Trying to get excited about Milan

You've named the major sites in Milan, so if you are not feeling it, why force it? I am sure there is something else that could fit into your itinerary, perhaps you could spend four days elsewhere and just spend a night in Milan--if the flight out of there is a must.
While I think personal anecdotes are irrelevant, I am not enamored with Milan and I think you should make a plan you are excited about.

I agree, why force it. We loved Milan as did the friends we were traveling with but each to their own.

To add: a couple of interesting major churches:
Sant'Ambrogio:
https://www.basilicasantambrogio.it/en
https://www.yesmilano.it/en/see-and-do/venues/basilica-of-sant-ambrogio

Sant'Eustorgio:
https://chiostrisanteustorgio.it/en/luogo/basilica/
https://www.yesmilano.it/en/see-and-do/venues/basilica-di-santeustorgio

Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore:
https://www.yesmilano.it/en/see-and-do/venues/basilica-di-san-lorenzo-maggiore

We haven't done this yet but Monumental Cemetery (Cimitero Monumentale) gets high marks from people who have for interesting wanders around the tombs:
https://www.yesmilano.it/en/see-and-do/venues/monumental-cemetery
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187849-d243431-Reviews-Cimitero_Monumentale-Milan_Lombardy.html

It seems an awful waste to spend time visiting somewhere you're not sure about.
If it has to be Italy, why not Florence/Siena etc
Otherwise, there are lots of great places in France, where you already are.

I also enjoyed the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana which has the original pencil sketch of Raphael's School of Athens which he did as a fresco in the Vatican Museum. It also houses Da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus. I had not done a lot of research on this Museum and was surprised at some of the interesting things they had including an Avercamp.

I sort of made time to visit Milan as a great grandfather and great grandmother emigrated from a small town north of Milan in the late 1800's and the family story was that Grandpa Z visited the "big church in Milan".

I do agree with the others that if you are not feeling Milan, don't make yourself go. There are dozens of other places to see that might spark your interest more! I've stopped visiting places because I feel I should and only go to places I WANT to go!

We found Milan to be a pleasant surprise. All the sites you mentioned are worth a visit. Seeing the Last Supper was a bit of a challenge as getting tickets meant booking a tour-the “official” site was always sold out. The Navigli District (bet you didn’t know Milan had canals!) was fun, particularly the food tour we did there : https://www.eatingeurope.com/milan/eating-milan/

If the places you mentioned don’t really interest you, don’t go. Maybe you should list what type of things that you would be excited to see so people can give you better suggestions than trying to guess.

You could do something else in northern Italy such as the lakes, the mountains or other countryside. But does it have to be northern Italy? How did you first pick Milan after Lyon?

visiting the places you mentioned alone, on a very rushed tour, including strolling and eating near the Navigli, will keep you busy for a full day from sunrise to bedtime. Adding the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, and maybe the Monumental Cemetery, will keep you busy for another full day. I think 3 nights are appropriate to have a taste of the above. Obviously if you want to take it slower, or maybe add a day trip to Lake Como, you can add more nights.

If you are not interested in any of the above, then go somewhere else.

Don't force yourself to go somewhere if you don't think you'll enjoy it.

What about some of the places that were suggested to you in your post from last week?

"We are probably going to go to Milan" why is that? Since there is at least one other individual involved, how does that individual/individuals feel about Milan?

I didn't seek out Milan because there is so much of Italy that offers way more, but I happened on great business class fare to there a couple of years ago. We landed and immediately headed elsewhere, but ended the trip with two nights (almost two full days) in Milan. We did a private tour and saw the sites we wanted to see. I don't particularly have a need to go back.

Are you going there as a standalone destination or just because you're flying from there? Cut your time and stay somewhere else for 2-3 nights.

Milan is not my cup of tea, but I loved the Last Supper and the Duomo. If they don’t grab you, don’t go.

Milan is very close to Lake Como, which is beautiful. We stayed in Varenna, which you can train to. You can reach other towns by ferry.

We are going to make our second visit to Milano this Fall.
Our first was 6 days in early March of 2020. Not crowded then for some strange reason.
I have 15 attractions on our list for this 4 day visit. Obviously will not do them all.
The view from the roof of the Duomo (259 steps) was awesome.
The Starbucks is great.

We loved Lyon. Stayed in Vieux Lyon.
La Praline rose à Lyon.
funiculaires.

If you need another reason to convince you not to go to Milan, I can tell you that the province of Milan has the highest crime rate (crime per residen population) in the whole of Italy.

But Rome is second and Florence is third in the ranking, so that might reduce other potential beautiful candidates for your visit.

https://lab24.ilsole24ore.com/indice-della-criminalita/

Well, I was born near Milan, in Monza; I did not stay there for long, but I came back for my superior studies and I even got a wife from Milan, so maybe I am partial to the city. IMHO if Italy had not Rome, Florence and Venice, Milan would be considered as a top destination at world level. Not many cities in the world can boast a museum like Brera or a Gothic building like the Duomo. The city has its urban vibe, and a 19th century one, when it was most remodeled. (Old Milan had a lot of small channels, navigli, and was said to resemble Venice as you could get everywhere by water, but they were gradually covered and disappeared from sight.) A disadvantage of Milan is that it is quite spread, so there is a lot of ground to cover for different sights.

I recall a science and technology museum that entertained me and my dad with its geeky vintage computer displays. I haven't checked to see if it's still operating.

Yep, still operating... The Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum:

https://www.museoscienza.org/en/visiting/information

Thanks so much for all of your replies. Read them all, watched some youtubes, I think I am being shallow, so Milan here I come! And if needed, there are always the day trips. Appreciate all who weighed in!

Just in case you’re going to be in Milan two weeks from now, May 23-25, 2025) … look for Piano City. https://pianocitymilano.it

We were in Milan for 3 nights at the end a 3 week trip in 2015. I was kicking myself for 3 nights, rather than 2. But on our first night, a local couple who we encountered told us about Piano City that was happening that weekend. It was wonderful. Classical music and jazz in the Giardini di Villa Reale and other sites all over town.

Between Piano City, the Last Supper, the Duomo (and the nearby Galleria and Piazza), and the Bilblioteca and Pinoteca Ambrosiana, we had no time to get to the Sforza Castle or La Scala. Even without Piano City, as your original post identified, there are two or three days of activity that will intrigue you.

LATE NOTE. I see that on 5/24/25, there’s a whole afternoon of Ravel at the Sforza Castle as part of Piano City. https://pianocitymilano.it/concerto/5511/?_gl=1*boibmc*_up*MQ..*_ga*NTE4MDIzMjI0LjE3NDY5MjIzMzc.*_ga_FFT68C453R*czE3NDY5MjIzMzYkbzEkZzEkdDE3NDY5MjIzODEkajAkbDAkaDA.

If you have any interest in fashion don't miss the Armani Silos - amazing custom built museum in an old factory space.

=Tod

On my last visit to Milan (stayed a month) and visited the canal area...wish I had done it sooner! Was lovely to stroll about, dine and shop. A short train ride to the area and very enjoyable. Have you considered staying for a time in Genova? Also spent a month there a couple of years ago and was very pleasantly surprised.

We were in Milan Sept 2022. Very pleasant. It's a big city, and hotels are expensive. We enjoyed the Duomo roof, the Sforza castle, and the Navaglia canal district. Mostly we like to wander around. Milan is the center of appertivo culture.