Placed 35 km from Milan, Milan-Malpensa Airport is the second most frequented airport in Italy. It is located in the province of Varese, in the northeast of Milan, and consists of two terminals (1 and 2). It is accessible from the A4 and A8 motorways.
Milan-Malpensa Airport is located in the province of Varese, near Gallarate and 35 km from Milan, Italy. It is the most important and busiest of the 3 airports in Milan, with 19 million passengers. It is the second busiest airport in Italy after Fiumicino in Rome.
Malpensa Airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 is where the vast majority of airlines depart from and Terminal 2 is where practically all the low cost airlines are located, especially Easy Jet.
These two terminals are very different and separated from each other, that's why you must be clear about which terminal you should go to. Anyway, the terminals are connected by a free shuttle bus that operates every 7 minutes.
How to get there
There are several ways to get to the airport, either by public or private transport.
TRAIN
To get from Milan-Malpensa Airport to the center of Milan (or vice versa) you can use the train service, called Malpensa Express: it has a journey time of approximately 40 minutes and costs 13 €. This train connects the airport with the Cadorna station in the center of Milan.
There are two train lines that connect Terminal 1 with the center of Milan: one that goes to the Central Station at a cost of 13 euros and a 50-minute journey (trains run every 20-40 minutes), and another line that arrives at the Cadorna Square station next to the Sforzesco Castle for a cost of 13 euros and a 30-minute journey (trains run every 30 minutes).
BUS
There is a bus service connecting Milan Central Station with the two terminals of Milan-Malpensa Airport. The frequency of the service is every 20 minutes and the travel time is 50-70 minutes, depending on the traffic on the road. Buses depart from Milan from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and from the airport from 6:00 a.m. to midnight.
The companies that run the service, you can choose between four different ones: Caronte, Terravision, Malpensa Bus Express and Malpensa Shuttle.
The price of the bus is 10 € and the price for children between 3 and 11 years old is 5 € each way. If you buy round-trip tickets are 16 and 9 euros respectively. You can buy tickets in advance.
TRANSFER SERVICE
There is the option of having a driver come to pick you up at the airport and wait for you at the exit with a sign with your name/surname. This service has a cost of 90€ but it is the most convenient and quickest service if you want to avoid complications with fares, etc. Transfers can be booked online.
TAXI
Cab is the most comfortable but by far the most expensive option: the trip from the airport to the city has a fixed price of 95€ (without any extra charge).
Cabs can be found in both Arrivals terminals. Each cab can accommodate a maximum of 4 people and the journey usually takes about 50 minutes.
It is important to make sure that the cab you take has a sticker that says "Taxi autorizzato per il servizio aeroportuale lombardo", that means that the taximeter is set for the route and you will pay the fare shown. Otherwise, even if the licenses are quite controlled, you may end up overpaying.
PARKING AT THE AIRPORT
Parking in the official parking lots at Milan-Malpensa airport saves a lot of time, as all car parks are located directly connected to the check-in area or just a few steps away from the terminals.
- P1 Long-term: designed to give an effective service at a lower price to all those who stay more than 7 days.
- P2 Executive: the most exclusive parking for long term stays.
- P3 Express: short term parking spaces.
- P4 Vacation: perfect combination of comfort and savings and has a direct connection to Terminal 1.
- P5 Easy: parking spaces in front of Terminal 2 and an optimal solution also for daytime departures from Terminal 1 thanks to the shuttle service.
- P6 SMART (new): recommended for daytime departures and arrivals at Terminal 1, thanks to the free shuttle service every 20 minutes.