How do I get from the airport to Milan?

Most international flights land at Malpensa (MXP), about 50km northwest of the city center. The Malpensa Express train is the right choice. Two routes run from Terminal 1. One reaches Milano Cadorna in 36 minutes, the other reaches Milano Centrale in 52 minutes. Both cost €13 (about $15). For a first visit, Centrale tends to be more useful. It connects to metro lines M2 and M3, which serve most hotel neighborhoods between Porta Garibaldi and Porta Romana. Trains depart roughly every 30 minutes from about 5:25am until 11:25pm. Buy tickets from the Trenord machines in the arrivals hall, not from the staffed counter. Same price, shorter queue. The platform sits in the basement of Terminal 1, cool and quiet compared to the fluorescent arrivals hall above. If you land at Terminal 2, a free shuttle connects to Terminal 1 in about 7 minutes.

After the last Express, taxis from Malpensa have a fixed municipal fare of €105 (about $120) to central Milan. Non-negotiable, posted at the taxi stand. The ride takes about 50 minutes at night when the A8 motorway is empty. You'll also see coaches from Terravision and Autostradale parked outside arrivals, priced at €8 to €10 to Milano Centrale. They take about 50 minutes but can stretch past 90 in Friday-evening traffic. Mind you, the coach drops you on the east side of Centrale, not inside the station. At night that means crossing Piazza Duca d'Aosta, where the warm air carries traffic exhaust and the low hum of taxi engines idling at the rank. Pickpockets work the Centrale area after dark, so keep your phone in a front pocket and walk with purpose toward the station's bright south entrance.

Linate (LIN), Milan's city airport at 7km east of Piazza del Duomo, handles European routes and domestic flights. Since late 2024, the M4 metro line runs directly from Linate Airport station to San Babila in about 12 minutes. A standard ATM transit ticket costs €2.20 ($2.50). Before M4, you'd sit on bus 73 through stop-and-go traffic for 25 to 40 minutes. The new connection is likely the fastest airport-to-center rail link in Italy. Trains run from about 5:30am to midnight, every 4 to 6 minutes during the day. The stations still have that new-build smell, clean tile and smooth rubber flooring underfoot. A taxi from Linate has a fixed fare of around €25, which might make sense if you're hauling luggage after midnight.

If you flew Ryanair or Wizz Air, you likely landed at Orio al Serio (BGY) near Bergamo, about 50km northeast. Terravision and Autostradale buses run to Milano Centrale for €7 to €10, taking roughly 60 minutes in clear traffic. Buy the ticket online before you land. The queue at the airport counter can eat 20 minutes, and the bus fills up fast on summer evenings. There's no rail link from BGY to Milan, so the coach is your only public-transit option. Taxis quote around €100 to €120 for the ride. That's rarely worth it when buses run until past midnight. Coaches arrive at the same drop near Centrale, so the same late-night precautions apply.