Best Bike Tours in Milan

Discover the historical treasures of Milan and witness the architectural evolution of the city. All this, while you move around the city by bike with a native guide.

Ana Caballero

Ana Caballero

10 min read

Best Bike Tours in Milan

Bicycling in Milan | ©Sunny

Bike tours in Milan are becoming more and more popular among tourists. Through this type of tours you can visit the highlights of the city. In addition, you will learn about the history of the monuments, parks and buildings, while doing an outdoor sport activity.

There are several options when it comes to bicycle touring. You can join a large group of tourists to pedal through the streets of the Italian city or, if you prefer, opt for a personalized tour. There are also routes that, depending on the terrain and duration, offer you mountain bikes or electric bikes. Here are some recommended tours so you don't have to worry about what to see and do in Milan during your stay.

1. Enjoy the night view of Lake Navigli while pedaling with a tour guide

Navigli, Italy| ©JasonParis
Navigli, Italy| ©JasonParis

If you are going to be in Milan for a few days, you will have to take advantage of every minute to explore the city. Therefore, a good recommendation is to join one of the popular night bike tours to Lake Navigli. This way, you will save time by not having to use a map, as you will be pedaling along with a professional tour guide.

During the tour you will enjoy the most striking view of Lake Navigli from the canals. This is possible thanks to the warmth and brightness projected by the artificial lights that surround the place. In addition, the guides usually make a stop for you to have a drink or a snack in one of the surrounding restaurants and bars.

And if you do this cyclotourism activity on the last Sunday of any month, you will find a colorful bazaar with hundreds of antiques. Do not hesitate and incorporate this activity in your selection of things to do in Milan at night.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Price: The average price of this tour does not exceed 100 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will contemplate a night landscape of the canals of Navigli and you will be able to taste an aperitif or buy a souvenir.

2. Explore Milan's urban forests on an electric bike and escape the city's traffic

Boscoincittà| ©maria patrizia r
Boscoincittà| ©maria patrizia r

Visiting Milan is not just about climbing the Duomo Terrace or exploring the exterior and interior of the Gothic cathedral. You can also escape the city traffic and join an electric bike tour, to get to know Boscoincittà, known as the hidden** urban forests** of Milan.

For this tour, you will leave Navigli on an electric bike via Novara, which is where the Boscoincittà Botanical Park is located. There, you will be able to move along more than 110 hectares, composed of trails, special picnic areas, ponds, rice paddies, an apiary, farms and much more.

As you pedal, you will be dazzled by the natural beauty that surrounds this region. In addition, your mind will clear and you will relax as you breathe in the fresh country air and feel the sun's rays on your skin.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 3 hours.
  • Price: The average price of this tour is 115 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: With this tour you will get to know part of the natural beauty of Milan without having to go far from the city.

Book a bike tour in Milan

3. Tour Milan at your own pace on two wheels

BikeMi Bicycles| ©Britta Frahm
BikeMi Bicycles| ©Britta Frahm

To tour Milan you don't necessarily have to hop on one of the best tourist buses, or join a guided tour. Alternatively, you have the option of embarking on a cycling tour at your own pace using the bike sharing system in Milan.

You will be able to move through the streets of Milan without any inconvenience, as the city is flat, small and has bike lanes for safety. In addition, when you stop at each attraction you will find a special parking area, since the use of bicycles is very common for the Milanese.

You just need to find an intercity service with stations near you. Such is the case of RideMovi, BikeMi or any other. Then you will have to download their app to unlock the bike. You can pay weekly or hourly rentals, depending on your needs.

The best thing is that you will find traditional bicycles, electric bicycles and bicycles with a special seat to carry the little ones of the house during the ride. Therefore, you will be able to incorporate this type of activities to the things to do in Milan with children.

Practical Information

  • Duration: You can enjoy the bike sharing service from 30 minutes and up to a week.
  • Price: The average price of bike rental is from 2 euros per hour.
  • Advantages of this option: You can get to know Milan at your own pace without any time limitation, as you have the possibility to stop at any attraction whenever you want.

4. Enjoy a bike tour through the main historical sites of Milan and learn about the architectural evolution of the city

La Scala, Milan, Italy| ©Veselina Dzhingarova
La Scala, Milan, Italy| ©Veselina Dzhingarova

Perhaps you don't know what to see and do in Milan in 2 days, since it is very little time to visit all its historical sites, enjoy the architectural beauty of the city and learn about its evolution through the years.

If this is the case, you could participate in an electric or traditional bike tour through the center of Milan. This way, you will be able to explore the main sites of interest. All this, together with a native guide, who will tell you the history of the streets, monuments and buildings. This way, you will understand the cultural and architectural importance of the city.

These tours usually offer two options:

  • Tour with historical information, in which you will pass by iconic sites of Milan such as the Opera House, La Scala theater and the Duomo. In addition, you will have the opportunity to pedal around the outskirts of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle, which is a shopping gallery built in the nineteenth century, with food stores, jewelry stores, fashion houses, among others.
  • Tour with architectural information. There, you will observe the medieval and Renaissance beauty of buildings such as the Sforzesc Castle in the historic center, and then contrast this style with the modern architecture present in the Porta Nuova district.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 3.5 hours (approx.)
  • Price: The average price is from 50 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will explore the city and learn about the history hidden in the main monuments and buildings. Also, you can learn about the architectural evolution that Milan has experienced over the years.

Buy tickets for the Duomo of Milan

5. Be part of a bike tour and marvel at the architecture of the Gae Aulenti area in Milan

Gae Aulenti Square| ©Daniel
Gae Aulenti Square| ©Daniel

If you are interested in getting to know Milan's modern architectural style in detail, you should visit the Gae Aulenti area by bike.

You will marvel at its innovative buildings and modern skyscrapers, while the elegance of each of its squares will capture your attention.

The guide in charge will take you through the buildings of the Vertical Forest, considered one of the major attractions in Gae Aulenti. It is a pair of towers with habitable apartments, whose exteriors have been covered with more than 2,000 species of plants.

Similarly, in this district of Milan, characterized by its modern architectural style, you will find the Unicredit Tower. This is an amazing building of 231 meters high, considered the tallest skyscraper in Italy.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 3.5 hours.
  • Price: The average price of the tour is 50 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will be able to contrast the old and the modern of Milanese architecture, as the Gae Aulenti area has innovative buildings and elegant squares.

6. Take a guided bike tour in Milan and see Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper without queuing up

Last Supper, Da Vinci| ©Dimitris Kamaras
Last Supper, Da Vinci| ©Dimitris Kamaras

If you have only a few days to spend in Milan, but you want to see the main historical sites and visit Da Vinci's Last Supper in Milan without wasting time waiting in line, you might want to join a guided cycling tour, as the guide in charge will take you directly to each point of interest.

In just three hours you will ride through the streets of Milan on a comfortable bicycle. While pedaling in the company of a native guide, you will delight in the beauty of the surroundings and learn about the history of each building and monument observed.

You will see the Duomo di Milano, the Palazzo Marino, the Opera House, Napoleon's Triumphal Arch and the Town Hall.

In addition, the tour includes the entrance to the Dominican Convent Santa Maria delle Grazie, where you will have approximately 15 minutes to appreciate and photograph Dan Vince's Last Supper. A work declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 4 hours.
  • Price: The average price does not exceed 100 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will get to know the historic center of the city of Milan and you will have the opportunity to stop to admire the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Book an excursion to see the Last Supper

7. On your trip to Milan take a personalized bike tour and discover the tourist attraction of the city

Chinatown, Milan| ©IK's World Trip
Chinatown, Milan| ©IK's World Trip

If you don't know what to see and do in Milan in 3 days, during your stay you should consider taking a personalized bike tour of the city.

This is a very popular sightseeing activity, which you can do in small groups, i.e. only with your travel companions and an assigned professional guide.

There are several routes used for customized tours, one of them being the one that starts at Porta Nuova, specifically at the amazing Vertical Forest buildings. The tour continues along the vibrant street of Corso Como until it reaches the popular and busy Milanese Chinatown, which borders the Historic Center.

Also, there is the route along the long canals of the Navigli River or the Centro Storico route, which runs from San Babila to Cadorna. The latter is a route for which you will need to cycle only a few kilometers and where you will enjoy a clear path.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 3 hours.
  • Price: The average price does not exceed $50 per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will tour the city with the help of a guide and in the company of a small group of three to five people.

8. Take a bike ride through Sempione Park and discover Milan's natural lung

Sempione Park| ©Alejandro
Sempione Park| ©Alejandro

Very close to the Duomo of Milan is the Sempione Park, considered one of the main natural lungs of the Italian city. It is a tourist area with an area of 380,000 square meters, which include trails, ponds and bridges.

This green space serves as a meeting point for nature lovers who, like you, want to get to know Milan and go cycling during their stay in the city.

On this guided tour you can get off your bike to visit the Parco Sempione Library, located in the northeastern part of the park. Also, if you head to the western part, you will get the imposing Torre Branca. Climbing this building, you will get a beautiful overview of the Sempione Park.

In addition, if you wish, you can do the tour at your own pace. To do so, you have the option of renting a bicycle at the park entrance.

Practical Information

  • Duration: 2 to 3 hours.
  • Price: The average price is 30 euros per person.
  • Advantages of this option: You will walk through the Sempione Park and contemplate the beauty of one of the natural lungs of Milan.

What to take on a bike tour in Milan?

Bike to work| ©Alejandro
Bike to work| ©Alejandro

If you are in Milan and you have booked a bike tour, you will need to take some personal items with you. For this, you will need a small backpack so that your hands are free on the handlebars. You will also need to select appropriate clothing and footwear to pedal comfortably.

Inside the backpack you can keep your keys, wallet and identification credentials. This will prevent them from falling out of your pocket and getting lost. Also, take with you a sunscreen for your face and some tissues or a facial towel. They will be necessary to remove excess sweat.

Also, keep a bottle of water handy, either in your backpack or in the water bottle holder on your bike. The important thing is that you stay hydrated throughout the ride and, thus, combat the feeling of embarrassment.

Basic recommendations for cycling in the streets of Milan

Bicycles for Milan| ©Alejandro
Bicycles for Milan| ©Alejandro

If you join a bike tour in Milan you should be careful when riding on public roads and follow some basic recommendations. For example:

  • Check the bike you have rented and make sure the brake system is in good condition.
  • If the tour is at night, check that the bicycle includes front and rear lights. This way, you will not go unnoticed on the road.
  • Whenever possible, pedal along the bike lanes.

Remember that Milan is a city that supports the use of sustainable transport. Therefore, most of the streets have bike lanes. However, there are areas that do not have them, so be careful to ensure the safety of pedestrians and yourself as a cyclist.