Where to Study in Milan — 7 Best Spots for Exam Season

Look, we get it. Exam season is here and you’ve been staring at the same four walls of your bedroom for what feels like forever. Your family keeps interrupting, the fridge keeps calling your name, and you genuinely cannot absorb another page of notes.

You need to get out.

A few of us on the team graduated upper school a few years ago and are now at university — we’ve been exactly where you are right now. This is the list we wish we’d had; the definitive guide to where to study in Milan when the usual places stop working.

Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense

If you are a lover of the dark academia aesthetic, this is your place. One of Milan’s most historic libraries, right next to the Pinacoteca di Brera, with soaring ceilings, dark wooden shelves and the kind of energy that makes you want to be productive just by walking in. It’s formal and very quiet, ideal for those long, distraction-free sessions when you really need to lock in.

Register online in advance and bring your ID to get in.

✦ Best for: deep focus sessions when you need full silence.

Biblioteca Parco Sempione

Biblioteca Parco Sempione is a more laid-back alternative to Braidense, set inside Milan’s most beautiful park. It’s a great pick if you prefer studying surrounded by nature, with plenty of natural light. The vibe is calm and especially nice during spring, when the park setting really adds to the experience.

One thing to note: opening hours are quite limited, so it works better for shorter study sessions rather than full-day revision.

✦ Best for: relaxed study sessions, daytime focus, and mixing work with fresh air in a scenic setting.

oTTo

oTTo is one of the coolest spots on Paolo Sarpi — bright, plant-filled and with a very design-forward energy. The café area is great for lighter studying or meeting up with classmates, but if you need something more focused, they also have a dedicated co-working space with proper desks. Check their website for co-working time slots and pricing before you head over.

The coffee is great, but the pastries are the real highlight!

✦ Best for: café-style revision with the option to upgrade to a proper desk when you need to get serious.

Fuorimano

Part café, part restaurant, part co-working space — Fuorimano is genuinely a bit of everything. Set in a converted industrial building, it has a creative, slightly vintage feel with multiple rooms, a garden area and even a decorative pool. Because of its size, it works equally well for solo sessions or group revision, and you won’t feel cramped. Book a co-working slot through their website.

The fact that you can reward yourself with a proper meal afterwards is, honestly, the main selling point. Fuel the brain.

✦ Best for: long group study sessions, with the bonus of a proper lunch or dinner to reward yourselves after.

Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli — Reading Room

This one is a genuine hidden gem, and it’s completely free. The top-floor Reading Room has wide panoramic windows, dedicated desks with sockets and proper silent workstations. It’s the kind of place you go when you seriously need to lock in. The architecture alone is worth the trip.

Remember to register online and to bring your ID. And when your brain needs a reset, the RED Café is right downstairs.

✦ Best for: the serious, no-excuses study sessions with a beautiful view.

RED Café — Feltrinelli

RED cafés sit inside many Feltrinelli bookshops across Milan, which means there’s almost always one near you. The vibe is calm and intellectual; books on the walls and decent coffee at honest prices. Great for solo sessions when you need a change of scenery without committing to a library. The Gae Aulenti location is the most comfortable for longer stays.

One thing to know: sockets are limited, so come charged or arrive early to grab a good seat.

✦ Best for: solo focus sessions and coffee-fuelled revision.

BAM — Biblioteca degli Alberi

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your revision is step away from it for 20 minutes. BAM is a beautifully designed urban park in the heart of Porta Nuova, full of greenery, quiet corners and open space where you can sit with your notes, get some fresh air, or just decompress. It pairs perfectly with RED Café in nearby Gae Aulenti: study inside, take your break outside.

It’s not a traditional study spot, and that’s exactly why it works.

✦ Best for: clearing your head, light revision in the sun, and resetting.

A few tips before you go

• →Always bring your charging cable — a dead laptop mid-session is a revision killer.
• →Headphones are non-negotiable. Even in quiet places, having your own audio bubble helps. They say classical music stimulates the mind, so why not give it a try?
• →Stay hydrated. Bring a reusable water bottle — it’s one less thing to spend money on and one less thing to think about.
• →Be honest about who you study well with. A revision group that actually stays focused is everything you need.
• →Wear your uniform on study days if you can. It sounds small, but staying in “school mode” really does help your brain shift into focus.
• →Weekdays are almost always better. If you need to study on a weekend, plan ahead — popular spots fill up fast.
• →Try to have a rough plan before you arrive: know what subject you’re covering, what you want to get done, and give yourself a finish time. Walking in with a vague plan to “just study” rarely ends well.