The Last Supper and Sforza Castle on the Same Day
In this guide
- Why are the two sold together?
- Every combination, side by side
- Does any combined tour go inside the castle museums?
- What will you see at the castle on a combined tour?
- Where do the combined tours meet?
- How long are they, and how big are the groups?
- What does booking the two separately look like?
- Is it cheaper to book separately?
- When is the bundle the better buy?
- Which order should the day run in?
- What to bring on the day
- Bundle or separate: the verdict
- Frequently asked questions
The short answer
A combined tour is worth it for one thing: it holds your Last Supper slot. Fares run from From $104 to From $343. None of them buys the castle's €10 museum ticket. At the castle you get the free courtyards, or a walk past the walls. If you want the Pietà Rondanini too, add the museum ticket yourself, or book a guided castle visit for another morning.
Why are the two sold together?
Because they sit on the same walk across the centre, and because one of them is hard to get into. Leonardo's Last Supper is in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Entry is a timed slot of about fifteen minutes, and every visitor's name is given at booking. Operators hold slots, and that is most of what you pay for.
The castle is the easy half. Its courtyards are free and open every day from 7am to 7.30pm, so any tour can walk you in. That is why a Sforza Castle tour with the Last Supper in it nearly always stops in the courtyards rather than the museums. The slot is the product. The castle is the stroll after.
Every combination, side by side
Here is what each combined fare gives you at the castle, whether it goes inside the Duomo, where it meets and how big the group can be.
| Tour | Price | At the castle | Duomo inside | Meets | Group | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Supper and Sforza Castle Tour | From $104 | Castle stop, no museum entry, 30 minutes | No | Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie, in front of the Last Supper | Up to 25 | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Historic Milan Tour with Skip-the-Line Last Supper Ticket | From $119 | Castle stop, no museum entry, 20 minutes | No | Leonardo's Last Supper Museum, Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, by the flags | Up to 34 | 3 hours |
| Best of Milan Experience Including Da Vinci's The Last Supper and Milan Duomo | From $166 | Castle stop, no museum entry, 30 minutes | Yes | Piazzale Luigi Cadorna 14, next to Bar Marinoni | Up to 20 | 6 hours |
| Milan: City Center & Last Supper Walking Tour | From $173 | Castle stop, no museum entry, 30 minutes | No | In front of the ticket office in Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie | Not stated | 3 hours |
| Milan: Duomo, Scala, Sforza Castle and Last Supper Private Tour | From $343 | Castle seen in passing | Yes | Confirmed by the operator the day before the tour | Private, up to 4 | 3 hours |
Read two columns before you book: where it meets, and what it gives you at the castle. Most of these start at Santa Maria delle Grazie, not at the castle. And every one of them stops outside the museums.
Does any combined tour go inside the castle museums?
No. Every Last Supper combination here stops in the free courtyards or passes the walls. Some name the castle's admission in their exclusions. Others simply give it twenty or thirty minutes outside.
That is a fair design for the day these tours sell. It does mean the Pietà Rondanini, the ducal rooms and the Trivulzio tapestries are not part of the fare. If those are why you came, see the separate plan below.
What will you see at the castle on a combined tour?
The outside of a great deal. You walk in under the Filarete Tower, rebuilt by Luca Beltrami and inaugurated in 1905 after the original blew up in 1521. You stand in the Cortile delle Armi, with its Roman sarcophagi and the long front of the Ospedale Spagnolo where the Pietà is kept. On the longer stops you look into the Rocchetta, the fortress inside the fortress.
A guide makes those minutes count. The castle was begun by the Visconti in 1360 and rebuilt by Francesco Sforza from 1450. Leonardo worked here for Ludovico il Moro. Twenty minutes with someone who knows that is a good pause on a long walk.
Where do the combined tours meet?
Mostly at Santa Maria delle Grazie, in front of the church or the ticket office. One meets at Piazzale Cadorna, by Bar Marinoni. The private one confirms its meeting point the day before.
That matters more than it sounds. A tour built round a timed slot will not wait for you at the wrong square. Read your confirmation the night before, and check the spot on the map page. Allow time to walk there from your hotel.
How long are they, and how big are the groups?
From ninety minutes to six hours. The shortest gives you forty-five minutes at the church, fifteen with the mural, then half an hour outside the castle. The three-hour walks add La Scala, the Galleria and the Duomo square. The six-hour day adds an hour inside the Duomo and San Maurizio, with an hour off for lunch.
Group caps run from four on the private tour to more than thirty on the largest walk. Headsets are provided on the big ones, so you hear your guide at the back of the group. If group size matters to you, read the Group column above before the price.
One of them confirms within 48 hours rather than at once. Book it with a margin, not on the eve of your trip.
What does booking the two separately look like?
Three pieces, and you pick each one.
- The Last Supper slot, booked on its own with every name given at booking. This is the hard part.
- The castle museum ticket, €10 at the desk or online, Tuesday to Sunday, last entry 4.30pm. It opens every museum, the Pietà included.
- A guide inside the castle, if you want one. Guided museum visits start at From $23 with the ticket in the fare. The castle's own €20 visit runs in English every Saturday at 11am, no booking.
Done this way, you get the museums, which no combined tour includes. You also choose your own order. The Last Supper can go in the morning and the castle in the afternoon, or the other way round.
Is it cheaper to book separately?
On the castle side, clearly. The museum ticket is €10, and a guided castle visit costs less than any combined fare. The question is the Last Supper side.
If you can get a refectory slot for your dates yourself, booking separately gives you more for less: the mural, the museums, and your own timing. If you cannot find one, the comparison changes. Then a combination is not the dear option. It is the way in.
The fair test is simple. Try for the slot first. If it is there, book it, and add the castle. If it is not, book a combination, and add the castle museums on a separate morning.
When is the bundle the better buy?
When the Last Supper matters most and your time is short. A combination gives you the slot, a guide at the mural, and the walk across the centre in one booking. Every one refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead.
It is also the better buy when you want the city more than the museums. Past the castle you get La Scala, the Galleria and the Duomo square, explained as you walk. Read the "At the castle" column before you pay, and you will know exactly which half of the castle your fare covers.
Which order should the day run in?
Most combinations put the Last Supper first. That suits the castle, because its courtyards are open until 7.30pm. It suits the museums less, because the last entry is 4.30pm.
So if you plan to add the museums after a morning combination, head to the castle straight after the tour. If your combination runs in the afternoon, do the museums in the morning. The one-day plan lays both versions out hour by hour.
What to bring on the day
- The ID you booked with. Names are checked against the slot.
- No large bag. One tour asks you to leave bags of any size at your hotel, because the Last Supper museum will not take them.
- Comfortable shoes. These are walking tours, and the longest runs six hours.
- Water in summer. The courtyards and the squares are open-air.
- Your castle ticket, if you have one. Keep it for the afternoon.
Bundle or separate: the verdict
| If you | Do this | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot find a Last Supper slot | Book a combination | It holds the slot |
| Have a slot already | Add the €10 castle ticket | You get the museums the tours skip |
| Want Michelangelo explained | Add a guided castle visit | Ticket in the fare, ninety minutes inside |
| Want one long day on foot | The six-hour combination | Last Supper and an hour inside the Duomo |
| Travel as four | The private combination | Both tickets held, your own guide |
| Are here on a Saturday | A combination, then the €20 castle visit | English at 11am, museum ticket included |
The castle half is easy to add and hard to regret. Every combination and every guided castle visit is compared on Sforza Castle Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Do Last Supper and Sforza Castle tours go inside the castle?
Do I need to book Sforza Castle tickets in advance?
How much do Sforza Castle tours cost?
Where is the Pietà Rondanini?
Can I bring a bag or backpack?
What happens to a Sforza Castle booking if I cancel?
The combinations compared here
Historic Milan Tour with Skip-the-Line Last Supper Ticket
Thirty minutes with the Last Supper, then a free stop at the castle.
From $119 per person
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The Last Supper and Sforza Castle Tour
The refectory, then half an hour at the castle's tower and courtyards.
From $104 per person
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Milan: City Center & Last Supper Walking Tour
The Last Supper, then thirty minutes outside the castle on the way to the Duomo.
From $173 per person
Check Availability