By plane

Milan’s two main airports are Linate and Malpensa. Linate is substantially closer to the city center, at only 7 km (roughly 4 miles) away, while Malpensa is 50 km from Milan’s city center (about 31 miles). .

A quick note on taxis from the airport-

We recommend against taking taxis from Milan's airports into the city center (unless you have a super duper expense account or someone else is footing the tab). Especially if you're coming from Malpensa, where the going-rate is a fixed price of €70 per taxi ride to the city center, it's just better to take city transport which is cheap and easy.

Taxis from Linate will cost you about €18.

From Linate to Milan's city center

City bus #73 runs until from Linate Airport to Milan’s Piazza San Babila. Tickets are €1 and service goes until about midnight.

In addition, an airport shuttle bus connects travelers from Linate to Stazione Centrale (Central Station) every 30 minutes. Tickets are €2.50 and the journey takes about 20 minutes.

From Malpensa to Milan's city center

If arriving by way of Malpensa, both bus and train service are options.

A shuttle train, the Malpensa Express, departs from Malpensa every 30 minutes and goes to Cadorna Station (near Castello Sforzesco). Tickets are €9. Purchase your ticket in advance of boarding the train, as it's €2.50 more if you wait until you're riding to buy it.

A bus, the Malpensa Shuttle, is also from the airport to Stazione Centrale (Central Station) until 10:30 PM daily. Tickets are €7. The journey can take up to an hour.

For more information, visit the Linate Airport web site or the Malpensa Airport site.

In addition, you can check out the transport companies' sites:

-Malpensa Shuttle Bus

-Malpensa Express Train

By bus

All Milan buses arrive and depart from Piazza Castello, the square at the foot of Castello Sforzesco, a major tourist sight in the city center.

In addition, city buses and trams are available everywhere in Milan’s city center to take travelers from Piazza Castello to nearby accommodations; you can find metro stations by looking for large "MM" signs.

By train

The wonder that is Milan's Stazione Central (Central Station), just northeast of the Duomo, hosts the majority of train arrivals and departures. Once here, the metro lines MM2 and MM3 offer service to area hotels or sights.

For information all forms of transportation, as well as city maps, contact the Milan Tourism Board (Tel: 02 7252 4301), which has its main office at Stazione Centrale. Hours are Monday through Saturday (9 AM to 6 PM) and on Sundays (9 AM to 1 PM; 2 PM to 5 PM).

More information on flying into Milan

Visit our Milan budget flights section for more information on low-cost airlines flying into and out of Milan. Also worth reading is the guide to cheap flights to Milan on Bootsnall.com.