Drive from Padova to Milan??

Where is the flight going to?

Who is the flight operator?

How long will it take to return the car, wait for the shuttle and ride the shuttle?

What day of the week? What about the heavy traffic going to work in Milan?

My first thought was: How long might it take to turn the car in? I've never rented in Europe, but folks here have reported that one often spends a lot more time at the rental agency in Italy than is typical in the US. The morning of a flight is not a good time to find out how long it can take.

I like Padova but would not spend the night before an 11:40 AM Linate flight in Padova.

Flight is into Dublin, not sure of the operator. He plans on driving to Linate airport on a Friday morning, so I'm sure there will be work traffic as well. Have no idea how long it will take at the car drop-off and transpo to airport itself. Also, I reminded him about refilling the car as well. So many reasons not to drive...

I'm hoping some people offer strong opinions (either way) so I can forward your responses to him. The more perspectives the better :)

IMHO, driving from Padua to Linate the day of your flight is NOT a cogent strategy because too many things could happen. If you plan to use the Autostrada it is not uncommon for it to become a parking lot. This has happened to us many times. We travel in Italy every year, so our experiences are first hand.

The general rule of thumb we follow is to stay in a city near our departure airport. If we are flying out of FCO we spend our last night in Roma, etc. We like to minimize the chances of something delaying our transit to the airport.

Buon viaggio,

Depending on time of year, there could be fog to consider as well.

So many things could cause delays, but if he wants to drive on the day of a flight, maybe it will make a funny travel story someday.

Thanks for the input! Despite all the warnings myself and you guys have provided, he still seems to be leaning toward driving himself. I think he's close to cracking though. If not, I'm sure Zoe's prediction of a "funny travel story" will ring true. His last argument is that he says Linate is not IN Milan, so he might not hit traffic. As I understand, it is only 5 miles outside the city, and I'm sure rush hour traffic will extend a mere 5 miles. Anyone have experience here? How long and how bad does "rush hour" get in Milan, and does it reach Linate airport?

Thanks again.

True that driving to Linate is not the same as driving into the city. Has he priced the car rental? And if he doesn't pre-pay for the fuel used, it will also take time to stop at a filling station before returning the car.

Last time that I had a rental car (for a longer period) to return at Linate, I slept at an airport hotel before my flight the next morning.

he says Linate is not IN Milan, so he might not hit traffic

This is silly, I don't want to be rude but now I'm a little worried for your brother.

It's people commuting to/from Milan that on working days block the ring road and the motorways that lead to the City. Tell him to leave as early as possible.

Linate is a city airport, it isn't far from the urban area like Malpensa. Can't he just admit that you know better?

Your brother is on flight Air Lingus 433 departing LIN at 11:40.
He needs to be at the airport in time to have checked in and have boarding passes in his hands at least 45 min prior to departure. Being at the airport at least one hour prior to departure would be the minimum, but I would strive to be at the airport no later than 10:30.
There are 4 trains that would get him on time to Milan. They depart at:
6:07, 6:48, 7:18, 7:48
Even the 7:48 train should give you enough time to get to the airport on time (it gets to Milano C.le at 9:55).
The bus is not the only option from the station to the airport. The taxi is probably a bit faster and it shouldn't cost more than 25 euro.
There is no way that driving there on a rental car will get him to the airport faster. The drive is about 2.5 hours, assuming no traffic snarls. But that is only the drive. Then you need to add the time necessary for rental car pick up and return paperwork. The train+taxi combination is way faster and also cheaper. Your brother can't drive as fast as a FrecciaRossa train, in spite of the intermediate stations stops, not even if he rents a Ferrari.

If you already have a rental car, it is almost reasonable to drive. The airport is before you get to Milan and outside the ring road, so less impacted by traffic than the main airport north of Milan.

Rome2rio says driving is faster https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Padua/Milan-Linate-Airport-LIN

The trade off is changing train to bus/taxi in Milan vs. buying gas and really slow car return time which will eat up potential drive time savings. Add in potential fog (very limited visibility and slow speeds) and weekend traffic, plus the cost of missing the flight. I would stay near the airport the nigt before and return the car early when the rental car office opens. Or take the train and spend the night before in Milan.

I may be in Padova in early April!

Al,
I like Roberto's explanation:

The train+taxi combination is way faster and also cheaper. Your brother can't drive as fast as a FrecciaRossa train, in spite of the intermediate stations stops, not even if he rents a Ferrari.

It sounds like no one will convince your brother at this point.

Personally, I like to spend the night before my flight home, at the departure city.

These replies are great. I'm passing them on to my brother, and I think he's starting to see reason. Roberto and darioalb, your posts were great, and funny! How do you say "you're being silly" in Italian??

EVERYONE thank you for your input. I will let you know what he decides, and if he does stick with the car I'll let you all know what he did after he misses his flight :)

Grazie Mille!!

Al,

My suggestion is the same as Roberto posted. Driving will NOT be faster than the high speed trains, which travel at up to 300 km/h. The travel time from Padova to Milano Centrale via FrecciaRossa is 1H:57M, plus the time & cost of a Taxi to Linate, and the 07:18 departure would get him to Milan at 09:15. This is easily the best option, IMO.

There are a few "caveats" to be aware of with rental cars. It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot!

You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities. EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket, which you won't know about until several months after you return home! This website provides more information - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm . There's also the issue of parking tickets, high fuel costs, tolls and automated speed cameras including the devious Traffic Tutor system which measures not only instantaneous speed but also average between two points. Violate either or both parameter and expensive tickets will follow.

There's also the issue of traffic delays, which there's no way to predict regardless of what websites such as Rome2Rio or others might say. I saw a good example of that in a travel magazine I was reading this morning. A family going from London to Gatwick to connect with a flight were delayed in traffic. They weren't able to notify the airline and ended up missing the flight. As a result they had to buy new tickets at a cost of $11,000+ (they eventually got a partial reimbursement after appeal). The person writing the story suggested that they might want to use the Gatwick Express (train) next time, as it's not subject to delays of that type. While your brother's situation won't be that severe, missing a flight would still be a real nuisance!

Finally (and perhaps most importantly), taking the Freccia trains will be cheaper if he buys advance tickets online and gets a Super Economy ticket. Using an arbitrary date in May, they have tickets listed from Padova to Milano Centrale at €14.90 PP. I seriously doubt that a rental car will be cheaper than that!