Place to stay for last night before flying out of Milan Malpensa

You could stay on Lake Maggiore in either Stresa or Arona (45 or 35 min drive respectively).

How would that be with Monday morning traffic? Would one of the hotels near the airport be a better option?

We stayed in Stressa the night before an 11:00am flight with no problems

I am guessing that car traffic would be worse from the center of Milan, whereas Roberto's suggestions keep you well outside of Milan's ring road. I have not driven this route, but would probably plan to leave Stresa by 6:30 a.m. to be in the airport by 8:30. Remember that you have to fill the fuel tank, or pay the rental company's inflated rate for fuel.

The Malpensa Express train takes about 50 minutes, departing from Milano Centrale train station at 5:25 and every half hour after that. There are many hotels within a few blocks of the train station.

The train actually runs hourly from 0525 to 0925 and then every 30 minutes.

I stayed in the little town of Casorate Sempione in November in order to catch a flight from Milan Malpensa the next morning. I chose I Castagni B&B‏ (http://www.icastagni-bb.it/eng/index.html) based on reviews on TripAdvisor and had a lovely stay. This is a small, family owned B&B located in their home but very private. I wasn't dealing with a rental car, but the owner, Carlo, was so kind to stay in touch with me, alerting me of a train strike that cancelled my regional train from Milan train station to Gallarate, where he was going to pick me up. Instead, he directed me to Milan Malpensa (airport shuttle), where his son picked me up. Short drive to their home. Lovely, very modern and clean room with little kitchenette. I enjoyed my favorite meal at the Osteria della Pista (http://www.osteriadellapista.com/hotel) only a short walk from the B&B. Perhaps you could drop your car off the night before your flight, get a ride to this B&B and enjoy the complimentary ride back to the airport the next morning. I really appreciated meeting this family.

Theresa,

If you want to visit Milan the day before your departure, you may want to stay near the historic center (near Sforzesco Castle/ Cadorna train Station.

The 'Malpensa Express ' from the Cadorna train station only takes 29-36 minutes to the Malpensa Airport & it runs every 30 minutes.

EDIT: My mom & I stayed at a hotel near the Cadorna Station last October. We took the Malpensa Express at 7:28 & arrived at Malpensa @ 8:00 as our flight was departing at 10:30 as well.

Theresa,

You might consider getting rid of the car the day prior to your flight, as you won't need it. It will be one less thing to bother with on flight day.

The location you may have been thinking of in the previous posts is Gallarate, as it's an easy trip to the airport from there. As Roberto suggested you could also spend your last night in Stresa, or spend your last night in Milan as Priscilla mentioned. the trip from Milano Cadorna to the airport is very easy, and shorter than from Milano Centrale. Staying in MIlan would allow you to visit one of the really nice restaurants there for your last night in Italy.

The drive from Stresa to Malpensa is 45 min. Add another 15 min for refueling and rental car return.
There is no traffic to worry about.
If you stay in Gallarate, it's a 10 min drive.
If you prefer to stay in Milan the last night, return the car first and stay near the Cadorna station. The train from there is about 35 min.

I actually don't have a desire to stay IN Milan - we like the small villages/towns much better. My husband isn't a city guy at all!

Knowing that, would either of the places mentioned be better than the other? We will be coming from the Dolomites - or possibly Limone on Lake Garda.

Also, returning the car the day before does sound good to me, if there's a convenient way back to one of these places. :)

Our other option is to stay at one of the airport hotels and spend the day at Lake Garda before heading to the airport hotel. Any idea of how far of a drive it is from Limone to Malpensa?

Thanks for your help!!

If you don't want to stay in Milan and prefer smaller places, then I would go to lake Maggiore (Stresa or Arona). If your flight is at 10:30 you should leave your hotel in Stresa by 7:00.

If you want to stay in a non descriptive hotel near the airport you can. I would still keep the car, so that you are not stuck there all day. That way you can still visit the lake and return to the hotel after dinner.

The only places where you can return the car is Milan (city) or the airport. There will be no rental offices in small towns or at the hotel.