All offers for Castello Sforzesco
Three types, not six tours
I spent six seasons at the ticket office of Castello Sforzesco and three years as a guide in the courtyards for schools. The question I heard most often wasn’t “how much does it cost?” but “where do I go?”—usually from someone holding a voucher in front of the wrong window. That’s why these six options are divided by what they include, not by their titles: the word “tour” appears in almost all of them, but only three are actually guided.
If you want the details line by line, the comparison puts all six options on a single grid. If you want the short answer, it’s on which one I’d book.
The museum ticket with an audio guide on your phone
Museum ticket + audioguide appMilan: Castello Sforzesco entry ticket with digital audio guide
Ticket + audioguide, with Merlate panoramiche optionCastello Sforzesco entrance ticket with audioguide
The first option is a reserved entry to the museums, about three hours, with two audio guides in one app: one for Castello Sforzesco and one for the city of Milan, in six languages including Chinese. The voucher is exchanged at the ticket office at Piazza Castello 1, at the Autostradale office. There’s no guide, no headphones, and no phone provided—you’ll need your own, with the app already downloaded. Valid on museum days, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:30. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
The second is the same idea, about two hours, with an optional walk on the battlements. The description itself says it’s not suitable for anyone with mobility issues, that the walkway has stairs, no animals or large bags allowed, and that the ticket must be collected in the city, not at the castle gate. Meeting point in Piazza Castello. The castle, incidentally, runs its own Merlate panoramiche tourincluded in the museum ticket.
Neither is a guided tour. Admission tickets explain what the castle's ticket office offers instead.
A guide in front of the Pietà
Small group · 5 languagesMilan: Castello Sforzesco and Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini tour
Private · 6 languagesMilan: private guided tour of Castello Sforzesco
Private · 2 to 5 hoursMilan: private skip-the-line tour of Castello Sforzesco and its museums
The Pietà tour lasts an hour and a half, in a small group with headsets for a maximum of 11 people, certified guide, castle and museum admission included, in English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish. Starts at the Pietà Rondanini, then the Corte Ducale, the Rocchetta, the Visconti and Sforza families, the Torre del Filarete. Wheelchair accessible. Meeting point in Piazza Castello.
The private tour lasts two hours, guide and audio guide, museum admission included, in six languages, meeting at the fountain. Ends in front of the Pietà. It has a minimum number clause: the operator may cancel after confirmation if there are too few participants, with an alternative or a refund.
The skip-the-line private tour ranges from two to five hours, with a licensed guide per group of 1 to 9 people, skip-the-line tickets to the museums; longer versions add a private car and the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio. Private tours explain the four versions; Guided tours describe what a guide adds in front of the marble.
The Last Supper, with a walk through the courtyards
Two hours, English only: skip-the-line ticket for The Last Supper, art history guide, headsets, then a walk through the castle courtyards. Museums are explicitly excluded. Meeting point at Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, by the orange sign. Fifteen minutes in the room, names required at booking, free cancellation only up to 3 days before. It’s a good tour of the Cenacolo; it’s not a way to enter the museums. Cenacolo and Castello lists all the conditions.
What works
- Three options include a guide in front of the Pietà, which the ticket office does not offer
- The Pietà and Cenacolo tours are declared wheelchair accessible
- The skip-the-line private tour comes in four durations, with or without a car
- Five out of six can be cancelled for free up to the day before
Good to know
- The courtyards are free: no ticket is needed to enter the castle
- The two with the app are not guided tours, whatever the title may be
- The Last Supper tour does not enter the castle museums
- The Sala delle Asse is closed for restoration: no ticket includes it
On Mondays, none of these options take you into the museums: they are closed. The courtyards remain open from 7:00 to 19:30. The opening hours have a day-by-day schedule.
Frequently asked questions
What tours are available for Castello Sforzesco?
Six options across three types. Two are museum tickets with an audio guide in-app, lasting about three hours and about two hours, without a guide. Three include a guide: the small-group Pietà tour (1.5 hours), the private 2-hour tour, and the private skip-the-line tour (2–5 hours). One is a Last Supper tour with a walk through the courtyards, which does not enter the museums. The comparison places them side by side.
Do you need to book to enter the Castello Sforzesco?
No. The courtyards, Piazza d’Armi, and the passage to Parco Sempione are open daily from 7:00 to 19:30 with no ticket required. The museums share a single ticket, sold at the castle ticket office and in the civic museums’ online shop, and it does not sell out. The options above add an audio guide or a live guide. What’s free also lists free-entry days.
Which option includes a live guide inside the museums?
Three: the Pietà Rondanini tour (small group, headsets for up to 11 people, five languages, wheelchair accessible), the private 2-hour tour with radio guides, and the private skip-the-line tour with one guide per 1–9 people. The two app-based options have no live guide; the Last Supper tour has a guide but stays in the courtyards. Guided tours describes each one individually.
Does the Last Supper tour include the castle museums?
No, and the listing states this: after 15 minutes in front of the Last Supper, the guide walks the 15 minutes to the castle and visits the courtyards, which are free. It’s English-only and can be canceled for free only up to 3 days in advance. Last Supper and Castle has all the details.