Milano boasts numerous parks where you can enjoy spending time outdoors. Here we list the main ones where there are also areas dedicated to children’s playtime.

Parco Sempione

Parco Sempione is the green heart of the city, which extends over 40 hectares from the Castello Sforzesco to the Arco della Pace. 

Here, there are plenty of historical monuments to discover but, most importantly, on the Arco della Pace/Arena Civica side, there is a play area with castles for climbing, swings, a mini car track and rides such as the historic miniature train (fee per person).

 

There are 6 refreshment kiosks located within the park, perfect for tasty snacks throughout the day. In addition to Bar Bianco, near the lake, also well worth a visit are the Locanda alla Mano, a popular café run by disabled staff near the entrance to the Castello, and the Cascina Nascosta, a bar-restaurant which often also offers children’s workshops. 

 

After lots of fun rides on the merry-go-rounds, children can also enjoy an interesting visit to Milano’s Civic Aquarium, which is located within the park.

 

Address: entrances from Piazza Castello, via Pagano, via Bertani, viale Elvezia, viale Milton, viale Gladio, viale Alemagna and viale Legnano.

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) Cairoli or Cadorna stop - Tram 1

Indro Montanelli Public Gardens

The Indro Montanelli Public Gardens are located in the heart of Porta Venezia, and are definitely a park to visit with children.

 

There are three equipped playgrounds plus an amusement area with rides, and a miniature train circuit around the park (fee per person).

You might be lucky enough to visit on a day when you can go for a pony ride in an area near the pond (usually on weekends). But, even if the ponies are not out to play, watching the cute ducks and swans gliding on the water will still make the kids happy.

 

A favourite, but rarely-mentioned, attraction in the Gardens are the rocks. Yes, rocks in Milano! You can pretend you are an ibex (even if maybe not quite so agile) by climbing the large boulders that can be easily discovered by running along the paths!

 

During the Christmas season, the park hosts the Villaggio delle Meraviglie - Winter Wonderland Village with its skating rinks, fun rides and winter attractions for all ages.

 

There are mobile kiosks for snacks plus Bar Bianco in the centre of the Gardens. 

 

If, on the other hand, if you feel like a spot of culture, you can choose to visit the Natural History Museum (wow! dinosaurs for all ages!) or stargaze in the beautiful Ulrico Hoepli Planetarium within the park grounds.

 

Address: enter from Bastioni di Porta Venezia, via Manin, via Palestro, Corso Venezia

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) Porta Venezia or Palestro stop

Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte Garden - Villa Reale

The rear garden of the GAM Galleria d'Arte Moderna, housed in Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, or Villa Reale, is THE park for kids: in fact, adults are not allowed to enter unless they are accompanying a child up to the age of 12.

 

This English-style park, i.e., a park ‘as nature intended’ in which human intervention is inobtrusive, offers ample space for playing plus a small lake overlooked by a classical-style temple and, most importantly, an equipped playground.

 

Half the fun here is exploring the garden’s nooks and crannies with surprises that await you around every corner (spoiler: there's even a small waterfall). If you want to know more about the plants you can also follow a botanical trail

 

There are pop-up kiosks for an informal tea-time with friends or the more stylish Lùbar cafeteria inside the GAM Modern Art Gallery.

 

Address: Via Palestro

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) Palestro stop

Giardino della Guastalla

The pretty Giardino della Guastalla is located behind Milano’s Università Statale, and provides an oasis of peace in the city centre. Built at the behest of Countess Ludovica Guastalla in the 1530s, it was opened to the public in 1939.

 

An ideal place for a picnic, it is also perfect for a break while visiting the city centre. It has a play area for children plus a unique attraction that is certain to capture their attention: the fishpond.

This baroque structure has replaced the original sixteenth-century small lake, but the types of aquatic specimens who inhabit it are unchanged! Could they be carp or not? See if you can spot them by looking over the balustrade! 

 

A mobile kiosk for snacks can be found inside the park.

 

Address: enter from via Francesco Sforza, via San Barnaba, via Guastalla

How to get there: Metro M3 (yellow) Missori or Crocetta stop

Parco delle Basiliche or Parco Papa Giovanni Paolo II

The Parco delle Basiliche was so-called because it extended behind the basilicas of Sant'Eustorgio and San Lorenzo but, in 2015, it was renamed Parco Papa Giovanni Paolo II.

 

Immersed in the city’s history, adjacent to two of its most ancient churches, and also in proximity to the place where the city’s executions were carried out (you can find the full tale in our itinerary dedicated to the ‘scariest’ places in Milano), today this city park is a great place to spend time with children. 

 

There are three play areas equipped with fun games, and some mobile kiosks for refreshments. After running freely on the grass and in rose garden behind Sant'Eustorgio, a pleasant pastime for the whole family could be to visit one of the historic churches to admire its art and history.

 

Address: enter from via Molino delle Armi, Piazza Vetra, via Vetere and via Santa Croce

How to get there: Metro lines M1 (red) and M2 (green) Cadorna stop, or line M3 (yellow) Crocetta stop - Bus 94

BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi

The Biblioteca degli Alberi di Milano, aka BAM, is a cultural park that, once inaugurated, immediately became a point of reference in the city. 
It is set in the heart of the Porta Nuova district, known for its Bosco Verticale, its contemporary skyscrapers and its proximity to the popular Isola district.

 

In addition to offering workshops for all ages, this huge park at the foot of the skyscrapers boasts a playground that is also accessible to children with disabilities. It has swings, a fitness area, two bowling greens, water games (from May to September), allotments for outdoor learning, and a pond with diverse species of aquatic plants.

 

There really is something for everyone! And when it’s time for a snack, just head to the dedicated picnic area, which is also wheelchair accessible.

 

Nearby, children can also enjoy splashing in the Piazza Gae Aulenti walk-in fountains, which are always a great go-to spot in the warmer months.

 

Address: Via De Castillia 28

How to get there: Metro line M2 (green) to Garibaldi or Gioia stops, and line M5 (lilac) to Garibaldi or Isola stops

Parco Tre Torri City Life

In addition to the Porta Nuova skyscrapers there are also the three spectacular high-rise blocks at City Life: they have such unusual shapes that the Milanese have given them nicknames: ‘il dritto’ (the straight one), ‘lo storto’ (the crooked one) and ‘il curvo’ (the curved one).

 

At 170,000 sq.m. Parco Tre Torri, which extends at the foot of these imposing edifices, is one of the largest green areas in the city. Here, kids can have fun in the ArtLine park, which is a great open-air museum with inspirational sculptures and artworks, or in the play area.

 

Close by are the Orti Fioriti vegetable gardens divided into thematic areas (aromatic, fruit, etc...), and let's not forget the surrounding grassy embankments that are just perfect for rolling down!

 

In the springtime, don't miss the opportunity to call into nearby Piazza Tommaseo with its stunning white and pink magnolias. It is an absolutely wonderful place to admire the flowering spring trees in Milano.

 

Address: Piazza Tre Torri

How to get there: Metro line M5 (lilac) Tre Torri stop

Parco Guido Vergani and Giardino Valentino Bompiani

In the Pagano area, just outside the city centre, Parco Guido Vergani and Giardino Valentino Bompiani are two adjacent parks with flower beds, cycle paths and play areas. 

 

There are five equipped play areas and trampolines (fee per person) for plenty of fun. Amongst the cycle paths, don’t forget to check out the splash fountain with its water games, a favourite spot in the gardens for all kids.

 

There is a mobile kiosk in the park for drinks and snacks: gelato for everyone!

 

Address: enter from Via Guido d’Arezzo, via Pallavicino, via Reggimento Savoia Cavalleria, via Massena, via Vincenzo Monti, via Leone XIII, via Rossetti, via Grancini, via Panzini, via Pier Capponi

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) Pagano stop

Parco di Trenno or Parco Aldo Aniasi

Parco di Trenno can be found next to the La Maura Hippodrome; the park’s boundaries retrace the confines of the original farms in this area with large rows of trees and extensive areas of fields. In 2013 it was renamed after Aldo Aniasi, Mayor of Milano from 1967 to 1976.

 

It has 5 equipped play areas, 6 bocce and 2 basketball courts, 3 volleyball and 2 tennis courts, 2 skating rinks and 2 soccer fields: a true paradise for all children and teenagers!

 

From spring to autumn, Trennolandia - the amusement park for children up to the age of 11 - is also open in this huge park. It has fun inflatables, play houses and toy cars, a miniature train and areas dedicated to young kids under the age of 3 (entrance fee).

 

For there are two refreshments kiosks, one permanent and one mobile, or if you prefer a seated lunch you can opt for Cascina Bellaria, the park’s trattoria.

 

Once the afternoon of games in the park is over, if any of the kids (or parents!) are football fans, it’s just a short walk to the San Siro Stadium to visit the Milan and Inter Museum and to take a guided tour of the hallowed turf. A unique experience for everyone!

 

Address: enter from Via Novara, via Cascina Bellaria, via Gorlini, via Giorgi, via Lampugnano

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) De Angeli stop + n.80 bus or Bonola stop + n.64 bus

Bosco in città

Who would ever have thought that there was a forest in Milano? But it’s true: Bosco in città (Lit: Forest in the city) is 120 hectares of trees, glades, paths, waterways and urban gardens.

 

Given its size, it obviously has an equipped play area and, in the warmer months you can also rent bicycles to explore the land. There is a small lake to discover amongst the paths plus a water garden, an orchard and an apiary.

 

Furthermore, given the size of the park, you might also spot lots of different animal species, from swans to hares, frogs, turtles, owls, robins, foxes and herons.

 

Address: Via Novara 340

How to get there: Metro line M1 (red) to the Molino Dorino or Bisceglie stop + n.72 bus to the S. Romanello stop or line M5 (purple) to the San Siro Stadio stop + n.80 bus to the S. Romanello stop