What to Wear in Milan
Italy · 3 monthly packing guides
Milan dresses for a walk between a shop and a theatre, in a coat you can take off. Prada was founded in Milan in 1913 by Mario Prada, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and the original shop is still there under the glass roof; in 1919 it became official supplier to the Italian Royal Household. Giorgio Armani was founded in Milan in 1975. 10 Corso Como opened in 1991 in a former working garage at number 10 Corso Como, and by its own account it was the first concept store. La Scala has opened its season on 7 December, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, since 1951, and its house rules turn away tank tops and shorts and send every coat, hat and bag to a free cloakroom. December and January are the cold months on this plain. NOAA's record for Linate, east of the Duomo, puts December at 8°C / 46°F by day and 1°C / 34°F at night, and January at 7°C / 45°F and 0°C / 32°F. ARPA Lombardia, which holds a Milan weather series back to 1763 and publishes the Brera observatory's data, describes the Po plain as a place of cold winters, the Alps screening it from the Atlantic. You pack a coat for the street and a layer that still looks right once the coat is in a cloakroom, a closed shoe with a sole that grips wet stone, and a bag that zips.
Choose your month below to match your layers and shoes to the weather. Across the months covered, average daily lows reach 0°C / 32°F in January; average highs reach 10°C / 50°F in February.
Compare Milan by month
Monthly averages help compare packing needs; check the forecast before departure. Only months with published guides are listed. See the source notes below for station and measurement differences. Scroll across the table to see all weather details on a small screen.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January packing guide | 0°C / 32°F | 7°C / 45°F | 7 | 9h 05m |
| February packing guide | 1°C / 34°F | 10°C / 50°F | 6 | 10h 25m |
| December packing guide | 1°C / 34°F | 8°C / 46°F | 8 | 8h 44m |
Choose your Milan packing list
Milan in January: 7°C / 45°F days, 0°C / 32°F nights, the year's most frost nights, and the giorni della merla at the end.
In this capsule: Brown houndstooth wool coat, below the knee; Cream fine-rib turtleneck; Deep burgundy lambswool crew.
Milan in February: 10°C / 50°F days, 1°C / 34°F nights, frost on about 13 of them, and a carnival that runs four days past the rest of Italy's.
In this capsule: Grey herringbone wool coat, knee length; Ochre fine merino crew neck; Charcoal pressed straight-leg wool trousers.
Milan in December: 8°C / 46°F days, 1°C / 34°F nights, and La Scala's opening night on Sant'Ambrogio, when every coat goes to the cloakroom.
In this capsule: Ivory wool coat, notch lapel, below the knee; Medium-grey crew-neck knit; Black wide-leg trousers, turned cuff.
Climate sources by month
These credits follow the source recorded on each monthly guide. Climate figures inform the packing advice; outfit combinations and illustrations are editorial suggestions.
- January: NOAA NCEI · Milano Linate · 1991–2020 normalsWMO's OSCAR station register lists the Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force as the station's owner; NOAA NCEI computed these figures from its 16080099999 global-summary-of-the-day record (30 Januaries). Linate sits about 7 km east of the Duomo and runs about 2°C colder at night than the city-centre Brera station.
- February: NOAA NCEI · Milano Linate · 1991–2020 normalsWMO's OSCAR station register lists the Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force as the station's owner; NOAA NCEI computed these figures from its 16080099999 global-summary-of-the-day record (30 Februaries). Linate sits about 7 km east of the Duomo and runs about 3°C colder at night than the city-centre Brera station.
- December: NOAA NCEI · Milano Linate · 1991–2020 normalsWMO's OSCAR station register lists the Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force as the station's owner; NOAA NCEI computed these figures from its 16080099999 global-summary-of-the-day record (30 Decembers). Linate sits about 7 km east of the Duomo and runs about 2°C colder at night than the city-centre Brera station.
Frequently asked questions
Start with your travel month. The 3 published guides cover January, February, December. Compare the average low as well as the high: among these months, January has the lowest average low at 0°C / 32°F, while February has the highest average high at 10°C / 50°F. For a trip spanning two months, read both lists before deciding which layers to bring.
No. They are monthly climate averages for planning, not temperatures promised for a particular day or hour. Check the local forecast close to departure and adjust your layers and rain protection. The source, station and averaging period are listed for each month where recorded; different stations or rain-day definitions can affect comparisons.
No. Treat the capsule as a set of clothing functions: walking shoes, a base outfit, weather protection and any change for dinner or a venue's dress code. Start with equivalents you own. Adjust quantities to your trip length and laundry access; the illustrations are outfit suggestions, not a shopping requirement.