Getting free tickets to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting in Milan gratis is difficult but not impossible.
Children under 18 years may see The Last Supper for free while everybody may try to get free tickets on the first Sunday of the month. Many European youths (18 to 25 years) qualify for €2 tickets. The process for buying cheap tickets or booking free time-slot reservations is exact and inflexible. Everybody, including babies, needs an advance time-slot reservation to visit The Last Supper Museum.
Getting Free Tickets to See Da Vinci’s The Last Supper
Free tickets to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting can only be reserved at the official website of The Last Supper Museum (Cenacolo Vinciano). Free admission for children and free entry on Sunday can only be arranged online — no email, telephone, mail, or in-person bookings are possible.
If admission tickets on the official website are sold out, the only other option is guided tours. These are considerably more expensive and give no discounts for children.
Book Free Time-Slot Tickets for Children for The Last Supper Museum
The museum website is spectacularly badly designed despite having very good information. English is available for almost all pages but the EN or British flag option is sometimes a bit hidden on some browsers.
During the process, the museum website will redirect visitors to “Vivaticket,” the only official ticket seller. This website is also less than optimally designed. If things suddenly change to Italian, simply find the EN or flag symbol again.
On the museum website, links to “buy” options are usually from the “Visit” page. Don’t use the “Are you entitled to a free ticket?” link but rather click on the “Are you a single visitor or a family group?” option.
Now, select the “Buy” option under “Do you want to buy admission tickets?” If any time slots are available, a calendar will show days marked in green.
Select tickets: €15 for adults, €2 for EU youths, and free for children under 18 years old. It is not possible to “buy” free tickets only, but free tickets may be combined with any other adult ticket.
It is possible to request free tickets only via an online form at the website but the chances of success are probably very limited. Children under 12 years old must visit the museum with an adult anyway. If alone and between 13 and 18, buying an extra cheap EU youth ticket may be a sound investment.
Other Cheap Options if Free Admissions Are Finished
Time slots including the official guided tour in either English or Italian are often easier to book than ticket-only periods.
From the “Visit” page, select “Do you want to buy admission tickets associated with a guided tour in English?” As before, available dates will be displayed but now €9 is added to any ticket price.
These official guided tours are good value — maybe less so for your 3-year old, but still far cheaper than private tour companies that will give no discounts to children.
How to Buy a Cheap EU Youth Ticket for The Last Supper Museum
Buying a cheap €2 EU youth ticket for The Last Supper Museum follows the same procedure as for the free tickets. Youth tickets are available online without the need for any other adult ticket in the same process.
To qualify for the EU Youth ticket, the visitor must be 18 to 25 years inclusive, i.e. before turning 26. The visitor must be from a European Union or EEA member state (or Uruguay!). British passports do not qualify. An Italian residence card is usually accepted too.
Documents are checked at ticket collection. Visitors not qualifying for free or discounted tickets may still visit the museum if paying the correct ticket price in person.
Getting Free Sunday Tickets to See The Last Supper
Admission to The Last Supper Museum is free for all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. Advance time-slot reservations are essential and only possible online.
As explained above, on the museum’s “Visit” page, don’t go to the “Are you entitled to a free ticket?” link but rather click on the “Special entry days” option.
The next free entry day will be displayed. The calendar is only available during the few days that bookings are possible. Except for some ad hoc special free days, free bookings are only possible from noon (Italian time) on the Wednesday preceding the first Sunday of the month.
For free Sundays, name changes on tickets are not possible and no tours are allowed. As a result, resellers are not active in the market but still enough people try to get free tickets to make it usually essential to start the process at noon sharp.
The number of visitors and the visiting procedures are exactly the same as on regular days. If you can secure tickets, the Last Supper Museum is a great uncrowded choice for free museum days.
→ See How to Book Free Sunday Last Supper Tickets for a detailed guide with screenshots — all tickets “sell out” in about 20 minutes after booking opens.
Tips for Buying Tickets for The Last Supper
A few tips when buying tickets to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper in the refectory of the Santa Maria della Grazie church:
- Book tickets as far ahead as possible (tickets go on sale in three-month periods).
- If dates are sold out, check the website regularly. Tickets are sometimes canceled and time slots are again offered.
- Go through the booking process and create an account in advance. A remarkable amount of unnecessary data is required and the website is rather finicky at times.
- Use the names as in the passport or ID document, but don’t sweat minor spelling errors.
- Private tours — book through GetYourGuide — cost considerably more but may have many dates available.
→ See How to Buy Tickets to See The Last Supper Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci in Milano for a more detailed description of options.
A visit to the Last Supper Museum takes around an hour. Pick up tickets half an hour earlier than the reservation time. Then queue up at the actual museum entrance and enter with the timeslot group. It is impossible to catch up once the doors are closed. The entire group has 15 minutes with Leonardo’s masterpiece. Photos are permitted.
→ See What to Expect When Visiting the Last Supper Museum for a rundown on the procedure when visiting alone or in a group.
Nearby Milan Sights Worth Exploring
Sights within a few minutes of walking from the Last Supper Museum in Milan include:
- Admission to the adjacent church of Santa Maria della Grazie is free but opening hours are much shorter than the museum. The exterior of the church is more impressive than the interior.
- Visit the Free San Maurizio Church — endless Renaissance frescoes in the “Sistine Chapel of Milan” — it is a short stroll in the direction of the Duomo.
- Visit the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s Musician Painting and the Codex Atlanticus with his drawings and designs.
- Visit the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci
- Milan Duomo Complex is a 15-minute walk or a short tram ride away.
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