What you are going to see
The Last Supper is a wall painting of Christ and his twelve apostles at a long table. Leonardo worked on it from about 1495 to 1498 for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. It is in the refectory (the monks’ dining hall) of the convent at Santa Maria delle Grazie, and it measures 4.6 metres by 8.8 metres.
It is a different building from Sforza Castle, but it was commissioned by the same ruling family. If you are visiting the castle, this is the one other thing in Milan that most people want to add.
Why it is so fragile
Wall paintings are normally done in fresco, with the paint worked into wet plaster. Leonardo used tempera, a paint normally used on wooden panels, on the wall instead. That let him go back and change things. It also meant the paint did not stick well, and the wall was thin and held moisture, so damp affected it strongly. The painting began to deteriorate soon after he finished.
It has been through a lot since. Allied bombing hit the refectory on 15 August 1943. Sandbags protected the painting from bomb splinters, although the vibration may have damaged it. A major restoration ran from 1978 to 1999. It took 21 years, and the painting went back on display on 28 May 1999. With that history, it is easy to see why visits are limited to small timed groups.
Opening times and prices
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 to 19:00, with last admission at 18:45. The full price is €15 for visitors aged 25 and over. Reduced tickets for ages 18 to 25 cost €2, and under 18s are free. These came from the Cenacolo Vinciano’s information page in October 2026, so check it before you book.
How booking works, step by step
- Book on the Cenacolo’s own site. Booking is mandatory for every ticket, including free ones.
- Know that sales come in blocks. Tickets for September to December 2026 went on sale on 23 June 2026 at 12:00. The Cenacolo announces each block on its news page, so check there for the next date.
- Try the weekly release. Extra tickets are released every Wednesday at 12:00 for the following week. It is online only, for individuals, with a maximum of 5 tickets. If you are booking from abroad, work out what 12:00 in Milan is where you are.
- Choose carefully. The date and time cannot be changed, and there are no refunds. Tickets are named, and the name cannot be changed either.
- Mind the limits. Online orders are capped at 5 tickets. There is also a separate limit of 5 tickets per person per calendar year online.
- Phone or email if you need to. The call centre on +39 02 92800360 takes up to 9 tickets. Groups of 10 or more book by email.
- For a free first-Sunday ticket, book online. These are sold only on the online platform.
If the dates have gone
Booking direct is the simplest route, but dates run out. If nothing is left, the practical alternative is a guided tour that includes an entry ticket, so the slot comes with the booking. The cards on this page include three kinds:
- A one-hour guided visit with a licensed guide and headsets, with the entry ticket included.
- A two-hour tour with an art historian guide and headsets that pairs a Last Supper slot with the castle courtyards, but not the castle museums.
- A three-hour walking tour that starts at Piazza del Duomo, includes the entry ticket and a guided walk through the old centre.
Read each listing for its available dates and meeting point. Tickets and tours compares the three side by side.
What the visit is like
You go in with a group of up to 40 people, and the visit lasts 15 minutes. That is not long, so read up first. There is no re-entry once you have left. Food and drink are not allowed.
Rules on the day
- Bring ID. Arrive at the ticket office at least 30 minutes before your slot, with ID, or you lose the booking. The ticket office is at the Via Fratelli Ruffini entrance, a few metres from the museum.
- Then go to the museum entrance 15 minutes before your slot. In practice, plan for at least 45 minutes from the ticket office deadline to the end of the visit.
- Leave big bags behind. No bulky bags or luggage are allowed. The ticket office has a few timed lockers, for a maximum of 60 minutes.
Getting there
The address is Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie 2. Metro line M1 stops at Cadorna and Conciliazione, and line M2 stops at Cadorna. Tram 16 stops at Santa Maria delle Grazie, and buses 50 and 169 stop on Via Boccaccio. The museum is inside Area C, the city centre congestion charge zone, so a car is a poor choice. One guide describes it as a 15-minute walk from Sforza Castle. Getting there covers Milan’s transport in general.
Pairing it with the castle
The castle museums are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00, and the Last Supper opens at 8:15. Both are closed on Mondays. A sensible day is an early or mid-morning Last Supper slot, then a walk to the castle for the courtyards and, if you want them, the museums. The castle ticket office closes at 16:30, which gives you plenty of afternoon.
On the first Sunday of the month the castle museums are free for everyone, and the Cenacolo has free tickets that are sold online only. The visiting guide has the castle side of the plan, and tickets and tours covers its tickets.
