Piazza Castello in Milan: the square and the ticket offices
The square
You reach it from Via Dante or from the Cairoli-Castello metro, and the square opens onto the city-facing façade: the two round towers with diamond-point rustication, the central tower, the fountain in front. The fountain dates from 1936; Milanese call it the ‘wedding cake’ for its tiered shape. It was dismantled in the 1960s and reinstalled between 1999 and 2000. The semicircle of buildings enclosing the square is the Foro Bonaparte, Luigi Canonica’s design, executed after Napoleon ordered the castle’s outer works demolished in 1801, replacing a far more grandiose plan that was rejected. The castle’s history, in dates.
The two ticket offices
I spent six seasons at the castle ticket desk, and the same scene played out every day: someone with a printed voucher who had queued with us, only to be told that their ticket with audioguide had to be exchanged at the office at Piazza Castello 1, outside the walls, where staff at the meeting point assist with the app. And the reverse: those who wanted a standard ticket, perhaps free for children, queuing at the external office. Simple rule. Tickets bought at the desk or on the Civic Museums shop, free entries, reduced fares, Open tickets, castle audioguide: castle ticket office. Voucher for ticket with audioguide in the app: Piazza Castello 1. When to choose one or the other.
The castle ticket office closes at 16:30 and the last entry to the museums is at 17:00. Anyone arriving in the square at 16:45 expecting to buy at the door will only see the courtyards.
The meeting points
The small-group tour with the Pietà meets in Piazza Castello. The two-hour private tour meets at the main entrance, by the fountain. The ticket with audioguide and Merlate option meets in Piazza Castello, with ticket pickup in the city. The Last Supper tour does not: it starts from Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, in front of the Cenacolo museum, by the orange sign, and reaches the castle on foot after, in a quarter of an hour. How to get to the square.
Around the square
Via Dante leads to the Duomo in a quarter of an hour; Cadorna is a few minutes away on the left; Brera begins behind Foro Bonaparte towards Lanza. The surrounding district, Castello, Magenta and Pagano, is residential and quiet. Milano’s districts, in brief.
Museum ticket + audioguide appMilan: Castello Sforzesco entry ticket with digital audio guide
Small group · 5 languagesMilan: Castello Sforzesco and Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini tour
The ticket picked up at Piazza Castello 1
Reserved entry to the museums with two audioguides in the app; the voucher is exchanged at the office at Piazza Castello 1 with staff assistance. Download the app first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the name of the square of Castello Sforzesco?
Piazza Castello, with the Foro Bonaparte in a semicircle around it and Via Dante leading to the Duomo. From here to the Duomo.
Where do you buy the castle ticket?
At the castle ticket office, inside the walls, or on the Civic Museums’ online shop. Vouchers for online offers are exchanged at Piazza Castello 1. Ticketed offers.
What is the torta degli sposi?
The fountain in front of the tower, from 1936, rebuilt between 1999 and 2000, named for its tiered shape.