While visiting Milan, many people want to take the chance to view Leonardo di Vinci’s The Last Supper up close and personal. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize getting these tickets is like The Hunger Games! Seriously, it can be quite challenging to score tickets and many often miss out on their chance to see it. Don’t let that happen to you! Read my guide on how to visit The Last Supper.
Are you deep into Milan travel planning? Don’t forget to also bookmark my 10+ Best Things to do in Milan, Italy.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
How to Get Tickets
Plan, plan, plan! I cannot stress this enough, but the more in advance you can plan, the better.
Part of what makes the ticket access so frustrating is the way that tickets are released. Tickets tend to release in 3-month slots at a time, but you must book early. In fact, only 30 people at a time can enter the room to view The Last Supper – and only for 15-minute intervals. This is why obtaining tickets can be a challenge.
First, go to The Last Supper website to review the calendar and check when the month you plan to purhcase tickets has been opened to the public yet.
In the example below, only October 26 has availability at 12:45. If the cell is green, you can select and continue to move forward and book your self-guided ticket which is €15.
You can also opt for The Last Supper guided tours in either Italian or English online and the tickets increase to €24. For any type of ticket, you can book up to 5 tickets together. If you’re traveling with a larger group, call the office and they can assist.
Consider Buying a Guided Tour and Workshop
Insider Tip on How to Visit The Last Supper: If the calendar still seems full, I highly recommend searching for The Last Supper workshop offerings for €30. Not only is a guided tour included, but usually a fun workshop as well once the visit concludes!
These workshops may vary. I personally completed one and not only was the guide fantastic, but after we learned more in-depth information about da Vinci’s sketching techniques. We even completed some sketches by ourselves using the same types of materials that would have been used to outline The Last Supper. Maybe you’ll discover you could be the next modern-day da Vinci.
If you still are not having luck or want to avoid the headache I may have caused you by digesting all of the information above, then I suggest a backup option of booking through a third-party organized tour.
I suggest booking this guided tour.
By the way: I understand the frustration of planning and purchasing tickets, but by limiting the ticket offerings it is one of the best ways to keep this masterpiece preserved.
Arriving at Santa Maria delle Grazie
Be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance from your assigned ticket time to collect your tickets from the office before you visit The Last Supper. While this may seem tedious, you have to validate and activate your ticket 30ish minutes in advance or you could risk losing your spot. So keep an eye on the clock!
Remember, you will need a form of ID that matches the name you wrote when you signed up and purchased tickets. You won’t be able to bring any large, bulky bags, but there are lockers on-site for storage.
Visiting The Last Supper
The actual visit and portion of seeing The Last Supper is rather unique. As mentioned above, only 30 people can view the piece at a time in the room. You also only get 15 minutes and it goes by quick!
Everyone must wait a couple minutes in a dust-filtrating room prior to gaining access to the room. However, once inside, you can hear a pin drop.
It feels so special to see the masterpiece up close and it feels even more intimate with such few guests. During a tour you’ll learn the history behind why there is what looks like a door at the bottom of the fresco and how it managed to survive the bombings of the war through the ear piece used on the tours.
It is quite surprising how large the actual painting is. You can see the scale in the image above. You can take photos as long as there is no flash.
This concludes my guide on what to know for visiting The Last Supper in Milan! I hope you enjoy the rest of your adventures in beautiful Milano.
Interested in more Milan, Italy content? You may want to check out some of my other Milan posts: