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Milan with children
Traveling with children, anywhere, requires a little thinking and age adjustment. Milan with children is definitely a possibility! You will find quite a few sites and activities in it that may be suitable for your children. Don’t forget that Milan itself is home to nearly 200,000 children up to the age of 14, who spend and enjoy it all year round. As a city rich in culture and art, Milan certainly takes children into account, and you can find there, beyond the regular sites, also Sunday and holiday events that will always have a welcoming part for children, all with attention and Italian chic. We have collected for you here nice suggestions that may entertain your children and you during your stay in Milan.
Parks
The recommended recreation with children for our taste, always expands the heart, never boring. You can combine it with a picnic and here you have a perfect and relaxed European day out
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 Branca tower, Torre Branca, 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 (in Italian, activate Google Translate on the entire page). 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 visiting it can be fun and combined with half a day of shopping. This park also has a small area of climbing facilities for children and on Sundays 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
Natural parks – 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, meaning 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.
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. Near the park there are several swimming pools, an area for inflatables on the water and more.
One of the recommended pools is called Punta dell’est.
On the eastern side of the park, near the entrance, you can also rent bicycles for children and go on a tour of about 6 km on the path around the park.
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.
More attractions
Sailing in the Milan canals
Milan has two artificial canals that are tens of kilometers long. Behind the canals is a fascinating history from the time of Leonardo da Vinci, and of course wonderful views. You can sail from the Grand Canal of Milan through several companies that operate cruises. Here You will find the link to one of them. The nature of the cruises varies from season to season. In the hot season you can also join cruises accompanied by activities such as music or a meal.
Around the christmas season
This season several ice skating sites are opening in Milan. An opportunity for a few fun hours with the kids. Skates and protective equipment can be rented at all sites. Below are the URLs:
- Piazza Castello, Near the Cairoli Castello metro station, right in front of the large fountain at the entrance to the citadel.
- The swimming pool, called Bagno Misteriosi (Hidden Baths), turns into a magical ice skating rink in winter. at Via Carlo Botta, 18, 20135 Milano
- In the aforementioned public park, Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli. In addition, in this park, during the Christmas season, a large and nice children’s play park will be opened, which is active at all hours of the day and evening, even on Sundays.
Museums
Milan is full of museums, and many of them are welcoming to children
MUBA
A museum for children only! From one year to 12 years. The museum encourages thinking and creative activity. The museum does not have permanent exhibitions but workshops and activities. Aa to arrive without prior registration.
Museum address: Via Enrico Besana, 12, 20122 Milano
All the information is on the website.
Also, some of the activities are also given in the English language.
Leonardo da Vinci Museum
This is the Science Museum of Milan. The museum is housed in a beautiful and impressive building in itself. In addition to the permanent and changing exhibitions, some of which are also interesting for children, the museum has unique activities and workshops for children.
Museum address: Via San Vittore, 21, 20123 Milano MI
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 09:30-17:00, Saturday-Sunday and holidays 09:30-18:30. Closed on non-holiday Mondays.
All the information is on the website
The Museum of Nature
(Museo Civico di Storia Naturale) one of the largest in all of Italy, contains 23 exhibition rooms of over 700 species of animals. In front of Porta Venezia, inside the urban park Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli
Address: Corso Venezia, 55, 20121, Milano
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 09:00-17:30, closed on Monday.
All the information is on the website
Alfa Romeo Museum
For fans of the genre, one of the recommended museums. An exhibition of car models from all years, a display room of contemporary models, a 4-dimensional cinema room for a “real” race experience, activities for children and a cafe on site. Located in the suburbs of the city.
Address: Viale Alfa Romeo, 20020 Arese (MI) – Italy
Opening hours: Wednesday-Monday 10:00-18:00, closed on Tuesday.
All the information is on the website
Aviation Museum VOLANDIA
Volandia it is a “park and museum”, with several areas – indoor and outdoor – both for children and for all the children hidden within us: flight simulators, a planetarium, model airplanes and more.
The museum is divided into seven areas: forms of flight, fixed wing, rotary wing, space pavilion, drones, model airplanes, and children’s toys. It tells the epic story of aeronautics in all its forms, from the pioneering flights of the early 20th century, to the futuristic conversion, from balloons Hot air to the conquest of space along more than 2 km of exhibition.
The museum is located near Malpensa Airport and is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
All the information is on the website
Milan with children – it’s possible and even fun!
