Milan on foot: twenty minutes from the Duomo to Brera.

Milan has a reputation as a city you pass through: you come for work, a flight, a train to the lakes. Yet the historic centre is compact. The Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala, the Castello Sforzesco and the Brera district are all within about twenty minutes' walk of each other. The Navigli canals lie some three kilometres south. With good shoes, one day covers the classics.

Two things need sorting before you go, and they make or break the trip.

The two bookings to make now

Leonardo's Last Supper, in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, cannot be seen without a booking. Visitors go in groups of 25 for 15 minutes, and places sell out weeks ahead. The painting fills a whole wall: about nine metres by four.

The Duomo rooftops can be reached on foot or by lift. Booking online is recommended, especially at weekends and in summer. From April to October, book both well in advance.

A one-day route

Start at the Duomo, at Duomo metro station on lines M1 and M3. Go up to the rooftops: you walk among the spires, and on clear days the Alps look drawn on the horizon.

From the square you step into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and opened in 1867: iron, glass and a dome the Milanese call the city's drawing room. It is free to walk through at any hour. In the middle is the bull mosaic: tradition says spinning on your heel on it brings luck, and you can tell from how worn it is.

At the far end of the Galleria is Piazza della Scala, home to Italy's most famous opera house. From there it is a few minutes to the Castello Sforzesco. Inside are the civic museums and the Rondanini Pietà, Michelangelo's last work. Behind the castle opens Parco Sempione.

The afternoon belongs to Brera: narrow streets, the Pinacoteca art gallery and the best evening in the centre. For sunset, head down to the Navigli: the finest light, and the biggest crowds.

With a second day

Day two is the Last Supper day, so make it your first appointment. Then the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, a short walk away, and San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of Milan for the frescoes that cover every wall. For today's Milan, head to CityLife and Porta Nuova, with the Bosco Verticale towers.

Getting there and around

The centre works on foot and by metro: everything on this page is reachable without a car. Milan is also the natural starting point for the lakes: regional trains from Centrale reach Varenna, on Lake Como, in about an hour.

What nobody tells you

People who arrive without a Last Supper booking usually do not see it. It is the first thing to lock in, even before the hotel.