Hello. My husband and I are planning a birthday trip (mine!) to Italy in October and I am ready to purchase plane tickets. Looks like price and schedule works best by flying in and out of Milan. We will spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre and 5 nights in Tuscany and then back to Milan for one night for our flight home the next day. Looks like we may have to spend our first night in Milan too as flights arrive in the evening, around 9pm. We have a choice of arriving and departing from either Malpensa or Linate. What would be a better experience in your opinions? We plan to stay at a hotel close to Milano Centrale on our first night to make it easier to take the train to Cinque Terre the following morning. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
California
494 posts
We prefer flying into Linate which is closer to Milan.
Just curious, why the Cinque Terre when you live very close to the Pacific Ocean? I know it is not the same but still, there are so much to see and experience in Italy.
Posted by
Central Connecticut, USA
1103 posts
Linate is smaller than Malpensa, and feels easier to navigate. Also, Linate is closer to the Milan train station.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16200 posts
Malpensa and Linate are like Dulles airport and Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.
Malpensa is far from the city like Dulles, 35 miles away from Centrale (55 min by train).
Linate is near the city center like Reagan Nat’l, only 4 miles away from Centrale (15-20 min by taxi or bus)
Unfortunately flying closer to the city center often involves a higher airfare. So, check pricing and timing options, then it’s up to you.
Posted by
OP
Pacifica, CA, USA
21 posts
Thank you all for your quick replies. JustTravel, this is our second trip to Italy. We had previously visited the big three, Venice, Florence, and Rome on our two week honeymoon 15 years ago. Although we loved those places, now we want to visit outside the big cities.