Navigli and Ticinese walk?
Tuesday to Friday. The Sant'Eustorgio museum is shut on Mondays and costs €4 instead of €6 from 13:00 to 14:00 on those four days, and San Lorenzo closes from 12:30 to 15:00 on weekdays. The canal bars start serving aperitivo in the early evening.
When is the Navigli antiques market?
The Associazione del Naviglio Grande's calendar for 2026 gives Sunday 29 November and Sunday 20 December. The Mercatone dell'Antiquariato has more than 380 stalls along the Naviglio Grande, from Viale Gorizia to the bridge at Via Valenza, and the shops and eateries along it stay open.
Is the Navigli and Ticinese walk free?
The streets, the Colonne di San Lorenzo, the Darsena and the towpath cost nothing. The Sant'Eustorgio museum, with the Portinari Chapel, is €6, or €4 from 13:00 to 14:00 on Tuesday to Friday.
Does the walk meet the historic centre walk?
Yes. The historic centre walk starts at Duomo metro station, and this one starts at Missori, the next stop on M3. On foot the Colonne di San Lorenzo are 1.2 km from Piazza del Duomo.
Where does the walk start and finish?
It starts at Missori metro station on line M3 and finishes at Porta Genova station on M2, beside the Via Valenza bridge where the antiques market ends.
