The ultimate entertainment for a relaxed day in a European atmosphere. Add some picnic ingredients and you have an unforgettable experience.

Urban parks in Milan

Sempione Park (Parco Sempione) and the public park Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli (in front of Porta Venezia, get off at the venezia or palestro metro station). These are the two major central urban parks of Milan, easily accessible from the city center and everywhere else by public transport. Both parks are large, full of trees and wide lawns, a small lake, benches and lots of light and peace. Sempione Park is a little closer to the city center, near it is also the Sforza Castle with its many museums. The visit to this park can be combined with the classic tour of the city center, the Duomo and its surroundings. Among other things, in the park stands the Torre Branca tower, one of the highest observation points in the city, and is highly recommended to get an impression of Milan from above. Opening hours and additional information about the tower can be found on the website Inside the park itself there is a large and pleasant cafe with a shaded terrace.

The second park, next to Porta Venezia, is also close to a central shopping street, Corso Buenos Aires, so that a visit to it can be combined with fun with half a day of shopping. This park also has a small area of climbing facilities for children, where you will find a variety of nice activities such as colliding cars, an electric carousel, etc. In addition, you can rent bicycles in the park for small children, to facilitate mobility.

Natural parks in Milan

If you feel like staying in nature right within the city limits, you can go to one of the following parks, which are less urban, less busy, but no less beautiful. These are parks that are suitable for a short walk, for cycling and of course for a nice picnic. Although they can be reached by public transport, the approach is a bit more cumbersome, and is better by private car.

Parco nord

The first park is called Parco nord, which means the North Park, because it is located in the north of the city. This is the largest park in the Milan area and it covers about 6000 dunams. The park has wooded areas, cycling and jogging paths, canals and pools of water, and play areas for children. There is also a cafe near the entrance to the park from Suzzani Street.

How to get there:

The address of the park is viale Fulvio Testi in the direction of Monza-Lecco, the entrance to the park is about one kilometer after the exit from Milan, the signage tells you to enter Bresso-Parco Nord.

Park Nord website

Parco delle Cave

Another park, smaller, is parco delle cave, the park of the caves. The name is a little misleading, because we did not find any caves in the park. But certainly several fish breeding ponds, green spaces and cycling and running tracks. Please note that there is currently no cafe or bar in the park area.

The park has several entrances from the following addresses: Via delle Forze Armate, Via Fratelli Zoia, Via Caldera

Idro Scalo Park

Another park, mainly relevant in the summer, is the Idro Scalo park. This is a park that lies along the artificial beach of Milan. A kind of large artificial lake with many cute corners including a sandy beach just like the sea. In Sukh the park has several swimming pools, an area for inflatables on the water, bicycle rental and more.

One of the recommended pools is called Punta dell’est.

Information can be found on the website

You can reach the park by public transport or by private car.

By bus – line 73 or line 183 (only active in summer), or line 923.

By train – lines S5 and S6. On both lines you can also put bicycles on the train! The train station is located 1.4 kilometers from the entrance to the park. From there you can take line 923 to the entrance itself.