Milan tour options

Maureen, I was in a quite similar situation in October of 2013. I arrived in Milano on a Sunday by train from Lucca, around noon. I had signed up for the Dark Rome guided walking tour, and stored my baggage at the Milano Centrale train station, and was flying out of Malpensa early the next morning. You need to allow some time for lines leaving and picking up baggage, it is a busy area. The tour group of about 12 people met near the Duomo, visited the outside and inside of the Duomo, but not the roof, then walked through La Galleria a little, and did a neighborhood walk, passing by La Scala Opera House (not inside) and walked through the grounds of the Castello ( again not inside). We finished at the church which houses The Last Supper. The tour included a visit to the painting, first 15 minutes in an antechamber (de-humidifying?) and the 15 minutes viewing the large painting, which would be enough time for most people, I think. After we exited, our guide was available to help direct each person to where they needed to go next. The tour was fine, nothing extraordinary, but fine.

Your guide will organize exit transportation for everyone from Orta San Giulio and organize taxis if there are groups going certain places. If your budget isn't too tight, I recommend the taxi. I stayed at Gran Duca di York hotel which is near the Duomo. We didn't do the walking tour just because we were there a day the Last Supper was closed, darn it, but we did enjoy walking thru the Duomo and the area between there and La Scala. If the Last Supper had been open, I would have done one of the tours.

I also had an early flight out of Linate and the hotel organized a taxi for me. The gentleman on the desk told me leaving at 415 was too early for a 630 (or was it 645?) flight and yes, he was right, lol. It took about 15 minutes from hotel to airport thru the deserted early AM streets! There was a big line up at the Delta/KLM desk at Linate with people checking the most enormous suitcases I have ever seen. I spent quite a bit of time watching the guys at the kiosks where they encase luggage in plastic wrap.

This is a wonderful, wonderful tour! Lots of fun tasting experiences!

Museums aside, if you want to just look around, then this is very easy in a day ...

Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro
Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Teatro alla Scala
Santa Maria delle Grazie (Last Supper)
Castello Sforzesco

Thanks Larry, Pam, and David! As always great information on this forum!

Maureen, certainly David is right, you can do all these things on your own, with a guidebook and a map, IF, and this is a big IF, you can get tickets to The Last Supper for the day and time you want. Many people have had problems doing that, and the tour companies buy up a bunch of them. Only a small number of people are allowed in for each time slot. Then again, on the final day of your trip, it can be relaxing to put away the book, and let the guide say "follow me", and gain his or her insights and stories, and have someone there to answer your questions!

Yes Larry, I'm leaning that way too as I want to make the most of my time there.

Tickets for the Last Supper go on sale in monthly blocks, 3 months ahead.
So look out for May tickets at the beginning of February.
http://www.vivaticket.it/index.php?nvpg[evento]&id_show=63954&idt=744

I did a morning walk around Castello Sforzesco before a 10:30am entry for the Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie. Then catch a tram to the centre for the Duomo - the roof top is a must.
I enjoyed a quick look at the small church of Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro for its trompe l'oeil deceit of the eye. A short walk through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II brings you to Teatro alla Scala.
If you have time left then the shopping district of the Quadrilatero d'Oro is not far.