Admission tickets to Castello Sforzesco
What does a “ticket with audioguide” really include?
At the ticket desk it happened to me once a day: someone would show up with a printed voucher and ask where their tour was. There was no tour. There was a museum entrance ticket—the same one I sold—and an app to download. The two options on this page are exactly that, and should be taken for what they are: handy if you want a voice in your ear and a precise place to pick up your ticket; they are not a guided tour.
Museum ticket + audioguide appMilan: Castello Sforzesco entry ticket with digital audio guide
Ticket + audioguide, with Merlate panoramiche optionCastello Sforzesco entrance ticket with audioguide
The ticket with digital audioguide
Reserved museum entrance, about three hours, with two audioguides in one app: one for Castello Sforzesco and one for the city of Milan, in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. Exchange the voucher at the ticket office at Piazza Castello 1, at the Autostradale office, with staff at the meeting point. Not included: live guide, phone and headphones—bring your own, with your smartphone charged and the app already installed before you arrive. Museum opening days: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:30, last ticket 16:30, last entry 17:00; closed on Mondays, 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
The city audioguide is the detail that sets this option apart: leave the castle and the voice continues along Via Dante to the Duomo, about one kilometre away. The audioguide explains how the apps work and what the castle offers at the desk instead.
The ticket with audioguide and Merlate panoramiche option
Museum entrance with audioguide in the app, about two hours, self-guided, with an optional walk along the battlements. The description is accurate about its conditions, and I list them all: not suitable for those with mobility issues; the path on the battlements has stairs; no animals, luggage, or large bags; some museum areas may be temporarily closed; the ticket is collected in the city, not at the castle gate. Meeting point in Piazza Castello. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
Note that the castle itself organizes the Merlate panoramiche: about 40 minutes on the walkways, from Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, departures every 20 minutes, maximum 25 people per slot, access included in the museum ticket, from the Info Point. The merlate they place the two things side by side.
What does the castle ticket office sell instead
The same ticket, for all museums and exhibitions, up to 9 per transaction, at the ticket office or in the online shop of the civic museums. Plus, it offers things no online option replicates:
- The first Sunday of the month the museums are free for everyone. That day, you can’t buy online, and it’s the busiest day of the year.
- Under 18s always enter for free, as do high school students, people with disabilities with one companion, teachers with documentation, ICOM members, and licensed EU guides.
- Under 25s get free entry on the second Tuesday of the month; on other days, they pay the reduced rate, like over 65s and university students.
- The Open ticket, valid for 12 months, for those who don’t yet know which day they’ll visit.
If you have children under 18, the math is simple: they don’t pay at the ticket office, and for online options, you buy tickets for everyone. With children think about what’s worth seeing with them; online or at the ticket office compares the two options.
What works
- A designated place to pick up your ticket, with staff to guide you
- Two audio guides in the app, for the castle and for Milan, in six languages
- Reserved entry: you go in without stopping at the castle ticket desk
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for both
- The merlate option for those who want to climb the battlements
Good to know
- Neither is a guided tour, despite the title
- You’ll need your charged phone and your headphones
- The voucher is collected in the city, not at the castle gate
- On Mondays the museums are closed, voucher or not
- Under 18s and first Sunday of the month: no charge at the castle ticket office
Download the app before leaving your hotel. Inside seven-meter walls, the signal isn’t always strong, and there’s no bar in the museums where you can sit and wait for a download. What to expect narrates the day step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter Castello Sforzesco?
The courtyards, Piazza d’Armi and the passage to Parco Sempione are free: they are open every day from 7:00 to 19:30. The ticket covers the museums—just one for all of them—sold at the castle ticket office and in the civic museums’ online shop. Under 18s never pay, everyone gets in free on the first Sunday of the month, and under 25s on the second Tuesday. What’s free has the full list.
Is the ticket with audioguide a guided tour?
No. It’s admission to the museums with an audioguide to listen to on your phone, using your own headphones. No one accompanies you. If you want a live guide, there are three options: the small-group Pietà tour, the private tour and the skip-the-line private tour. Guided tours describe them.
Where do I pick up the voucher for the ticket with digital audioguide?
At the ticket office at Piazza Castello 1, in the Autostradale office, where there is staff at the meeting point. It’s not the castle’s ticket desk, which is inside the walls. The other option with the app sets a meeting point in Piazza Castello and specifies that the ticket is picked up in the city. Piazza Castello explains where both desks are.
Can the museum ticket sell out?
No. It can be bought at the castle’s ticket desk until 16:30 and in the civic museums’ online shop, up to 9 per transaction, with an Open ticket valid for 12 months for those without a set date. The only thing that runs out is patience on Saturday late morning and the first Sunday of the month. Opening hours show when it’s least crowded.