There are numerous benefits to living in Milan: cool events such as Milan Fashion Week and Design Week take place, there are copious amounts of restaurants to check out, and new activities to choose from. A favorable bonus about Milan is its location. Various countries and cities are easily accessible at a low cost from Milan as the city is centrally located. The city is only a couple of hours away from Switzerland and France as well as other large Italian cities such as Rome and Florence. Although it is possible to travel to these places by train thanks to regional lines such as Trenord or Italo and the Eurail, it is oftentimes more time efficient to fly — even within Italy to places such as Sicily and Sardinia. However, getting to Milan’s airports — Milano Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Milan Linate Airport (LIN) — can be a bit tricky, especially finding the most convenient way as there are so many options to choose from. From taxi to train, here is a breakdown of the ways to get to Malpensa and Linate as well as the respective costs: 

Milano Malpensa Airport 

Milano Malpensa Airport is the city’s main airport that is typically used to fly when travelling internationally. It is most likely the airport you flew into when first arriving in Milan! Located about an hour away from the city center, there are a few ways to get to and from Malpensa — taxi, train, or bus. While taxis are the quickest way to get into Milan, it is not the cheapest. Taxi fare prices will cost around €114-140 depending on what service you use. FREENOW, a taxi service app, is commonly used by local Italians to hail a cab and works exactly like Uber. It is technically supposed to be cheaper than ordering an Uber, but sometimes, especially getting to Malpensa, it is not. More often than not, Ubers will be cheaper than a taxi from Malpensa as local taxi services run a fixed price of around €140 to get to-and-from Malpensa. Due to this, the bus and train services from the airport will be your best option, and don’t worry, they are pretty simple to use! 

Malpensa Shuttle is the most common bus service used to get into Milan, and it is the most affordable option to use. A trip from Malpensa to Milan Central Station — the main train station in the city—is €10 and a round trip costs €16. Bus tickets can be purchased in advance online via their website or at the airport at their booth outside of the arrival gates. For travel convenience, the Malpensa Shuttle buses leave every 20 minutes from the airport. 

While the Malpensa Shuttle is the cheapest option to get to-and-from the airport, trains provide more accessibility to reach various parts of the city. The Malpensa Express is a train service that runs directly to the terminal platforms in Malpensa, and can be accessed in the city from the main train stations — Milan Central Station and Milan Cadorna Station. Train tickets for Malpensa Express are available online via their website or in-person at ticket kiosks for €13 one-way. For those who don't speak Italian, the train kiosks are still easy to use: just switch the language to English! Though there is no consistent schedule for the trains like the Malpensa Shuttle buses, there are multiple trains running within every hour making it another convenient option for budget travellers. Plus, the train is quicker than the bus! 

Milan Linate Airport 

From Milan Cadorna Station and Milan Central Station, the city’s metro lines become accessible via the M1 (red), M3 (yellow), and M2 (green) lines. If you have an ATM card or pass and are looking for ways to not pay for an extra transportation ticket, consider flying out of Milan Linate Airport. Stationed right on the blue M4 line at the Linate stop, the Milan Linate Airport at the Linate stop is a more convenient airport to get to from the city center. Keep in mind, however, that flight costs are going to be a tad bit more expensive in comparison to Malpensa as Linate is smaller. Due to this, there are less flight options to choose from as well. However, the pricier plane ticket may be the better option as you would not be paying the extra €20-26 that it takes to get to and from Malpensa. 

When it comes to public transportation, timing is really important. If you plan on flying out of Malpensa, plan on leaving for the airport about a couple of hours before you want to arrive as the bus and train can take about an hour and a half respectively. Getting to Linate will take about 40 minutes or more depending on if you would need to take another metro line to get to the nearest M4 line. In all honesty, getting to the airport is arguably the most stressful part of travel plans. After that, it should be smooth sailing. So, plan ahead, give yourself plenty of time, and take a deep breath. Buon viaggio!