Last Supper Tours in Milan – Are they worth it?

Are you wondering which of the many Last Supper tours is right for you and if they are even worth it?

All the options can be overwhelming. There are group tours, private tours, walking tours, segway tours, and many more. Besides all the types of tours, there are also so many tour providers online to choose from.

Are you feeling a bit lost?

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Find below all the info you need about Last Supper tours and how to easily compare all the deals available online.

Last Supper Tours – Are they worth it?

Yes. Booking a Last Supper Tour has many benefits that will help make the most of your once-in-a-lifetime visit to see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.

Convenient

Tours are convenient. You won’t need to worry about booking tickets, which can be a hassle. Last Supper tickets sell out fast due to the limited capacity of Santa Maria Delle Grazie Church.

When tickets are completely sold out, the only way to see the Last Supper painting is by booking a tour.

Informative

Tours are informative. An expert tour guide will be able to answer any questions you may have. This provides vital historical and cultural context to truly appreciate the importance of the timeless work of art you’ll be standing in front of.

You Won’t Miss a Thing

Tours make sure you don’t miss anything important. Your visit is greatly enriched with a local guide to show you all the hidden secrets in the area. There are also tours that include other attractions in Milan – who doesn’t like combos? 🙂

How to book Last Supper tours?

If Last Supper tickets are fully booked on your chosen date, the only way to see the Last Supper would be to book a tour.

There are many Last Supper tours available, which often combine a visit to the Last Supper with other attractions in Milan, such as the Duomo Cathedral or Sforza Castle.

TourScanner compiles the best tours from dozens of different providers to make it easier for you to search and compare options. Finding the best tour to fit your needs and budget is much faster and more convenient this way.

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Do you skip the line when booking a guided tour?

Yes! When you book a Last Supper guided tour, the agency books your tickets and reserves your time slot.

When the day of your visit arrives, you will be able to skip the line with your priority access ticket and head straight to the Last Supper. All you need to do is follow your guide, who has already arranged everything for you.

Are there any tickets combined with other attractions?

Yes, of course. Combo tickets are a great way to make the most of your time in Milan. They allow you to combine Last Supper tickets with other things to do in Milan. Do you want to visit any of these other attractions during your stay in Milan?

• Historical tour of Milan and Last Supper tickets: you can spend the whole day exploring Milan if you combine your visit to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie with the medieval Sforza Castle and the gothic Duomo Cathedral.
• Last Supper Tour and Santa Maria delle Grazie Church: you can visit the amazing UNESCO-listed Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and enjoy skip-the-line access to see the Last Supper, plus join a 90-minute tour about Leonardo da Vinci.
• A day in the life of Leonardo: last Supper, Sforza Castle and Bramante’s Sacristy. A professional art historian guide will give an in-depth explanation of all three sites.
• Renaissance treasures walking tour with the Last Supper: on this 2-hour walking tour, you can search for the treasures of the Renaissance hidden throughout the ancient city of Milan.

There are plenty of choices to combine stops at other attractions with a Last Supper tour. TourScanner compiles them all to help you easily find the tour that best meets your needs and interests.

• Last Supper tours

What will I see during a Last Supper Tour?

During your Last Supper tour, an expert local guide will help you appreciate the painting by sharing anecdotes and historical context to add depth to your experience as you stand in front of it.

After your Last Supper tour, you will understand why Leonardo Da Vinci’s Italian Renaissance masterpiece still stands the test of time and remains one of the most famous paintings in the world.

Located inside the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie, the painting depicts the moment right after Jesus declares to his twelve apostles that one of them will betray him before sunrise.

Pay attention to the reaction on the face of each apostle reacting to the news. The guide will explain in more detail how The Last Supper is a masterful psychological study and one of the world’s most iconic images.

This moment also depicts the birth of the Eucharist, with Jesus reaching for bread and a glass of wine — the key symbols of the Christian sacrament, and an important ritual still performed to this day.

As you will see, the passage of time has damaged the painting, and it remains in a fragile condition, despite 22 years of restoration, which was finally completed in 1999.

What is the history behind the Last Supper?

Commissioned by the Duke of Milan (and also Leonardo’s patron) Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo began working on the Last Supper painting in 1495 and, as was his manner, worked slowly with long pauses between sessions, until he finished it in 1498.

The Last Supper depicts Jesus’s final meal with his twelve apostles before he was captured and crucified. More precisely, the painting depicts the few seconds after Christ drops the bombshell that one of his disciples would betray him before sunrise. This is why the apostles have looks of anger, horror and shock on their faces.

The scene of the Last Supper is actually not a frozen moment in time but rather a composition of successive moments. Consider this while you’re standing in front of the painting and trying to decipher its meaning.

You can find key details on the faces of each disciple, who react differently according to da Vinci’s interpretation of that man’s personality. This results in a complex study of human emotions, rendered in a deceptively simple composition, as da Vinci also accomplished on a single face with his other famous work — the Mona Lisa.

The Last Supper also depicts the birth of the Eucharist, with Jesus reaching for bread and a glass of wine, which will become key symbols of the Christian sacrament — an important ritual still performed today.

In a way, the Last Supper is a failed experiment in painting techniques. Da Vinci decided against painting a fresco, which was the most common technique during the Renaissance for wall paintings.

With a fresco, the painter has a limited time to complete their work. However, da Vinci wanted more time to achieve a grander luminosity and include more intricate details, which he had planned and sketched in countless notebooks.

The final work was indisputably a masterpiece. However, there was one major weakness in his technique — the painting wasn’t very durable. Due to deterioration from environmental factors, the Last Supper has required a few restorations throughout the years.

Saying that the Last Supper has gone through a few restorations is a polite understatement. In actuality, the painting has gone through many. Every few decades, the work has received a facelift in one form or another.

The most recent, extensive and controversial restoration work took 20 years and over 38,000 hours to finally complete in 1999. Scientists and artists painstakingly identified and removed layers of paint that had been added over the centuries to reveal and preserve da Vinci’s original work.

Nowadays, Milan’s most famous mural has become one of the most visited attractions in the city. The Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie is open to the public and can be visited year-round.

Before your own final meal in Milan, make sure to visit the Last Supper and stand face-to-face with this Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece.

How to get to the Last Supper?

The painting of the Last Supper is located in the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in the city center of Milan.

Luckily, you can easily get to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie by foot or on public transport.

By foot

From the Duomo Cathedral, you only need to walk about 20 minutes west on Corso Magenta Street to reach the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie.

From Sforza Castle, you only need to walk about 10 minutes southwest on Via Caradosso to reach the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie.

By metro

Take the MM1 Red Line to the stop Conciliazione or the MM2 Green Line to the stop Cadorna, where you will see directions for the “Cenacolo Vinciano.”

From there, follow Corso Magenta Street and head to the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie.

By train

If you arrive in Milan by train, you can take the metro MM2 Green Line from Central Station (Stazione Centrale) to the stop Cadorna. Then, you have a 10-minute walk to the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie.

What are the Last Supper opening hours?

The Last Supper is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 AM to 7:00 PM.

You can only visit the Last Supper Museum during the time reserved on your ticket. Make sure to get there at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time of your visit. If you’re late, you won’t be allowed to enter.

Please note that you need a ticket to see the Last Supper and enter the Last Supper Museum, but you can enter the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie for free. For more information, check our guide on Last Supper tickets.

Useful tips

• You won’t have much time. You will only be able to stand in front of the Last Supper painting for 15 minutes, so be prepared to make the most of this brief and special moment.
• Take photos. Photos are allowed, just make sure not to use flash.
• Videos are forbidden. If you take enough photos, you could create an animation, but please don’t record any Tik Tok dance routines in front of the Last Supper.
• Arrive early. If you’re late, you won’t be allowed to enter. To avoid such a disappointment, plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early.
• The Milan Pass does not include entry to the Last Supper.

Hopefully, this guide has answered all your questions about how and why to book a tour for the Last Supper in advance. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions regarding Last Supper tours. Enjoy your stay in Milan!

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