Milan - Last Supper and museums

I booked a 4 hour city tour with Viator and we saw a lot of Milan and the Last Supper. Part was by bus and park was walking. The only thing we needed to go back and spend more time in was the Duomo (go up on the roof for a great view). Can't get hyperlink to work properly here, but here is the URL http://www.viator.com/milan-tours/d512-ttd?pref=02&aid=g2274

We stayed at the Grand Duca di York in March 2011. It was excellent (clean room, friendly people, good breakfast). The hotel is literally around the corner from the Pinoteca Ambrosiana (PA)and a 5-minute walk to the Duomo. We also walked to Santa Maria della Grazie (SMdG) from the hotel to see The Last Supper (bought tickets for a specific time from the U.S.). It was definitely a longer walk (maybe 30 minutes) but easy. We did not see the Brera Art Gallery. So, to answer your question, and checking out an on-line map (http://www.frommers.com/images/destinations/maps/jpg-2006/57_milanattractions.jpg), it appears that the 3 places you want to see form a triangle. Since the PA is around the corner from the hotel, you could do that first or last. Whether you go north to the Brera AG or west to SMdG is up to you. If your feet get tired, you could always grab a cab. Bottom line is that it should be doable if you don't spend several hours each in the two art galleries. And, because the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II are a short walk from the hotel, you could walk there after dinner. Lastly, I found 15 minutes with The Last Supper and the Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano to be enough time to appreciate them, but of course that is only my opinion.

We have only visited with the 15 minute restriction; what did we miss? What I think is impressive is its survival of WW II bombs. Definitely more captivating then Mona.

We stayed in Milan for 1 night only, after we flew into Italy. I wanted to do last supper, duomo, brera, pinocoteca all in 1 day, coming in off of 15 min sleep on plane. I did 3/4, missing pinocoteca, all because I got the "wah wahs"; the imaginary internal feeling like you body is being pulled back and forth because of the lack of sleep, especially when visiting quiet museums. I get it every year I travel, on the day of landing. Rocking like a rocking chair, but is not perceived by you spouse when you ask him "dear, am I swaying back and forth?". It's possible, but I am starting to believe first dat activities need to be outdoors in fresh air.
Kcp

That's a lot to fit in one day, unless you move through museums quickly. I'd suggest prioritizing in case you run out of time. The Brera tends to be open late. An after-hours visit to the Last Supper might be nice insurance in case your plane is late, and it would give you the day for the two galleries. The subway in Milan is great for getting around if you can't find a taxi, and you might want to plan the logistics of getting around before you arrive. There's plenty of info on the internet.

I also did the Viator tour in order to see the Last Supper. Side benefit of the bus tour was the Sforzesco Castle,well worth a viewing. I was never able to book the tickets independently.
Depending on what you want to see at the Ambrosiana, you might spend 1,2 or 3 hours there or more; I'd secure the last supper tickets first and go from there.

I've never done the "Exclusive" visit - my wife and I found that the normal visit was just fine. 15 minutes wound up being quite a lot as there is the fresco at one end of the room and another at the other end. The number of visitors is strictly limited so we were able to get up close in several places, and also see the works from a couple of metres back - much better to appreciate the fresco in its entirety and then from halfway back and also from across the room. We very much enjoyed seeing it from all angles and 15 minutes was fine. I appreciate art in situ. I have found that calling is easier than trying to use their online system. Calling is easy, there are Italian lines and English lines which you choose when you call, they have more availability than is shown online. But you do need to get in early as there is still the Dan Brown effect.

Maybe it's dependent on who's working that day, but when we visited the Last Supper, nobody kicked us out after 15 minutes, and I know we were there longer than that.

Thanks for your replies. It sounds like the 15 minutes allowed for the Last Supper is enough for most people. I'll try to get Last Supper tickets for late in the day, then visit one or both of the museums depending on how much time I have. I will be there part of the following day and hope to see La Scala and the Duomo on Monday. Kelly, funny! Hope I don't have that problem but you bring up a good point, that walking between sights as much as I can will probably help. Sherry, good idea to plan my route ahead of time. Robert, thank you for the information you provided. Nigel, I will call for tickets, thanks.