Castello Sforzesco audioguide: apps and languages
The castle audio guide
The castle has its own audio guide, available at the entrance to the museums. It’s the simple option for anyone buying a ticket at the counter who wants a voice to accompany them through the Museum of Ancient Art and in front of the Pietà: just ask at the desk and return it at the end. Those entering for free—under 18s or everyone on the first Sunday of the month—can still take one. When the ticket office is the better choice.
Audio guides in the app from online offers
The main offer is a timed-entry museum ticket plus two audio guides in the app: one for Castello Sforzesco and one for the city of Milan, in six languages. The voucher is exchanged at the office at Piazza Castello 1, with staff assistance at the meeting point; the app must be downloaded before arrival; neither a guide, nor a phone, nor headphones are included. The listing indicates about three hours, between the castle and the city. The other offer combines a ticket and an app audio guide with an option to climb onto the roofs, via stairs; the ticket is collected in the city and the listing states it is not suitable for those with mobility issues. The two ticket-inclusive offers, explained.
Headphones and battery. The app makes no sense using the phone’s speaker in a room with other people, and three hours of audio drains the battery. A cable and a power bank weigh less than regret.
What an audio guide does well, and what it doesn’t
It’s good for order and dates: it tells you what you’re looking at, who Bernabò Visconti was, why the tower is from 1905. It doesn’t do what I’ve seen a good guide do in front of the Pietà Rondanini: stop, point to the detached arm, wait for the question. Someone with a question wants a person. The small-group tour of an hour and a half uses headphones so the guide can be heard by up to eleven people, which is a different matter. Guided tours.
In which language
Main offer’s app audioguides: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese. Small-group visit: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish. The 2-hour private tour adds Russian; the skip-the-line private tour: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian. The Last Supper tour: English only. Languages, offer by offer.
What works
- Castle audioguide available at the entrance, also on free days
- The main offer’s app covers the castle and city in six languages
- Reserved time slot, no need to stop at the castle ticket office
Good to know
- Bring your own headphones and charged phone
- Exchange your voucher at Piazza Castello 1, not at the castle
- Not a guided tour, whatever the word ‘tour’ may suggest
Museum ticket + audioguide appMilan: Castello Sforzesco entry ticket with digital audio guide
Ticket + audioguide, with Merlate panoramiche optionCastello Sforzesco entrance ticket with audioguide
Small group · 5 languagesMilan: Castello Sforzesco and Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini tour
Ticket with two app audioguides
Reserved entry to the museums, castle audioguide and Milan audioguide in six languages, voucher at the Piazza Castello 1 office, free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Castello Sforzesco have an audio guide?
Yes, available at the museum entrance for those who buy a ticket at the counter. What you’ll hear, museum by museum.
Do you need to download anything in advance?
For the ticket with audioguide in the app: the app must be installed before arrival, and you need headphones and a charged battery.
Is the audioguide in Italian?
Yes, in all versions; the app of the main offer is also in English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. The languages.
Audioguide or guide?
For the order and dates, the audioguide is enough; for the Pietà and the history of the Sforza, a guide is worth more. Which one I would choose.