What do in Milan in November

What to do in Milan in November

Visiting Milan in November is a great opportunity. Milan is a very vibrant city and offers a lot of things to do all year long. Autumn and spring are the best time to visit Milan because climate is very mild and the city hosts a lot of events and things to do.

If you are planning to have a trip in Milan in November, find here an updated guide on things to do and places to see in Milan.

Autumn foliage in Milan 

Milan has a lot of wonderful parks and garden, it is a very green city: did you know that in the last 8 years it has become one of the most green cities in Europe? This also thanks to an important public association named ForestaMi, who has committed to seed thousand of trees in the city every year.

Parco Venezia - the park of Milanese people

The most important public gardens in Milan are Parco Venezia and Parco Sempione. The first one - Parco Venezia, also called Parco Indro Montanelli - is Milan's most historical public garden: it was the hunting reserve of the king in the IX Century, and nowadays the original hunting lodge hosts the Museum of Natural History. In this park, you can walk trough a lot of centenary trees, in between which also some monumental ones like two plane trees and one cypress. With more than 1.800 trees Parco Venezia is, together with Parco Sempione, the green lung of Milan.

Milanese people are very fond of this park because it has been the most popular park for children for generations. It is therefore very common for families to hang out at this park and enjoy the many attractions for children that you can find here, the most popular one being the historycal little train, that runs in the park since 1960. Milanese people also love to have picnic in the park under the big and cozy trees.

Another important attraction in the park is the amazing planetary, a beautiful neoclassical building built in 1930, that today represents one of the most popular cultural attraction for milanese people, being a perfect destination also for school trips, together with the Natural History Museum.

Just outside Parco Venezia a new interesting museum has recently opened: it is Fondazione Luigi Rovati, hosted in one of the most famous and amazing building of Milan, in Corso Venezia 52. The Foundation has opened in 2022 and hosts a unique collection of Etruscan art and also a great contemporary art collection. It is something we suggest you not to miss out on, even just for the beauty and peculiarity of the building itself.

On the other side of the park, along Via Palestro, there is the Modern Art Gallery of Milan (GAM), that is housed in a palace that was built in 1790 as the private residence of the Belgiojoso family, one of the most important Milanese noble families, and that represents a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture in Milan. The front garden of the Palace is also called "Children Garden" because  access is only permitted with children! In the courtyard of the palace you can enjoy a moment of taste and relaxation at LùBar, one of the best bars and restaurants in Milan where you will be served from breakfast to dinner in amazing greenhouse.

You can reach Parco Venezia with Milan Metro - red line - stop Palestro.

Parco Sempione - where history has been made

Parco Sempione is the largest public garden in Milan. It connects the Sforza Castle and the Arch of Peace and is full of places to see, like the Branca Tower designed by Giò Ponti in 1930, the Civic Arena, that is the neo-classical arena of Milan, the Triennale Design Museum and the Sforza Castle.

Parco Sempione was built in the Middle Ages like a ground parade hosting military exercises and parades. It became a public garden during the XVII century, when the Civic Arena was realized (1807 - during the french domination of Milan) and it was inaugurated by Napoleone Bonaparte. The Civic Arena had been the football stadium of Milano until 1950. Today it is possibile to get free access to the Civic Arena and to the wonderful Palazzina Appiani, that is located inside it.

Another great attraction in Parco Sempione is the Branca Tower, the 108 meters-high iron tower realized in 1933 by the famous architect Giò Ponti. When it was built the municipality of Milan set the tower's maximum height at 108 meters, taking as comparison the Madonnina, the Madonna statue located on the highest spire of Duomo Milan, that had to be taller then the Branca Tower. Today it is possibile to get up to the top of the tower every day.

A must-do along your visit to Parco Sempione is to get a  glimpse of the park with the Arch of Peace in the distance. You can do thus from Piazza del Canone, the first large square in front of the Sforza Castle: from this point, you will enjoy a unique and very romantic view on the park and on Milan.

You can reach the Sempione Park with Metro line red, stop Cairoli.

Terraces of Duomo Milan  - history, culture and faith

If you have a trip to Milan in November you can't miss to climb to the top of Duomo Milan, the Milan Cathedral. The amazing terraces of Duomo Cathedral offers a 360° panoramic view over Milan. Thanks to November mild climate, you will have the chance to view any part of Milan and the Alps all-around the city.

You can get to the top of the Duomo Terraces by lift of by stairs, and once there you can have a memorable walk trough the spires and statues of Duomo, arriving at the central terrace. From this unique point of view on Milan you can admire any side of the city.

In the west sector it is possibile to see the San Siro Stadium and City Life with the futuristic skyscrapers. On the background, the amazing Monte Rosa and Monte Bianco stands out. In the north sector, it is possibile to see the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Porta Nuova with other amazing skyscrapers (Unicredit Tower is the best one). In the south sector you can admire a lot of bell towers of the most ancient church of Milan, the most famous one being that of Sant Ambrogio with his two towers.

We suggest you also to visit the Cathedral and its museum.

You can reach Duomo by Metro yellow line, stop Duomo.

For your visit to the Duomo Milan you can purchase the special combo of MilanoCard, the city pass of Milan, including free access to the rooftop of Duomo, Cathedral and Duomo Museum.

Two steps in the heart of Milan 

In autumn in Milan there is a very special atmosphere, that you can experience in the heart of the city by visiting the amazing Brera District, loosing yourself trough the picturesque streets of this beautiful neighborhood, visiting antiquary boutiques, tasting a drink in a typical milanese bar and letting yourself be amazed by the characteristic buildings realized in the XIX century.

In Brera District there are some famous bars of Milan, that are very recommended like "De Santis" or "Jamaica" where you can taste special drinks or savoir a memorable sandwich.

Milano Music Week

November in Milan is the music month: it is 5 years now that during this month the Music Week takes place. A whole week dedicated to music with a very busy schedule with concerts in any side of the city.

This year the Milano Music Week takes place from the 20 to the 26 of November. Concerts take place in museums, disco, bar, school, university and theaters. Any kind of music and singers, from emergents to the most popular worldwide, like Madonna, come to Milan for this event.