We are staying near the Duomo and are leaving tomorrow to fly back to JFK from MXP. I certainly know we can take Malspensa Shuttle to MXP or hire a car or take taxi. Does any one know the average cost of a taxi or private car? Has any one had experience with a reputable private car company? Our flight leaves at 1:00 p.m. How far in advance should we be at the airport? we are traveling Alitalia.

At this point while I would like to be budget minded on the cost to get to the airport, I am looking for convenience. We did a lot of walking over the last 11 days and my legs are very tired! But a great trip!

Thanks for your help!

The cost to go to MXP from Milano by private car service or cab is around 100€. This past August we used Blacklane Limo service and found a 10% discount coupon from the internet bringing the cost down to 89€ and it was worth every euro.

Other times we've used the Milan Shuttle, but now we prefer the limo service.

Buon viaggio,

Malpensa Express from Milano Central to Malpensa Terminal 1 for 12E per person in a bit less than 1 hour is easy and comfortable.

We took a cab (which took credit cards) this past August. Our flight was at noon so we wanted to be there around 10 AM. The traffic was mainly coming into the city rather than going out. The cost might have been 60 Euro or so. We saw no need for a "private" car; our taxi was "private" for us and took us right to the terminal from which we were actually leaving.

Typically for flights back to the US the airlines want you at the airport 3 hours in advance due to the multiple security checks - but you really should check with your airline.

We just have the hotel get us a taxi since I don't do luggage on public transit to/fro airports. I'm just past the age of being pack mule woman.

"near the Duomo" means nothing. If you are close to a metro station of line 1 (like Cordusio or Duomo M1), or close to a stop of tramway line 1, you should of course board the Malpensa Express at Cadorna: trains every 30 min, for example at 8.57, 9.27, 9.57.....); journey time 35 min.
Be aware that you may have to walk 10-15 min from Malpensa train station up to the check in counter.

Let's clarify that both the bus and the train call themselves Malpensa Express. From Milano Centrale, it's not obvious that there is a train as nearly all of the tickets you will see are actually for the bus. The only place to buy tickets for the Malpensa Express train (12 Euros each) is on the lowest floor of the rail station. You can buy them from a machine or from a human being.

The Malpensa Express train leaves from track 2 (binario 2) which is at the very far left of the rail platforms and departs 25 and 55 minutes after the hour. The train takes 43 minutes and terminates at MXP Terminal 1, which is where your JFK flight will depart. You will have to take the escalators up into the terminal and walk about 5-10 minutes.

I have taken the bus in the past. It took over 2 hours to get to the airport because ground traffic is unpredictable. So, while the train might seem less convenient than a private car, we chose the train because the actual arrival time is predictable.

Friday morning it took us nearly an hour to check in and clear security at MXP and this was at 9am in the Business Class line (British Airways). There were only about a dozen people in that line. They were also being overly diligent about the size of carry-on luggage; several people were forced to check "roll-aboards" that they normally carry.

If it were me, I would take the metro over to Centrale and buy your tickets before you are hauling luggage ... it is a long walk inside Centrale from the Metro to the tickets and then to the trains. The tickets are not time-specific so you can buy them and use them any time you want. Then on the day of your flight I would take a taxi to Centrale and plan to take the 9:25 am Malpensa Express train to MXP.

There is also a train from Cadorna, which you are closer to, but I cannot vouch for the details or timing. It is allegedly about 30 minutes.

This information is current as of 9 October.

Thanks for all your help! We ended up taking a taxi to the Cadorna station from our hotel and catching the 8:57 a.m. Malpensa Express train to MXP. We had plenty of time at MXP to enjoy a cappuccino and do some last minute shopping before boarding the plane back to JFK.