Milan is not a city that’s easy on the budget, with some of the highest hotel and restaurant prices in Italy. But sightseeing there is inexpensive, with many attractions free and others modestly priced.

1. Milan's free churches

Unlike Florence, most of Milan’s churches are free and filled with artistic and historic treasures, so even the less well-known ones are worth a visit.

These are all great to add to your list if you love to visit a pretty church. Sant’Eustorgio, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, which has beautiful frescoes, Santa Maria alla Fontana, San Marco near Brera, which is full of mysterious symbols and San Simpliciano.

The Duomo used to be free, however, there is now a €3 charge for tourists. You can still view this stunning building from the outside and take some wonderful pictures of the unusual architecture. There are hundreds of fantastical creatures to spot around the building, carved into the stone.

2. Castello Sforzesco

Castello Sforzesco is filled with free museums, housing such artworks as Michelangelo’s Rondini Pieta and gallery after gallery of paintings and sculpture.

Also free in the castle complex is an entire museum of practical and decorative arts showing everyday life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance – fashions, furniture, armour and musical instruments in every medium, spotlighting the outstanding craftsmanship of those periods.

Those who prefer more contemporary art will find works of the Impressionists and Post-impressionist painters there and in the newly-restored Villa Reale, where there are works by Matisse, Cezanne, Gaugin, Van Gogh and Picasso.

This former palace, where Napoleon stayed when he occupied Milan, faces the Giardini Pubblici, near the Quadrilatero della Moda.

At the free Civico Museo Archeologico (Archaeology Museum), the only remaining parts of the Roman city walls and one of its towers have been excavated. Prehistoric artefacts are interpreted so 21st-century visitors of all ages can see how prehistoric man lived.

Entrance to Castello Sforzesco is free every Tuesday from 2 pm, and on Wednesday to Sunday from 4.30 til closing.

3. Art Nouveau Cemetery

Stepping into the early 20th century, explore one of Italy’s finest cemeteries, almost an outdoor gallery of Art Nouveau sculpture. Cimitero Monumentale, near Stazione Porta Garibaldi rail station, is dramatic from first glance, with a striking black and white striped portico.

Italian cemeteries are always quite spectacular places and this one houses many of Milan’s historical figures along with incredible statues and colonnades.

4. Free Food in Milan

A little-known secret of Milan’s bars is the free food that goes with drinks in the after-work hours.

The ‘aperitivo’ is Milan’s version of ‘happy hour’ and allows customers to eat as much as they like from a selection of nibbles, for the price of one drink. Be careful, though, for the one drink can be a pricey one if it’s a cocktail.

Another Euro-stretching food strategy is to shop markets, such as the daily one at Mercato Communale, for picnic ingredients. Bread, cheese and sliced cured meats and local are always available and can be eaten at a bench in the Giardini Pubblici or Parco Sempione.

If breakfast is not included with your hotel room, cafes and bars are better value than hotels.

In Italy, a bar is not just for alcoholic drinks; it’s the place to go for a cappuccino and brioche (croissant) or later in the day, a quick, short cup of coffee or a snack, and they are often an economical choice for lunch as well.

5. Visit the Vertical Forests

The vertical forests or ‘Bosco Verticale’ have become a new symbol of Milan and showcase how seriously they are taking sustainability.

These two towers which are home to residential apartments have very quickly become a blueprint for other cities wishing to deal with pollution and improve biodiversity.

Big overhanging balconies have been planted with plants and full-size trees encouraging a great quality of life for humans, birds and wildlife.

You can find the first two towers of the complex in the Porta Nuova area of Milan. It’s a great area to wander around and see something your average tourist misses and of course it’s free.